by Jon Reed

It is certainly possible for many people to work at home thanks to broadband Internet and the computer. But before you cancel your existing office space and move your work material to your home, you should carefully consider both the advantages and disadvantages of working at home.

Let’s be positive and look at the advantages first. I have identified three major advantages and they are as follows:

1. Working at home allows you to be more flexible and creative with your use of time. You can work well at home if you have a good set-up, and at the same time you can be available for short, but valuable contributions to your family and home needs. That may mean being available for your kids or pets or being close at hand in case of any kind of emergency or sudden need. Being able to give just a few minutes can sometimes make a big difference, and when you are miles away at work, you can’t do this.

2. Working at home means you don’t have to commute for hours and hours. How much time do you spend commuting to work each day? Wouldn’t you like to use this time more productively or use it for more enjoyable activities? If you work at home you can use the commuting time for some better purpose.

3. Reducing expenses is the third big advantage to working at home. If you are a self employed person then you can make major savings by working at home and not renting your office and paying extra utility bills as well. Not only do you gain by eliminating office costs, but you gain by not paying the bill for commuting to and from work. This saving will come to anyone who works at home, whether self employed or whether you work for someone else.

However, working at home has its downside so let’s look at this aspect too.

1. It is good to be flexible with your time, but flexibility can also make you more vulnerable to distractions. If you leave your work for every little household issue, then you may not get all of your work done, or you may not do your work well. It all depends on you, and your level of self-discipline and it also depends on the people with whom your share your home. If they respect your work space and your work needs then distractions need not be detrimental to your work.

2. Some people are less efficient when working at home. Maybe it is just a question of atmosphere or some intangible factors. When you go to an office or other work area, you know you have to work and you do it. However, when you are at home you may not put your nose to the grindstone and really work. Once again, a lot depends on you and how you work in different environments.

3. You may overwork when you are working from your home. When you work in an office for fixed hours, then you usually can go home and forget about work. When your office is a few steps from your living room, then you may be tempted to put in extra time on the computer and you may end up with less leisure time than before. Once again, it all depends on you and how well you can manage your time.

Working at home is attractive but you should think about the pros and cons before making a final decision in the matter.

About the Author:
Jon Reed is a staff writer for the American Educational Guidance Center which develops online degree and online college websites.

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