When you have had a home office for awhile, it can be easy to just see it as normal. It becomes the standard; something you are used to; something that you go so far as to take for granted.
That’s a shame, because – without limitation – your home office is far superior to any kind of business or workplace office. Maybe it’s been awhile since you set foot in an office, or maybe you never have – but if you’ve forgotten the delights of your own space, maybe it’s time to remember. Gratitude is a powerful thing. While you may have a few quibbles with the office space you have at home, or have a redecoration and redesign in mind, there’s still plenty it’s got going for it right now. When compared to a business office, you’ll be in no doubt about it.
1. Colleagues
You might still have colleagues even though you spend a large portion of time working from home. If you telecommute or work with clients, that’s the same thing, right? So what could a home office have over a business office when it comes to colleagues?
They’re not there.
Sure, the ping of your messenger going off every five minutes can be annoying, but it’s nothing compared to being one desk over from the guy who sniffs every five seconds. You can mute your messenger; you can’t mute the sound of people gossiping and disturbing your work. Having that separation from colleagues has the double-effect of not only making you happier, but also more efficient when working.
2. Decor Choices
Some businesses put a lot of thought into what their office should look like. Others… don’t. As a result, you can find your working day spent in a cramped, disorganized office with files and mess overflowing every available surface. Then there’s the furniture you can find yourself stuck with; the uncomfortable chair, the desk you have to tuck a napkin under to make it sit straight, the dead plants no one has removed…
You don’t have to put up with any of these annoyances in the office space you have at home. You can make sure the walls are a color that you find enjoyable to look at. If your furniture isn’t what you want it to be, you can hop onto DontPayFull.com and find yourself some bargain replacements. You can surround your desk with whatever plant life you wish. Basically: you create the ideal working environment, rather than just having to put up with whatever your boss chose. It’s bliss.
3. Temperature Wars
At some point in the year, a business office will go through its own version of Temperature Wars. They all fall into the same pattern.
One person in the office will say that they are too cold. They will turn the heating up a notch. Then all you have to do is wait a half hour and then, as sure as night follows day, it happens. Someone else pipes up: “it’s way too hot in here, isn’t it?”
So they open a window or turn the heat down.
Then the first complainant will respond and turn the heat back up.
And so on and so forth, until no one is happy and a shouting match feels like it’s only moments from breaking out.
In your home office, though? No such concerns. You can have it scorching hot in July or plunge yourself into an icy state in December. Or vice versa. You have total control and the only person you have to accommodate is you.
4. Disturbances
The above are based on a business office where you work at close proximity to others, probably in an open office. But it’s no better if you have your own, separate office space – both will still leave you liable to disturbances.
Do you remember what that was like? You’d finally quit procrastinating on Reddit.com for long enough to get down to work. You’d build up a good flow. And then Kenneth from Accounts would pop in to discuss something with you; and there was no polite way of telling him to go away.
No such problems in a home office. You can shut the door, lock it, disconnect the phone, and plow away for as long as you want. You might have the occasional family disturbance, but it’s always easier to request quiet from those you know rather than polite work acquaintances.
5. Freedom To Do As You Please
If you want to take 10 minutes in a business office to sit back and doze, you have no such choice. You’re also stuck with sticking to an office dress code, and a thousand other little small rules – rules that don’t exist when you work from home, in your own space. So sit back and appreciate it; you’ve got it pretty good.
