Working from home is a dream come true for a lot of people. In 2015, around 4 millions U.S. professionals worked from home, doing a variety of jobs.
Whether you are a computer programmer, writer, or teacher, you can do all of that from the comfort of your home. In your pajamas. On the couch. But, working from home isn’t all sunshine, walks on the beach, and sleeping until whatever o’clock. You will need to do work with no one checking on you or monitoring your schedule. Some people may struggle with this, at first, but for most, you will be able to set your own schedule, stick to it, and be super productive.
Many times, the desire to telecommute is because you are an introvert, whether you realize it or not. If you’ve ever felt an intense longing when you hear someone works from home, you might be happier at your house, too. So, let’s get into the seven signs that prove you’d love to be a suitcase-worker.
#1 Offices Feel Like A Prison
When your true desire is to work from home, offices, no matter how fun they are, feel like a prison. Despite how flexible your office is and how cool the people are, you feel the pressures of those four walls, people looking over your shoulder, mandatory break times, quick stops at the bathroom, and being confined to one place for precious hours of your day. Even if your boss is super laid back, that noisy sameness gets to you. Or, maybe you’re just a rebel and dislike being told where to sit. I understand that. You may think to yourself, “I can do my job, anywhere, so why do I have to do it here?”
#2 People Drain You
Being in an office environment means being around people who talk, laugh, and yell. This is great for people who thrive on social interactions and get their energy from them, but, you may feel drained by all of these people, their noise, and small talk. Being an introvert, you often feel exhausted after social situations and need to recharge alone. Even when you put your earbuds in, turn the music up so it may damage your hearing, the movement of all of these people may exhaust your brain.
Just being around people tires you. If you feel anxiety when performing water cooler talk, or if you consider yourself needing to perform water cooler talk, you may be better off at home. Telecommuting allows you to control your environment. You choose who you get to be around if you want to chat, and which environment is most conducive to your productivity. Whether than having to fit into the mold, you create the mold, every day.
#3 Sometimes, You Prefer Being Sick
If you hope for illness, of a non-hospital, non-fatal, variety, just to work at home, the office might not be for you. You may have a regular cough and think, “Is that an itch in my throat?” or see one snowflake and think, “I hope we get eight inches!” These are definite signs you are destined for the suitcase-worker life. Your thoughts prove it. It’s not that you don’t want to do the work, it’s that you don’t want to do it in the office. Makes you wonder, though, is it really the 9 to 5 that people hate or is it going to the office? Perhaps time is being blamed, when the guilty party is location.
#4 You’re Ambitious
Working from home requires a huge amount of focus and self-motivation. With no one watching your every move, you have to give your day direction, hold yourself accountable, and get stuff done. When you first begin working from home it may be like going to college. You may think, “I can do whatever I want!” But, you can’t. Work needs to be done and with the ability to control your environment you can maximize your workday.
When you first start, set a schedule. You may even want to base it off of your office schedule. Stick to it and as you work from home for longer periods, alter this schedule to fit your desires. Add a nap, a longer lunch, or remove some items. Just make sure you are getting the work done. Also, set a strict begin and end time. With these set, you won’t unintentionally work all day. Throughout your day, focus on proving your worth against your previous worth. Do great work because you can, not because someone says you should.
#5 You Get More Done
If you get more work done when working from home, search for a job that has the option to telecommute or become a freelancer. Some people are a lot less productive when working from home, so, for them, the office may be better. If you set self-imposed deadlines and meet them, living the suitcase-worker life could be great for you.
#6 You Enjoy Working Alone
When you were a child, you may have dreaded group projects. You worked faster, better, and felt happier going solo. If this rings true for you, working from home seems to be what you were destined to do. Many times, group projects can cause anxiety in an introvert. You have to try and navigate the different personalities, stubborn members who don’t want to do much work, and inefficient methods that slow work down. Find a career that can be done on your own and enjoy it.
#7 You’d Trade Flexibility For Status
When you work from home, especially as a freelancer, you may find you make less money and don’t have as much stability or a fancy title. In exchange you get the freedom to travel, enjoyment of the daylight hours, time to play with your children, no set work location, and an office contained in your laptop. This trade-off might not be needed because if you have the skill or find the right client you can have the lofty title, great paycheck, and the freedom. But if a trade-off is needed, would you take it?
