For many people, working from home can be a saving grace. For others, it can be nothing more than a form of professional torture.

In either situation, one thing is undeniable: working from home takes a very specific type of person. In order to determine whether or not that’s you, this week’s article covers some important pros and cons of a home-based work environment.

While there are countless benefits and drawbacks of working from home, I’ve found these 6 to be some of the most critical factors in a person’s professional happiness.

Pros:

1. Comfort

It goes without saying that a home environment is typically more comfortable than an office environment. Between the stiff chairs, harsh lighting, and cold air, out-of-home offices tend to be a difficult place to focus.

Working from home provides a level of comfort that you just can’t get at an office— and without the added pressure of having employers or co-workers looking over your shoulder whenever they want.

One thing I will say about this: don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable while working from home. There’s a fine line between working comfortably and working in an unproductive environment.

2. Convenience

Another major advantage to working from home is the convenience factor. Think about it… Working from home allows you to avoid a daily commute, helps you save money on gas, and can be a lifesaver if you have small children that you don’t want to leave or pay someone else to watch.

Imagine all the extra work you could get done just in the time it takes to commute twice a day. That additional 30 minutes or so (on average) may even be enough to get you off the clock a bit early at the end of the work day.

Not to mention, if you ever forgot something important at home, it wouldn’t matter. Packing up your belongings and a lunch for a full day somewhere else would no longer be a concern of yours. You wouldn’t believe how much time I could’ve saved over the years by not having to turn around to grab something from home that I forgot.

3. Flexibility

One of the most attractive reasons to work from home is definitely flexibility. At home, you can pretty much create your own work schedule. You’re in charge of deciding when to start working, when to stop working, and when to take breaks throughout the day.

This is a huge advantage for a lot of people because it allows them to work when they’re feeling most productive. The way I see it, working without being productive isn’t really working at all. Some people only need to put in a few uninterrupted hours of work a day to accomplish everything on their “to-do” list. If you ask me, a few hours of hard work is way more beneficial to a person’s schedule than 8 hours of interrupted, unproductive work.

So, as long as you can stay focused and self-motivated throughout the day, working from home may actually turn you into the most efficient worker you’ve ever been.

Cons:

1. Accountability

Unfortunately, there are cons to working from home as well. One of the biggest being accountability. Basically, that means you need to hold yourself accountable for time management and productivity during the work day.

If you don’t think you could work from home and still get out of bed and get moving at a reasonable hour, it may not be for you. Many people who work from home complain that it can be extremely difficult to start your day without an in-time. This can make you more sluggish throughout the day and put you behind schedule quickly.

So before you decide to make the switch and work from home, think about whether or not you could hold yourself accountable for things like this. Otherwise, you might have a lot of long days turn into even longer nights.

2. Distraction

Distractions can be another huge disadvantage of working from home. 

In any environment, avoiding distractions is difficult for a lot of people. At work, it can be even harder because you’re forced to focus on tedious tasks rather than enjoyable ones, such as checking social media, chatting with co-workers, or snacking.

At the end of the day, working from home just probably isn’t for you if you aren’t extremely disciplined about time management.

However, I would like to note that distractions are everywhere. This could easily be a problem you run into in an office environment. Working from home does bring it’s own temptations, but an office still doesn’t guarantee better focus and more motivation.

3. Isolation

Lastly, loneliness can also be a big factor in working from home happily. More often than not, people who work from home feel isolated from time to time. With no co-workers or employers to strike up a random conversation with, the work day can feel much longer and lonelier than it has to.

Additionally, a significant amount of time in one place (wherever that place may be) tends to make people feel restless. If you don’t balance your work-home life well as it is, switching to a home-based life altogether may be too much.

If that’s something that worries you, my suggestion is to try working from home part-time if you can.

But wait, there’s more! This month BoydTech’s blog articles are all about YOU.

Feel free to join in on this professional journey toward self discovery by following along on social media for more posts just like this one. Something tells us you won’t want to miss what’s coming next!

As always, thanks for reading and happy marketing!

—Amanda Myers, Copywriter at BoydTech Design, Inc.