Anyone who works from home will tell you how different it is from working in an office.
But what they might not always tell you about are some of the more embarrassing things that – let’s admit it – start to become the norm when you work from home.
Working From Home Habits – Take the Quiz
Answer the questions below to find out how many of these common working from home habits you’re guilty of… and come on, be honest!
Have you ever…
1) …stayed in your pyjamas past midday?
2) …dressed up your top half to receive a video call?
3) … secretly put on daytime television or an episode of your favourite tv show to help you get through those one of those particularly mindless jobs?
4) …caught yourself doing non-urgent household chores to avoid an urgent/unpleasant task.
5) …found yourself deep in conversation with the cat/dog and wondered if you might be in need of some proper (human) interaction?
6) …popped out to get some office supplies and ‘accidentally’ bought a whole new outfit/item of furniture/new and complex piece of technology that comes with a hefty instruction manual?
7) …had to lie to friends or family members about your whereabouts to prevent them from just ‘popping in’ at a moments’ notice?
8) …taken a last-minute sunny Friday afternoon off?
How Many Did You Say ‘Yes’ To?
If you answered ‘yes’ to more than 3 of these questions, congratulations! You’ve truly mastered the art of working from home.
Ok, we’re being a bit silly. But on a more serious note, a lot of these tendencies are a response to the challenges of working from home – because there are lots of distractions (see numbers 3, 4, 6 and 7), it takes lots of discipline (see numbers 3, 4 and 7) and it can be very lonely sometimes (see number 5).
That’s why renting a hot desk every now and again can really help make life a lot easier if you’re someone who normally works from home. With a hot desk, you have the freedom to use the space when you need it and there are none of the distractions that might work against you at home. Plus, it’s very hard to feel isolated in a co-working area, as the chances are you’ll find yourself seated next to someone with similar experiences to yours and perhaps facing the same challenges that you and your business also face.
And whether or not you choose to take time away from your home office, there’s actually no need to be ashamed of doing any (or all!) of the above because, in reality, those leniences we allow ourselves when we work from home are usually deserved. Why? Because it’s likely that whilst we might treat ourselves to the odd Friday afternoon off (on those rare occasions when the stars align) we’ll also be the ones taking calls at 8pm, replying to emails on a Sunday and pulling our laptops from our suitcases so we can do ‘an hour or so of work’ whilst we’re on holiday.
So, if you find yourself dressed in a pyjama bottom and shirt combo, with immaculate hair and asking the dog whether he fancies watching a bit of ‘This Morning’ with you whilst you update a spreadsheet – don’t be too hard on yourself, you’ve earned it.