“Working from Home”, Pt 1

“Working from home” is a funny phrase, when you think of it.  Really, you’re working at home.  I don’t know why (in Australia, at least) we us the word “from”.  Perhaps it’s to create some sort of distance from the idea of house work.  Can’t have people thinking all you do all day is vacuum, now, can we?

I was reading something in the paper recently about a company which is encouraging its workers to “work from home” at least one day a week.  I mentioned it to my manager, who then got this dreamy look on her face and said it was a “lovely” idea. 

She maintains the biggest problem she has with getting stuff done is the office environment, and she’s probably right.  We are a nest of distractions – and, ironically, most of the time it’s our work distracting us from our work.  All of the little things just eat away at the time you need to tackle the bigger things.

I suppose you could say I’ve been “working from home” one day a week for the past couple of years – but I’ve actually been “studying at home”.  No one’s paying me to be here on my study days (no one’s paying me at all on my study days) and what I do doesn’t directly benefit my employer.  I know that I have been learning a lot that has helped me do my job a bit better, but it’s not really what people think of when you say “working from home”.

I’m going to miss it when this Master’s degree wraps up at the end of the semester and I have to go back to working full time.  There’s something oddly wonderful about being at home during a weekday.  When my attention starts wandering I can always clean something or bake something, which makes me feel useful.  And just being able to have the place to myself and potter around is lovely.  It’s somehow more relaxing than the weekend, when it feels like everything is being crammed in and shuffled around.

Additionally, because I’ve chosen to keep the Internet out of my house, I’m not fragmented by a steady stream of emails and interruptions (just interrupted by the occasional desire to write a blog post).

Of course, if I ever did “work from home” (in my current job), I’d have to get all connected and let those emails come.  Unless, that is, I could magically create a job for myself that brings in enough money to live on and grants me the freedom to only check my emails a couple of times a week when I pop into a library.

And I don’t think I’d want to “work from home” full time – I do enjoy going to work and conversing with real people.

All I need to do is find a part-time job where I can be with other human beings for half the week, and then a hobby that pays it’s way so I can “work from home” for the other few days.

Simple!