Two and a half days a week, I work from home.  I’ve had the opportunity to do this full time, but I haven’t.  This baffles some people to no end.  Wait, they say.  You are actually choosing to dress up and go to an office instead of sitting in front of your computer in your PJs?  Why on earth would you do that?

People who have typical 9-5 jobs tend to think of telecommuting as the holy grail of work situations, but the truth is, until you’ve tried it, you have no idea whether you would actually like it or not.  You also don’t know if it would even be productive.  See, it takes a particular sort of person to be effective working from home.  Because no one will be looking over your shoulder to ensure that your tasks get done, you have to be able to set your own deadlines and be disciplined about adhering to them.  You have to be willing and able to focus, ignoring potential distractions like the TV or the Xbox.  And you have to be okay spending lots and lots of time alone.

I realized that I had the first two qualifications down, but not the third.  When I work at home for more than a few days a week, I tend to feel incredibly bored and lonely.  Sure I’ll be the queen of efficiency, but I miss the camaraderie of working side by side with teammates, chatting in the kitchen, going to in-person strategy meetings, and grabbing a bite to eat with a few colleagues from another department.  The social aspects of the traditional business environment are major perks for me.

The bottom line is, you have to know yourself.  Working at home might sound good in theory, but you have to consider what it actually means for you on a day-to-day basis.  After all, there’s a reason humans invented offices!