Work from home or home from work? That is the question.
If you’re self-employed or at least thinking about it, the commute down the hall to work in your underwear may seem like a really enticing option. There’s no dealing with traffic or annoying people, and you may qualify for a fairly decent tax write-off on your office.
I worked from home in a small spare bedroom office from August 2006 to May 2008. Most of that time I was an employee for an airline charter airline based in Alaska. The work I did for them as their web marketer could all be done remotely (from here in Hawaii), so in theory the setup was perfect. When the company got bought out and I lost my job, I continued to work at home as a full-time, self-employed consultant.
And yes, for the record, I did work in only my underwear, often unshaven for days, unbeknownst to my employer or my clients.
I eventually chose to move my business into an office rental, and to this day it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. Here are seven reasons why you should consider not working from home if you’re self-employed:
- You must separate work from family. You’ve probably heard this before, and I can tell you it still holds true. When we work from home, we tend blur the distinction between our personal and professional personas. At a workplace, we are required to put on a “public face” that shapes who we are, how people perceive us and where we’re headed in the professional world. Being at home is where we release our stress from work, recharge and enjoy the company of family and friends. A home office can easily upset this vital balance of public and private life.
- It’s hard to focus on work at home. The home phone rings. The kids are bickering. Your favorite show is on. The FedEx guy just delivered your new massage chair. Your partner is “in the mood.” At home, distractions fall into two categories: annoyances or temptations. Both steal precious time and slow productivity. And no matter how hard you try, there will always be distractions at home. Completely removing yourself from those distractions will naturally allow you to focus.
- People will take you more seriously. A few times when I worked out of my home, I needed to meet with a client. You can bet it never happened at my place. I didn’t want to lead them into my house and have them trip on my kids’ toys on the way to the office. Coffee shops weren’t cutting it, either: too loud, no privacy and tiny tables. When people visit my office nowadays, we have a clean and quiet place to meet that reflects my professionalism and my brand. Clients take note of this, which often gives you the leverage to charge more premium rates.
- Everyone will appreciate the space. If you’re married and have children, or are planning to start a family, you can never have enough space at home. The spare bedroom you might be using as your office can easily be converted to back to an extra room for the kids, guests, or a new baby. Also, when you work from home, you leave open the possibility of a small and innocent child from entering your office undetected to innocently sabotage something important (I know about this!). Combine an event like this with the regular stress of work and the result can be emotionally disastrous for all.
- Getting out of the house is healthy. I personally find it refreshing to get out of my house during the day to see the world in action. The commute to work gives me a change of scenery and a chance to reflect and refine my thoughts. My office is less than a mile away, so I’m able to ride my bike and get a bit of exercise, too. Moving my body and seeing people in action helps to contrast the hours I spend sedentary at the computer. You should try it.
- You never know who you’ll run into. Leave it up to chance or fate or luck, but every now and then you’ll bump into someone who offers you something of value, and vice versa. Whether it’s friendship or a business lead or even a flattering compliment in passing – the encounter is almost always positive. There’s also the people you’ll see every day — other professionals like you who offer their own dynamic perspectives on life. You never know what you’re missing if you never leave your house.
- You will love your office. My office gives me happiness. It’s a tiny corner unit facing a garden in the back of a small cluster of cottages. Every morning I come in, I feel at peace and ready to work. Much like at home, I’ve created a sacred space here which enables me to focus solely on my career and livelihood. This means I can focus on being the best at work and at home without interference of the other. Plus, my absence from either location helps me to appreciate the other even more. When you work at home, everything is the same!
Before I close this post, I must address some important questions you might have:
What About Blogging?
A problogger might argue that if you don’t ever need to meet with clients and you only work a couple of hours a day, what’s the sense of a separate office space? To that, I say the concepts I’ve laid out above don’t really change. You’re still a professional with a personal life, and it’s simply wise to seperate the two. When I make it blogging, the office stays.
What if I Can’t Afford an Office?
A fair question indeed. If you’re short on funds, stay at home until you can afford to move out. This is what I did until I applied for a small business loan that got me going. My advice, though, is not get too comfortable at home, or you’ll never make it out. This can be a challenge when your home amentities are just a few steps away.
What if I Have a Perfect Home Office Setup?
I’ll admit that some people can probably pull this off, but not many. Unless you’re running an efficient and profitable home-based business such as this one, chances are it’s worth investing in a office away from home.
hhhmmmmm – I was just getting excited about starting a HOME OFFICE – LOL! Seriously, I was but I think the points you mentioned here are so true. I am just starting to monetize my blog A MAUI BLOG (please help promote it 🙂 becuae I will be laid off from my current job by the end of January (after 10 years of working for them – the economic crisis just affected everyone). Anyway, I had set up our spare room in the garage as my future office. But once I start making money and can afford it, I will be renting out a small office space – who knows when my business becomes so successful I might need to hire employees too 🙂
Thanks for this post 🙂
Hi Charles.
I came to look after I spotted your comment on David Risley’s site. These are good points, and well put. The thing I would add is that the benefit of travelling to and from your office is that it gives you time to switch from “Work mode” to “home mode”.
Hi Mike — you make a good point. My commute is only about 3 minutes but it’s still time I use to transition to work and back to home. When the weather is good I ride my bike and that makes for a very pleasant transition.
Fun read, Charles!
Reasons 3 & 5 are compelling.
#3: I never tell people I’m working from home. If needed, I’ll say we work in our own SOHO (Small office home office) setup. Sounds way better than “I work from home” eh?
#5: After selling our home n moving in to help tend to my aging parents, we initiated yet another strategy – we bring our laptops & stuff to work in public libraries every day.
Thks for the inspiration! 🙂
Charles, good post. I’m a Realtor, Investor, Marketer, and Musician — and I’ve always had a tendency to work when I’m supposed to be spending time with family. I’m looking at renting an office at my brokerage’s building for $150/month and running all of my businesses out of there instead of my current living room office. Thanks for the tips and advice.
-Josiah Redding
http://JosiahRedding.com
http://DitchMyHouse.com
All so very true! At present I work from home, doing web development and corporate design, but how dearly I wish to have our own office!
When our income grows, this will be first on my agenda. I find that, as you have so rightly pointed out, it is far easier to concentrate on work when you are in a work environment. Even when I’m working at my partner’s place, i find my concentration levels skyrocket.
On that note, another advantage of being in an office is it drastically helps to curb procrastination! This works especially well if you are in the office with other people. I find that when I’m at home I can always think of something else to do, rather than focusing on important work! When I am working with my partner, I’m always more upbeat and driven to do the work.
So here’s to hoping for an office for me soon! I guess that it’s probably not the best idea while I’m still in college, though! 😉