Is it remotely possible to enjoy working from home? You may find yourself asking this question if you’re new to remote work. If you are, then welcome to the remote workers club. And yes, it is possible to enjoy working from home. I do, and I won’t trade it for anything in the world.
Pre-COVID-19, there were some 56 million Americans working as freelancers, some as digital nomads, some from home, others on-site, and yet some out of co-working spaces. At the height of the pandemic, more people were forced to work from home, teleporting telecommuting to new heights.
Although some companies like Apple are asking staff to return to Silicon Valley, others like Facebook predict that up to 50% of staff may opt to work remotely in the future, albeit with a pay cut if they move outside the Bay Area. And surprisingly, another study found that 44% of employees won’t mind a 10% pay cut to continue working remotely for their various employers!
So, whether you’re choosing of your own volition to or are now forced to work remotely, there are tested and proven ways to make working from home an enjoyable experience, both for the short and long terms.
From my personal experience, here are
5 Practical Tips To Help You Enjoy Working From Home.
- Be Sure This Is What You Really Want
Working from home, as fun as it sounds, may not be your forte, and it’s not your fault if it’s not. Many have been forced to work remotely due to the pandemic, some of whom view this change as a necessary evil. For these, it may be a soul-sucking drag. Some others are opting to work remotely, at least for a change.
Perhaps, your employer is waving the work from option and you’re wondering, should you also take it? Before you sign up to join the work from home club, be sure this is what you really, really want, and not what your friend or your friend’s friends think you should do.
You should also study your employer’s work from home policy if there’s one in place. Is it flexible enough or is it set in stone? Will it require you to put in more hours than usual, and will the overtime be renumerated? Will it require you to occasionally report to the office for client-facing roles, virtually meet at odd hours, etc?
- Understand the Pros and Cons
Another easy way to determine if working from home will work for you is to study the pros and cons of working from home. Consider this a suitability test. By studying the pros and cons of working from home, you will gain a more balanced view of remote work.
Most work from home advocates only hype the pros and hide the cons. On the other hand, most critics only cite the cons of working from home, ignoring the benefits. Neither is right. For a balanced view, you need to know the pros and cons of working from home.
For instance, there’s zero commute when working from home, but there’s also the risk of inactivity and prolonged sitting with its associated health risks. This balanced approach to remote work is best for the long term.
- Test Drive Remote Work
If you’re still undecided about working from home, how about you do a test run, like try working from home for between one week and a month? This will give you a firsthand, hands-on experience of working from home.
The truth is, you may never know if it will fly unless you try. By taking remote work for a spin you can better decide if it’s for you or not. Some may start out enthusiastically, plateau, then wane. Others may start out slow, grow, then grow to love working from home.
You can journal your journey and all you’re learning along the way. At the end of your test period, you should have a lot of insight and actionable data to help you decide if remote work is actually for you.
- Try a Variety of Online Jobs
There are two broad groups of people considering remote work; those who’re telecommuting due to COVID-19 restrictions and those who’re looking for various online jobs (newly displaced workers, new budding entrepreneurs, etc).
If you fall in the latter category, whether you enjoy working from home or not may depend largely on the kinds of online jobs you do. You should focus on jobs that align with your skillset, jobs that challenge you, inspire you to grow, and pay well enough.
If the job pays peanuts, chances are you may experience burnout and not enjoy doing such work from home jobs for a long time. By varying online jobs you will get to find what works for you and what doesn’t.
- 5. Remind Yourself It’s Only Temporary
If after implementing steps #1 to #4 as outlined above and you still don’t enjoy working from home enough, you should remind yourself that your current remote work status is only temporary. As stated earlier, it’s fine if you do not feel like remote work is for you.
There are several reasons why people may prefer working out of an office to working from home. Some employees love the office culture and the office environment, friendly banter with colleagues, the office setup, the daily commute to and from work, etc.
Due to COVID-19, many have been forced to work from home. If this is you and you still don’t enjoy working from home, do your best to recreate the office conditions you love, and remind yourself that it will soon be over and you can return to your desk ASAP.
Conclusion
You can enjoy remote work if you take the time to implement these suggestions, and it’s perfectly fine if you don’t enjoy it. But if you’re keen to give remote work a try and are struggling, these tips will help you enjoy your work from home experience.
Let us know in the comments section, if and how you’re enjoying working from home.
Author Bio:
Olu Bunmi is a Business and Ecommerce Copywriter. He loves to create actionable content for business owners, entrepreneurs, and readers. He has been featured in Altitude Branding, StartHubPost, MarketMadHouse, BiggieTips, among others.
