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My two cents’ worth on working from home

Almost three years ago now (I truly can’t believe it’s been so long!) Peter and I moved to Windsor, Ontario and I started working from home (part time) for my employer in Victoria, BC. Though I’d never really seen myself as the work-from-home-type prior to giving it a try, I quickly discovered that it actually fits me well – and that furthermore, I absolutely love it.

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Oh sure, the situation has its down sides. For example, when you work from home there’s no such thing as a snow day! And you have to be feeling pretty darn ill to justify calling in sick. Plus there are those times when you’re so hungry to connect with a real live person after having been cooped up in the house for days on end due to an overabundance of snow that you end up talking the ear off the company benefits plan rep while calling with a routine inquiry (not that that’s happened to me! ahem).

But for the most part, I think that working from home is a total joy. Why?

Here’s my two cents’ worth.

  1. The commute to my office is QUICK… if I’m in the living room or kitchen, it’s up a flight of stairs; if I’m in our attic bedroom, it’s down an even shorter flight. No wasted time!
  2. The commute to my office is FREE… no bus pass to buy and no gas tank to fill means more pay in my pocket.
  3. No missed buses, late buses, or standing room only buses. And no traffic jams!
  4. Over-perfumed, under-washed, loud-cell-phone-talking, still-smelling-like-last-night’s-drinking-binge, undesirably chatty co-commuters are a thing of the past.
  5. I’m not a morning person (can anyone relate?!), so facing co-workers before my coffee starts doing its thing is fraught with peril. Now I’m covered on two counts – first off, I don’t even start work until 11:00 a.m. (practically noon!), and secondly, with the time difference between me and my office, I actually start 30 minutes before anyone else anyway… plenty of time for the coffee to kick in.
  6. And speaking of coffee – a large bag of dark-roast beans ground fresh every day and brewed at home lasts several weeks and is about the price of three or four take-out Americanos.
  7. No more being subjected to my co-workers’ questionable taste in music.
  8. If I want it quiet, I can have quiet. If I want to blast my own music and maybe even sing along while I’m working, I won’t be bothering anyone!
  9. Random hugs from the hubs.
  10. Breakfast and lunch at home is a heck of a lot cheaper and healthier than buying pre-made or restaurant food.
  11. Comfy clothes and slippers? Sure! Frayed cutoff shorts and a tank top? Why not?! Pyjama day? Go for it!
  12. I always wished for an office cat as a mascot. Now I live (and work) with TWO gorgeous cats, at least one of whom spends most of the day asleep on my desk (well within patting reach) while the other one is always up for a cuddle or a quick game of fetch.
  13. I’m not restricted to working at my desk – bringing my laptop and phone out to the front porch or the back patio makes taking advantage of the fresh air and sunshine totally feasible.
  14. No more shared office washrooms! If there’s filth, I know whose it is. 😉
  15. Between telephone, e-mail, and Skype, it’s almost like being in the office, only not.
  16. If I look out my home office window I might see doves billing and cooing (no, literally) on the fence in the back yard, or maybe squirrels chasing each other up and down telephone poles.
  17. Inclement weather doesn’t look so bad (in fact, it’s downright cosy) when you don’t need to bundle up, grab an umbrella, or don winter boots.
  18. Shopping trips are planned excursions rather than spontaneous lunch break temptations. More money in my pocket!
  19. I’m always available for parcel deliveries (which means no more waiting until the weekend to visit the post office).
  20. When my work day is done, I am already home.

I keep asking myself why I waited so long to do this!

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Do you work from home?
If so, do you enjoy it? If not, would you ever want to try it?
Please share!

(Want some more “my two cents’ worth” posts? Visit the Write Tribe Linkup!)

P.S. – This post was featured on BlogHer!
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NaBloPoMo August 2014

Laurel Storey, CZT – Certified Zentangle Teacher. Writer, reader, tangler, iPhoneographer, cat herder, learner of French and Italian, crocheter, needle felter, on-and-off politics junkie, 80s music trivia freak, ongoing work in progress.