10 Pros and Cons I Never Thought About Until I Started Working From Home

As I’ve been battling serious hay fever lately that’s been keeping me almost bed ridden with fatigue. I recall in my 20’s when I would be over some of my adult friends’ homes {who owned their own businesses} on a Sunday night, and once the needle on the clock would pass that 8:30pm mark – I would suddenly get that sunken heart feeling as I knew I had to get going to get ready for work on Monday. On the other hand, I would note on their faces a rather relaxed unbothered feeling by what day or time it was. I used to think ‘how amazingly free it must feel to be one’s own boss’ and used to dream of working for myself too, one day. Thankfully, that dream became a reality nearly six years ago after getting laid-off from a mind-numbing desk job due to budget cuts. I can’t help, but feel so appreciative that I now have the privilege to nurse and properly recuperate from any sicknesses that may unexpectedly hit without the worry of losing my job or being given a stern warning not to miss any more time from work. However, while being your own boss is rewarding, there are several things that I never thought about until I started to work from home. For that reason I wanted to share this list of some of the pros and cons that I learned along the way with the hopes that It’ll help someone else that might be thinking of becoming self-employed.

The Pros:

1. You stop watching the clock praying for lunch time/quitting time.
2. Your office can be anywhere on any given day as long as you have a laptop and there’s Wifi. Think of the possibilities.
3. Car fuel/metro card/lunch/break expenses drop dramatically.
4. The sickening Sunday night back-to-work dread the next morning feeling is gone.
5. Can sleep in late if you feel like it, or can even work in your PJs.
6. Work commute is less than 15 steps away from the coffee/tea pot in your kitchen.
7. No more office cattiness, gossip and/or backbiting.
8. The freedom of flexibility. Not having to worry or ask for permission to take a walk or break.
9. You can make your home office or workspace area as beautiful as your personal flair calls for.
10. You can deduct many expenses related to your home office, such as utility bills, home repairs and even mortgage interest or part of your rental payments. 

The Cons:

1. It is more difficult to network for opportunities with career advancement.
2. Sometimes you can go days without getting exposed to any sunshine.
3. You no longer get that excited about Friday. So no TGIF.
4. You forget what day of the week it is because you no longer have that work calendar schedule of the holidays/days off posted on your cubicle wall.
5. Working on holidays while many are relishing their extra day off on a long weekend.
6. The week and weekend sort of blends into one.
7. No more end of the year bonuses or gift cards/free iPads {which one of my friends got this year} from the boss. BOO! 🙁
8. Can go a whole day sitting at the computer without taking necessary lunch breaks.
9. No exposure to human interaction {for me, as a people person, this is one I still struggle with}.
10.  The major downside: you no longer get money back in taxes, you must pay self-employment taxes if you’re the sole proprietor. If you’re set up as a corporation, however, different tax rules apply. Check with the U.S. Small Business Association.

What
have I left out? I know there are many more than just these 10 things I
chose to highlight here, so please feel free to add others in the
comment box below on what you’ve found to be crucial in order to make
working from home happy and productive.

Coming up soon: 10 tips on how to make working from home a success and keep proper balance.