For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been working from home for the last month while our office undergoes some construction. Having only worked from home on a random snow day here and there in the past, this was a bit of an adjustment! It is obviously becoming a lot more common these days for people to work from home, especially ever since the pandemic, and I’ve even seen or talked to people who only look for jobs where they can work from home now. While there are some things I like about it, overall, I can’t really say I’m a fan.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not you’d like a work from home job, here’s a few pros and cons I’ve noticed over the last few weeks.

Pro:
I get a little bit extra sleep. Since I don’t have to drive anywhere, I can sleep a good 20 minutes longer than I otherwise would. It’s not a lot, but for someone who loooooves her sleep, 20 minutes of extra sleep is basically like finding gold. Also, on top of extra sleep, I get to wear comfy pants everyday which is super fun.

Con:
I’m getting lazy!! Yes, wearing comfortable pants everyday is wonderful, but you know how many days this week I didn’t even change out of my pajama pants? I swore to myself when I started working from home, I wouldn’t let myself get lazy, but here I am, wearing my PJ’s to work. Also, I haven’t worn makeup in weeks. I wonder if I still know how to put it on haha.

Pro:
I get to spend a lot more time with Dobby. Now that I’m home all day, he gets to wander the house while I work, and we get extra snuggles here and there. And, since I don’t have to drive anywhere over lunch, I have time to take him for his walk over lunch rather than trying to squeeze it in before or after work.

Con:
Dobby is the ONLY one I get to spend the day with. I love him to death, but I miss being around other people!

Pro:
Before I worked from home, I was sharing an office, and at least at home, I do get my own “office.” My office is the dining room table, but hey that’s okay! I get my own space and that’s fine with me.

Con:
My “office” is also a shared living space. Not often, but sometimes Dan is still home, or pops home during the day, and 99% of the time I love that he’s here. But we learned the hard way I should let him know when my meetings are even if I don’t expect him to be home! I was in the middle of a meeting the other day, and Dan comes home mid morning because he forgot something. Dobby ran to the door barking and Dan walks in and starts mimicking his barks while I’m frantically trying to hit the mute button. I was a little embarrassed, but it was also kind of funny haha. I’ll definitely have to let him know about my meeting times moving forward!

Pro:
I sometimes have a bad habit of thinking out loud to myself, and now that I’m home by myself, I don’t have to worry about anyone looking at me funny for talking to myself. I’ll just let the ideas continue to flow!

Con:
I talk out loud to myself more frequently because I’m the only one to talk to! Did I mention I miss being around people?

Pro:
Over the last month I’ve been working at home, we’ve had our fair share of snow and ice. It’s nice that I don’t have to worry about the roads when we get bad weather, because I don’t have to go anywhere anyway. I can stay safe and sound in my house all day.

Con:
I’m staying in my house all. Day. Long. I’m definitely a homebody and I love being home, but it’s kind of nice to get out and go somewhere sometimes too.

Like I said earlier, there are some perks to working from home, but I do really miss going into work everyday. The work part itself is the same, but it’s a lot more exciting when I’m surrounded by actual people and a part of the camaraderie. Hopefully, it won’t be much longer before I get to go back. 🙂

And if you’ve been wondering about what working from home would be like, maybe this convinced you to lean one way or the other. What works for some, may not work for others. You gotta do what’s best for you! For me, I’m glad working from home is only temporary. I’ll choose being in an office any day!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger