For more years than I wish to recall, I’ve held various jobs that required me to sit at some desk located in some office building somewhere out in the concrete jungle of the corporate world, staring into a computer screen for many hours a day. (Sometimes those desks and computers were enclosed in tiny cubicles.) But for the past 20 years, I’ve been mostly self-employed, and my work has either been conducted at home, at a coffee shop, or somewhere on the road. The freedom to work anywhere in the world—hands down—has been one of the biggest perks of my professional career. I’ve written many articles about working remotely (i.e. working somewhere other than a traditional office setting) and have shared countless strategies on ways to remain focused and to optimize productivity when playing the role of your own boss. It recently occurred to me, however, that for all the tips I’ve shared on this topic over the years, I’ve neglected to address one crucial point: Working remotely—especially working from home—is NOT for everyone!
The illusion of freedom is intoxicating
Of course, the idea of working whenever and wherever you’d like sounds like a dream come true. You could sit in a cozy café and crank out a blog, surrounded by friendly people laughing and chatting and sipping cappuccinos. You could set up your laptop on a picnic table overlooking a picturesque valley, and enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon while sending out emails and making phone calls. You could even convert your guest room into an office and become a full-time, work-at-home parent. The blissful possibilities are boundless!
The behind-the-scenes workload
What is often overlooked by people who are considering working from home are the required tasks beyond the actual “job” itself. Initially, most people only think about the luxurious freedom of not having to punch a clock, not having to show up somewhere at a particular time every day, not having to answer to a supervisor or a corporation—all of which sound ideal and relatively easy. Ironically, however, there’s a plethora of responsibilities associated with working remotely, not the least of which is the never-ending to-do list that must be managed at all times—by YOU. To compound that challenge, one must also embrace the task of self-supervision—a critical element in paving the way for this kind of “freedom.”
Another critical drawback that plagues all my fellow remote workers is dealing with distractions that pull your focus from the tasks at the top of your priority list. They come in many forms:
- Urgent/scary emails from your bank
- Random phone calls from a colleague
- Texts from insistent clients
- Spontaneous interactions with friends and family
- Disruptive noises, loud music or conversations in your home or wherever you’re working
- Games lurking on your tablet, beckoning you to drop everything and play
- Disturbing images and world events stuck in your head after momentarily glancing at your news feed on social media
- Cold beer sitting in the fridge, tempting you kick back and relax at 3:00 in the afternoon
- Household errands such as laundry piling up, leaves to be raked, meals to be prepared
- Your adorable child climbing into your lap, staring at you with loving eyes, asking for your undivided attention as you’re winding up for a conference call with your biggest client
The list goes on and on.
Let’s be honest, when you’re working at an office, most of these productivity-robbing distractions aren’t even a consideration. Not long ago, many corporations offered remote working opportunities to attract an entire generation of young, prospective employees. Forward-thinking companies were aware that the desire for this kind of “professional freedom” was growing among that particular demographic, and could be leveraged as a major hiring incentive.
Over a few short years, however, these companies observed that the productivity levels of those working remotely were significantly lower than teams who worked at the office every day. Eventually, a few of these companies tightened the parameters for working remotely, and some even dispensed with the option altogether.
It’s all on you, and it’s HARD
The idea of being your own boss, setting your own work schedule, and naming your own deadlines might sound like a heavenly arrangement, but the fact is, it is sorely lacking the immeasurable benefit of receiving helpful tips, guidance and feedback from a trusted and competent supervisor. It’s all on you—100%—not only to get the work done within a certain period of time, but also to select and prioritize the right tasks for optimizing your results. Remote workers often spend far too much time on activities that give them a sense of being busy, but don’t always accomplish tasks that have an optimal impact on their future success and growth.
In order to be wildly successful in any field, one needs to focus, to apply extreme self-discipline, to master productivity habits, and to say no to a litany of things you’d rather be doing other than plugging away at work at any given moment of your day. Working remotely means you are required to wear two hats: that of an employee and that of a boss.
Is it really for you?
Of course, in theory, you “could” make the choice and work remotely/work from home, but should you do this? Is it genuinely appropriate for you? Does it actually suit your personality, your schedule, your skill set, your talents, your living situation, your clients, and especially your lifestyle? Any prospective endeavor (even a prospective relationship) seems ideal at first, but to actually set it in motion and see it through always proves to be more difficult than when first envisioned.
Here are some questions worth exploring. Be unflinchingly honest in your answers:
- When surrounded by temptations and distractions, are you self-disciplined enough to remain on task?
- What is your past track record with working 100% on your own with no supervision whatsoever?
- How proficient are you at prioritizing your to-do lists to ensure the progress of an overall project or goal?
- What negative effects might these factors have on your life, once you decide to work outside the construct of a 9 to 5 office setting?
In order to determine if working remotely is right for you, the answers to these questions must be uncovered. And even if you come up with a resounding “yes,” the fact is, after working at home—even for a short period of time—you might very well discover that the solo approach to being gainfully employed is far more difficult than you’d ever imagined.
If you are working remotely, (or thinking about working remotely) and need some assistance boosting you productivity, check out our new 30-minute e-Class: How to work from home like a BOSS.
