Working From Home

Tuesday 29 September 2009

I may possibly have the opportunity to work from home doing my current rather dull job. The upside of it would be that I would be almost solely doing Family Court stuff, which is the much juicier human element cases involving custodial hearings instead of Federal Court and Australian Securities and Investments Commission stuff about companies that have gone bankrupt and other such dullnesses.

The upside of working from home is that I would save on commute time, and I could do things like walk the dog on my lunch breaks, etc. I am trying to be honest with myself about how disciplined I would be; working from home, you really need to ensure that you get out and socialise or else it's all like four day old bread really quickly. And that whole deal of working in your PJs is charming for, like, a day and then it really wears off. I am finding it difficult to really be able to gauge how well I would go because the last time I did it I was (a) living with another person and (b) I was sick with CFS, so it's all totally different now than then. Socialising is a much easier option now than it was then.

Even though it's not like I get to socialise a whole heap at work, I still see people on the train, and in the cafe and in the lunchroom and stuff, you know? I can imagine there would be days where I was unmotivated to go out and would therefore spend an entire day at home without seeing anyone. How would I go with that? Would I go loopy loopy?

And yet I go entire days without seeing anyone regularly. I ROCK at solitude. I enjoy being alone for a couple of days in a row without seeing anyone and yet I am one of those strange people who are also extroverted and if I do not see anyone for two days running I will begin to wilt and start wondering if I am hallucinating my own existence. Too much time alone can be really crappy if you're on a muddledness and self-preoccupation binge, or it can just be great if you're in the Zenzone.

When I am in particularly earthed periods where I feel both grounded and connected to God, a day spent doing the most routine of things can be a long prayer. And always when I am in those sorts of spaces, my creativity is revved up also. I don't imagine working from home would really in the end be a whole stack different than what I am doing now, except that I would get to spend more time with my dog. It would be easier in terms of stopping for ten minutes or so to jot down a particular writing idea that has occurred to me while I've been focussed on typing. I guess that is one good thing about my dull job - and yet it's still not washing dishes. There is too much concentration occurring to be dozing off awake and upright the way I do when the dishes are being done, and the gloves are coming off once or twice in a washing session because a good phrase occurs to me :)

6 comments

  1. Well, girl, I think you should give it a whirl. You might just find a beautiful balance between your introverted creative self and your need to be employed. :)

    I wish I could find something (real) that was working from home. Can I have your job? Working a job around kiddos and school and a house to run proves to be trés difficile.

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  2. I say go for it.

    I rock at solitude too and will be rocking even more these days.

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  3. Having been at home for a few months now (but about to go back into some consultancy work shortly), I too say go for it. You should at least try it. Some tips:

    1. Don't stay in your PJs all day. Firstly you'll feel grungy, secondly that will be the day you get an unexpected visitor (speaking from experience).

    2. Make specific arrangements to get together with people, don't leave it to chance or when you feel like it. I've actually found that socialising only twice a week is fine for me although to some people I know that would be living like a hermit. However in addition:

    3. Take the opportunity to do something different, a class in something maybe. That way you combine people with kicking your brain in a different direction.

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  4. I work at home and I just came back from my walk with dog on such a crisp and sunny fall morning. Now I'm at my computer reading blogs when I should really be working! My blog friends keep me company during the day.

    I wouldn't give it up for the world.

    I agree with Tess about the PJ's.

    Good luck Sue!

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  5. there's pros and cons for both and as you have guessed, a lot of it comes down to your own personality and discipline

    i have worked from home at various times, for employers and my own business, and i have worked from an office or clinic, for employers or my own business, it's a juggle, just like working in an office

    if the nature of your work means no home office visitors or phone calls, it's easier,

    otherwise working from home can appear to bosses or clients that you are available 24/7 (which is particularly hard if the role is only part time)

    on the other side of the coin, working from home also means friends think you are available at times when you really should be working

    then on the plus side, you can claim some percentage of home office costs, phone, electricity etc as a tax deduction

    now, that was the left brain speaking

    perhaps the right brain might have something more useful to say through a picture, a sculpture, or a dance.... what does your heART tell you?

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  6. Erin - Can you have my job? Well, in this globalised world, yes, you probably could!! :) I can't imagine working around kids and school and house - tres difficile indeedy.

    Barbara - I'm sorry your solitude levels have risen :(

    Tess - thanks for those tips. I think making plans is REALLY important. Like you, I don't need crazy amounts of socialising either, I could handle twice a week (but thrice would probably make me feel rich :) Number 3 is realy good advice, thanks! :) Consultancy work, huh? That sounds interesting.

    Ruth - ahh, yes, the flexibility of walking the dog when you want! Nice. Thanks for commenting, it's good to hear of people who are having good experiences working from home

    Kel - luckily there are no phone calls or visitors in this job. You're so right there - I'm not sure I would consider it in that instance either, but it would be a definite case of switch off the 'puter, switch off the job. Haha, you are such an art therapist, hehe, thanks for the suggestion to search my heART - why do I always forget to do that?

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