Does anyone here work from home much?

If so, how do you feel about working from home?

What percentage of the time do you work from home?

Do you have a dedicated office?

Do you ever work outside?




I work from home a day or so per week. And sometimes partial days either before or after leaving on my travels. I really enjoy it. I feel like I can get far more done in far less time. It is also convenient for multi-tasking too, as laundry can be getting done or I can have something smoking on the grill without it really impacting me being productive for work.

I do have a dedicated office, though on occasion I end up just spreading my stuff on the dining room table and using that. However, I've been trying to get rid of that habit. My office chair is much more supportive and better for my posture and back than our dining room chairs. However, the last week or so I've tried to also spend a small portion of each day sitting outside working. With wireless internet and a tablet, there is really no reason to be cooped up inside when it is beautiful outside.

 

Do I do work at home? Certainly. Do I work from home? No, that's pretty much impossible for my job; I need to be there in person. I have a dedicated office and desk because planning and development takes a lot of room to spread out materials. I have a large library of reference materials at home to go with that. Additionally, some of my work requires reading new content, which can be done anywhere. I usually choose to go outside if the weather is cooperating.

For example, I put together a lecture on the Red Scare not too long ago. I put all my stuff into a Prezi, so I needed my computer. Then I needed a bunch of history books. Since it was meant to tie in to Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," I needed some information about Arthur Miller, which I pulled from one of my old Norton anthologies of literature. I ended up with like six books spread out on my desk while I worked on this thing. This is fairly typical of the kind of work I do at home; it usually involves providing the structure to understand or engage with a work of literature.

Though I need to do my job face-to-face, that doesn't mean I don't employ technology to make it easier to collect papers and assignments. Google Drive is my friend. I never bring home student work if I can help it.

 

It's a mixed blessing. It's difficult to keep work environment and home environment separated. It's convenient but lonely. It's quiet and comfortable but often too secluded from the outside world. I don't get out much, and that tends to affect my social health.

I work from home about 99% of the time. On rare occasions, I attend events.

Yes, but I also use it sometimes for entertainment. My gaming PC and PS3 are set up in there, and it's where I play guitar. It can also be converted into a guest room, with a Murphy bed.

No. Since I fried my MacBook and replaced it with an iMac, my prospects for picking up and going anywhere have been limited. When I need to get away, I can borrow my SO's MacBook, but I find it inconvenient to move my files over to it and/or to the cloud. I sometimes think I should have gotten a MacBook, but the issue is that the iMac makes more sense for my typical day.

 

My current job involves cuddling other people's babies all morning. I doubt I would enjoy doing this in my home.

Now, I do crunch numbers, play with stats and spreadsheets, and write my dissertation from my home desktop in the afternoons.

I treasure the days that my husband also can bring his work home and avoid going into the office. I adore sitting beside him in our home office, both hard at work and getting things done. I enjoyed one such rare afternoon yesterday, when he worked from home because he was sick. His job involves a lot of face-to-face meetings, training others, audits, networking, travel, and other business stuff that doesn't usually mean he can work from home. In his old job he had it scheduled so he could work from home one day a week. I miss those days.

 

I enjoy working from home, and it has financial (not renting space elsewhere) and tax (home office deductions) advantages. Being able to multitask with things like laundry, cooking, or personal business, is a mixed blessing. It's hard for me to "stick to my knitting," at times.

Probably about 80% with some time spent researching or reading periodicals at the city or university library. Not all information is available for free on the internet, but sometimes is available free at a good library. Looking personally at out of town investment opportunities is also time away from the home office. And business travel is another tax deduction.
In a couple of weeks I will go to the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. That's work for me, but it will be away from home.

I scrupulously follow the guidelines in IRS Pub 587. My office is a separate room with a desk, table, file cabinet, bookshelves, and a sturdy door with a deadbolt lock and I have a separate work computer and printer. I like to leave my work out and about (I'm kind of a messy) so I can just lock the door and walk away and not worry about nosy eyes. Just have to make sure I don't lock Clawdette (my cat) in there.

