Saturday, February 13, 2010

When it's time to say goodbye to shedworking

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:

* 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
What are your personal pros and cons?
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2 comments:

  1. Nice summary of the pros and cons. I agree with most of them.

    Some 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.

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  2. Pros

    No 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!

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