Anyone else work from home?

by confusedandalone 18 Replies latest social family

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  TD

  If so, how are you enjoying it compared to maybe sitting in an office or going outside the home for work. I use to work in the office environment but after starting up my own thing with the with we eventually got office space. Then as we grew we have decided to leave the office space for the employees and work from home. I am sure it is not as exciting working from home but the wife disagrees. What do yuou guys prefer and why

  My office is an addition to my home. (Since 2005) There are definitely pros and cons to it. On the plus side, it's 'green', it's convenient, it saves money and adds to the life of a vehicle. I don't miss freeway traffic at all.

  On the negative side, everybody (And I mean everybody) seems to think that working from a home office = semi-retirement and/or play time. Family members will call out from other parts of the house even during important phone and video calls and be mildly offended at being ignored. This gets especially bad when family members have holidays off that customers (And me by extension) don't observe.

  Neighbors can be almost as bad once they realize you're home during the day..

  Another, more esoteric negative has to do with tax law. In the U.S. you're allowed to deduct things like electrical usage as a business expense based on the proportion in square footage of your office to the rest of your home. The IRS will make exceptions, but you have to plead your case and come under their full scrutiny to do so. In my case, the electrical usage is not proportionate to the square footage, but not so out of proportion that its worth being in the spotlight to prove.
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  confusedandalone

  "Family members will call out from other parts of the house even during important phone and video calls and be mildly offended at being ignored"

  I find this to be soooo true. My son yells for peanut butter sandwiches at the most ridiculous moments...
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  nochoice

  Regarding your time to fart around house ... I'd be careful that you're not breaking up your work and play well enough. Although it might be nice that during, say, an 8 hour work day, most of it is farting around, wouldn't it be better to work hard for 4 hours, concentrating the work load, and then go fishing for 4 hours? Or whatever else you like to do - riding your bike, swimming in your pool, going to the beach?

  Even if the nature of your business requires you to be home, manning the phones during business hours fielding calls from employees and what have you, it still seems like you need to break up your work and play a bit more, simply to enjoy the play more.

  I fell into a trap in my business, which was not based at home, where I was at the office all day every day. It was pretty cushy most of the time, but I thought I had to be there all the time just in case. And then someone suggested to me, "why don't you go home for a few hours?" I realized I could! I could cue up what happened while I was gone for when I got back. Then I got smarter and smarter and consolidated my work and delegated more. Now when I am at work I work my ass off, but when I don't have to be at work I am enjoying myself and there's a real separation.
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  problemaddict

  CAA,

  I have a similar situation. I had started my business at home, and found myself doing nothing but working. Then I went into an office and wasn't home as much as I liked. Then because of a slow down I went back into the home, and I have a virtual office set up.

  Both have pros and cons. When you are at home, put your work station apart from everything else. Otherwise you can always feel like you should be working. it takes more discipline, and its difficult to "leave it behind" while you are with your family.
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  PaintedToeNail

  Yes, it can be very distracting. I try to chunk my time in office, take a 5 minute break, do another chunk. Getting motivated in the first place and getting to work instead of goofing off is a daily battle, but the motivated me is starting to win! Yay!
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  Hortensia

  I worked at home for a few years before I retired. It does take a lot of discipline, and it can feel lonely sometimes. But I loved sitting at the computer in my pajamas, watching snow fall outside the window while I worked. And I could putter into the kitchen for another cup of coffee whenever I wanted. I didn't have a schedule, just deadlines, and I was pretty disciplined about getting things written before the deadlines.
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  LisaRose

  I worked from home for the most part as a systems analyst, then when I got laid off I started a small home based business. I sell antiques and fix up and sell furniture and I make other things, just a little bit of everything. You do have to be disciplined and organized to make it work. My business is my passion, so I do not mind spending the time, and I am serious about it. I like the flexibility of setting my own priorities and hours, and work on what I want. It is a trade off, I do not make a lot of money at it, but it would be hard to go back to a real job now, you do get spoiled. I also have some health issues, so I can slow it down if I get a flare. I am lucky that my husband believes in what I do and sees the value of it. I do the cooking and cleaning also, which I don't mind and he appreciates. I feel I have the best of both worlds.
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  confusedandalone

  hortensi... I looove looking out my windows at the wildlife. We have hummingbirds sometimes and its awesome. I would not trade it for anything

  Lisa, what kind of antiques do you refurbish
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  LisaRose

  Confusedandalone, it's really junk, mostly. I like French and American primitive, a little industrial. I use chalk paint in white, grey, taupe and black, all neutral colors, distressed and chipped. I love white Ironstone and, old silverplate and old crochet pieces and other linens. I redo old picture frames into blackboards and memo boards, and I make pillows and runners in burlap and vintage fabrics. A little bit of this and that, whatever strikes my fancy. I redo thrift store junk into nice decorative pieces that look like they came out of a French farmhouse, I love old French typography that I reproduce and add to things.