Like @Borla, I sometimes use the dining room table, and my bony butt doesn't like the unpadded oak chairs. I just roll my office chair down the hall, and put it back in the office when I'm finished.

Sometimes, on a nice day. It takes about 10 seconds to undock my MacBook from the monitor and keyboard and I can be out on the patio or front porch swing.

I agree 100%

After an IRS audit a few years ago I got much more careful about "exclusive and regular use." A second computer cost less than preparing for an audit and lasts for several years.

Think dock, barak. You can have the best of both. A docked MacBook can do everything every bit as well as an iMac. I dock to a 24"Dell pivot monitor and use a real keyboard with numeric keypad and a mouse. I could not live full time with a 13" screen, no numeric keypad, and I hate trackpads, Gimme a real mouse, Mickey.

 

I have a home office and I have an office downtown. I do usually a 60/40 split with three days at home, though that schedule's been a bit off lately due to various factors.

I prefer to work from home for a variety of reasons. Modern tools allow me to do my job effectively from basically anywhere. I can communicate with my team in real time (including voice and video, if these things are considered necessary) and most of my job involves stuff that is location agnostic anyway. Working from home means not having to spend two hours of my day commuting back and forth, it means being able to eat a home cooked lunch, it means being able to be wherever is comfortable. It's true that you can get a bit stir crazy after a while but that's solved by just getting outside more.

I'm pretty sure working remotely is the future for a lot of employees. Work culture hasn't quite caught up to the tech yet, but when it does people will wonder why so many folks spent so much time travelling to a specific locations to do their jobs. Actual commuting will be reserved for the percentage of the workforce who actually has to be physically present to get things done. If your job involves a desk and a computer that probably isn't you.

And yeah, I work outside when the weather's nice. It's pretty fantastic to just sit out on my balcony with my laptop and plug away at whatever project I have on the go. Strictly speaking I could do that downtown as well but social custom makes it harder to get away with. And then I wouldn't be actually in the office anyway, at which point I might as well just not bother going in to begin with.

 

Your balcony Is super nice.

 

I don't have a "clock in at X and clock out at Y" type position.

I spend probably 50-65 night a yr away from home while working, unable to complete regular household chores (mowing, laundry, whatever) on those evenings or mornings.

I'm one of those guys who ends up answering work emails immediately when they come in during evenings and weekends as well.

In today's modern working world, that's pretty much expected with the type of job I have. So is being able to take 60 seconds to take clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer.

 

Periodically...
Depends on the project, depends on what they allow.

Frankly, for work...I prefer to go in.
Why? Because I like separating it...management takes advantage of it too often. There are no boundaries, no time limits.
Honestly, I too can take advantage of it...I don't work productively at home.
Plus, my dogs (my kids) want me to play while I'm there...they don't understand that I can't play or walk with them.

I have a room I call my "office" (den, man cave, etc...)

Nah, I like going in...that way my time is set, I'm in the zone, can have face to face discussions (see their bluffs, followup on non-verbal cues)
The commute is not bad either...nice time to wind up...wind down, train does all the work.

If I had a full remote position, then it would be if I didn't have my dogs, no GF...and I'd travel with it. (go all over the world while getting paid)
But those are rare to find and get.

 

I'm glad I don't work for you. I work for me. I don't confuse useful accomplishment with the amount of time spent. I don't get paid by the hour. I thrive and prosper (or not) based on making good, sound, well reasoned financial judgements. Sometime making a judgement takes a few minutes, other times a few months of watching. Knowing when to hold, fold, walk away, or run. I don't punch a time clock, I mostly don't pay attention to the clock at all. I may "work" twenty hours one week, sixty the next.
Sometimes I have to really fight the idea that I need to be doing something for a certain number of hours, when the time is best spent in thoughtful analysis.

Sometimes I am most productive when I appear to be doing nothing.I spent most of Friday on the back of a horse. On a real working ranch. Watching cattle and sheep graze. I acquired some valuable knowledge. Life is good.