Sadly there are times when, for whatever reason, a spell of shedworking comes to an end. We mentioned Paul Jackson and the end of his time shedworking last week and as he approaches his final deshedification (his garden office is pictured above), he's put together a nice pros and cons list of working from home/shedworking at his blog. Here's a few snippets: Advantages:What are your personal pros and cons?
* No daily commute (what a result!)
* If I want to work in scruffs, I can!
* No commute means more time at the desk (or is this a disadvantage?)
* Little interruption or background noise, so it’s easier to focus on complex tasks
* Take meal breaks when it suits you
* Have some music on in the background without disturbing others
Disadvantages:
* Home fuel bills increase
* Working alone can be isolating - the only ‘office’ banter is via skype
* Nobody close by to bounce ideas off
* Harder to meet people and network
* You have to be disciplined to stay on task
* Separating work and home life can sometimes be difficul
* Unless your office is outside the main house, it can be restrictive for partners or children
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday posts are sponsored by Euroffice, the UK’s most extensive office supplies website.
Nice summary of the pros and cons. I agree with most of them.
ReplyDeleteSome more of my personal pros:
1. My shed is in and overlooking the garden, which is a constant joy and inspiration (and I'm a landscape designer, so it makes sense).
2. Good place to meet clients because it's separate from the house and my husband, who also works at home, and clients also get to see an example of my design.
3. I can have the windows open in nice weather - my husband and I have different comfort points, and I generally prefer "fresh air" even if it's a little too hot or cold.
3. When I leave my office, I leave my office.
Cons
1. Pro #3 is also a "con." I don't have a laptop, and sometimes I don't want to be out here working alone. I totally agree that it gets lonely.
2. Trudging through the snow is not fun. The rain isn't so bad, but it's just strange having to put on snowboots to walk a couple hundred feet!
Still, it sure beats having to scrape off the car and drive. I've been grateful for the non-commute in many a snowstorm and other types of bad weather.
Pros
ReplyDeleteNo distractions
No commute
No faffing
Time to think
Time to plan
….so many more, one day everyone who is a thinker will
Cons
Not being able to stick your head round a colleague’s door and utter the immortal phrase “fancy a pint?”
Absolutely no regrets best thing I ever did and…so thinks my wife who has been a corporate bod for over 20 years, she loves it – bores me to death as she gets up every day and tell me how wonderful her life is now!