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The truth about working from home

By Catherine Toth Fox • August 25, 2015 • Musings, The Daily Dish

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A lot of people assume all I do is hike, surf and eat.

Because that’s what I post on my Instagram.

If I posted what I really do all day, well, I’d have substantially fewer followers.

Like one-third of Americans, I work from home. This can be a difficult thing to explain to my retired neighbors, fellow dog-walkers and the FedEx delivery guy, who all seem to think I’m unemployed. (Read about how I started working from home here.)

Turns out, more and more Americans — about 3 million at last count — don’t set foot in a conventional office at all anymore — and more than half say they’re happier that way.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, the typical telecommuter is a 49-year-old college graduate — male or female — who earns about $58,000 a year. But there are others who are self-employed entrepreneurs running small businesses or freelancer and consultants who work with various companies, not just one.

There are definite perks to working from home.

You don’t have to adhere to a set schedule. (I did that for years as a journalism instructor.) You don’t have to commute. You never have to wear dress pants or heels unless you want to (or if you’re meeting a client). You aren’t distracted by co-workers or ringing phones or irate customers.

But working from home isn’t for everyone.

For every perk, there’s a downside.

Like the lack of human interaction. (Talking to three dogs all day just doesn’t cut it.) Or the plethora of distractions, from dirty laundry to stacks of unread magazines to marathons of “The Real Housewives of New York City”.

You’re always tempted by impromptu lunch dates and perfect surf and a warm bed on a chilly morning.

And while a lack of schedule sounds great, it often means you work around the clock, never taking breaks, working after dinner and on weekends. You’re constantly checking your email and text messages. And you realize that saying no to a job means saying no to a paycheck, and you’re more likely to take on more work than you would normally do at a regular 9-to-5 job.

You also stop doing productive things that don’t garner paychecks. For example, if I were working at a salaried desk job, I could probably browse though a magazine that was relevant to my work. I would be getting paid. But now, working for myself, I can’t seem to carve out that kind of time. I just can’t justify it.

And unless you’re telecommuting for a company, you’re responsible for everything. The Internet goes down? There’s no tech support to help. If you need copier paper — or just a copier! — or staples or printer ink, you have to drive down to Office Depot and buy it all yourself. There’s no cabinet magically restocked with office supplies or an entire department devoted to helping you with your IT needs. It’s just you.

And then there’s the complete degradation of my fashion and social skills. I literally wear four outfits in rotation — and they’re not exactly appropriate for even grocery shopping (though, I confess, I’ve been in public dressed like this).

So what’s the verdict?

If you’re focused and organized, working from home is awesome. I love that I can make dentist appointments and get pedicures during the day, if I can swing it. And I don’t have to put in vacation requests and worry if I’m going to get my first choice of dates. I can wash a load of laundry while waiting for a phone call and eat leftovers for lunch.

I just need to hide the remote control every once in a while.

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Catherine Toth Fox

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11 Comments

  • Reply M August 25, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    Hello Cat,
    It takes discipline to work at home and that won’t work for me but it sure sounds like a perfect job working from home.

  • Reply Mike Niino August 25, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    Cat, well said…I work from home too most of the time and it takes almost extreme discipline from walking into the kitchen, changing channels on cable TV, and staring out of your window. I can totally relate…

  • Reply Vickie c. August 26, 2015 at 3:14 am

    Cat. my sister lived in San Francisco and her job is just across the street where she live with her husband in a house. The money and time she save is great just like working at home.
    She is a social worker at Laguna Honda Hospital for 4 years now.

  • Reply Erica August 26, 2015 at 3:18 am

    Hello Cat,
    I lived in the east bay of Hayward , CA. A few days ago Bart had medical problem in one of their station in SF. I had to be stuck in Powell Station for 3 hours unable to go home after work. I was so tired and sat on floor at the stations like many other riders just waiting. So at home job or work near where you live is so wonderful and great .

  • Reply Rashelle August 26, 2015 at 3:36 am

    Great post! I can definitely relate, especially regarding the degradation of fashion skills (not that I ever had any to begin with).

  • Reply Annoddah Dave August 26, 2015 at 6:54 am

    CAT: don’t forget the need to keep books of you income and expense. Also any costs associated with having a home office. Then, you need to worry about a retirement fund…take it from me, SS does not cut it.

  • Reply King Katonk August 26, 2015 at 7:04 am

    Hey Cat. Our friends have the misconception that since my wife works from home her life is much easier than the average office employee. On the contrary, it is far more difficult to manage. In addition to the stress of operating her own business she has the added responsibility of being a full-time mom. Her typical day is filled with a steady stream of interruptions where a 10 hour work schedule is broken into 2 hour segments at best. I give both of you credit for being productive in a unique, yet familiar, environment. I remind my wife every day that I could never work from home. I would spend 10 hours playing my guitar before I even picked up a pen.

  • Reply rayboyjr August 26, 2015 at 8:50 am

    Hey Cat: … if I worked from home … I’d be unemployed …

  • Reply Toby Neal August 26, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    I’m a true workaholic so I LOVE working 24-7 from home! And I love what I do, so it’s an amazing dream come true.
    I get it about the wardrobe and social skills, though. I wear exercise clothes and take exercise breaks, so I’m always sweaty and disheveled. I do one day of therapy with clients a week now, and I look forward to showering and dressing for them. Also, facebook is my entire social life. I’m not sure what it’s doing to me… 🙂 But then I wouldn’t know, would I? Too lost in my fiction world!

  • Reply Melissa August 26, 2015 at 4:14 pm

    YUP!

  • Reply Joseph August 31, 2015 at 5:02 am

    Totally relate to this post. To not just talk to the dogs, I joined the Rotary and a Chamber. Great chance to network but it also provides a manageable social dimension in my schedule.

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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