Most people perceive working from home as a luxury, usually for freelancers or those with flexible (read - ‘cushy’) jobs. They’re right, it is a luxury getting paid for working at home full-time, but I don’t see that as a good thing.
The correct working environment is important for any job, but more so for us designers. A home is full of distractions and, subconsciously, you might be a little too comfortable in your familiar surroundings. We discovered this a couple of months after starting Happycry and found working remotely as a partnership far from ideal. Sure there is Skype, but it’s no match for bouncing ideas around in the flesh and talking to a computer will slowly send you mad.
Yet even if your not working collaboratively (i.e. a lone freelancer) I’d argue you should get an office. Work and home life don’t fit well in the same environment and they will inevitably interfere with each other. If you work as an individual, it’s worth looking into getting a cheap office/workplace away from the home and seeing how it affects you. It will work out expensive but your business, and your life, may be better off for it.
Look at the benefits
- Exposure to more inspiration: billboards, flyers, advertising… Inspriation is a plenty in the outside world as well as the internet.
- Seeing more people: It’s easy to become trapped in your own little world working from home. Real-life social interaction can help keep you grounded and open-minded.
- Separation of work and home life: No matter what you try, treading the boundaries of work and home life is difficult.
- Sharing ideas and critical feedback: If you’re a team (or go for a shared workplace) some quick opinions and a different viewpoint can make the difference between a good idea and a great idea.
- Sanity: Combination of all the above
Working from home full-time looks the ideal setup: it’s cheap & convenient – but that doesn’t mean it’s the best option. It’s fine for the odd day here and there but if you use it as a permanent workplace you should ask yourself… Is it really is the best option for your business and your lifestyle, or just convenient?
Posted on 05 March 2010
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Comments (11)
Some interesting thoughts there, Will - I’ve always enjoyed working from home, sometimes being away from the distractions of the office! One thing that has certainly struck me, however, as time has passed, is that without an office my house would be full of ‘work junk’. Even trying to operate as paper-free, you end up with a lot of documents, computer components that just seem too good to throw away and unusual freebies that you receive from suppliers trying to woo you.
Being able to use VoIP and VPN to work from home during the snow was, however, invaluable.
That’s it really, working where there’s the least distractions. I found there are more distractions at home but I suppose that depends on the situation.
For me, Dropbox is the most invaluable tool for working remotely… whatever the weather! :)
I think your right in a way, but different factors come into play, and working in an office as opposed to from home is subjective.
For example, I work now in Port Sunlight, its a stunning village with oodles of inspiration. I used to work in a corporate shell with no inspiration at all.
I also believe it comes down to self-discipline. Do you need to force yourself to work? Or are you motivated enough to get the job done within the time frame set?
5 years ago I worked for a company in Bollington and it was an incredibly disruptive environment.
At home I can choose what music to listen to, I have absolutely no commute, I’m comfortable and I can get more things done in both my domestic and work modes.
I also know many designers who work from home and they are very successful.
However, if your part of a partnership or team, then an office environment is worthwhile - but for a solo freelancer or sole trader, I see nothing wrong with working from home.
I see where you’re coming form Nick, it does depend on your specific situation and Port Sunlight is a pretty nice base to work from.
I do think it can be healthy to try and separate your work life from life however. If you work from home, there is always the feeling that work is looking over your shoulder at evenings/weekends and vice-versa with home life when working.
Have you ever thought about getting a local office Nick? I’ve experienced working in crappy office environments, but when it’s your own place you can make it your own!
Will,
It has certainly crossed my mind - and if I want to proceed, I do need to expand my office space.
However, its a cost that at the moment I can’t justify, but also because 3 days out of 5 I am working on site.
working from home is look like luxury ,but people gets very lazy in working , and not working with full concentration. its really bad , excellent article.
An interesting perspective and one that I partially agree with. I have a crazy situation where I actually live in British Columbia, Canada but work for a large multi-national in Luton, England. I work from home most of the time and visit the office 4 time a year. I’ve been doing this for 5 years and tried many ‘work from home arrangements’, these are my thoughts:
1. You absolutely need an office - but that office can be at home.
2. It should be a separate room or ideally building (I have a separate building that I converted from a workshop that is 2 meters outside my backdoor!)
3. You should ‘go to work’ on time and at the same time every day. Be flexible about when you finish but having structure to the start of your day is vital.
4. Your office should have everything you need in it, a coffee machine, water. And it should have a breakout area if possible - a sofa, maybe a TV. This means you don’t have to pop to the kitchen to get a coffee - chat to the wife - get given a job etc. And it also means you can take a few minutes through the day to step back.
5. When you leave the office, don’t go back!! I now take this to the point where I don’t do ‘personal’ work like developing my own website, my finances etc in my office. I would not do it at work. It can become too easy to become sidetracked from your real job if these things are lying around. And visa versa, it can be too easy to end up working on the job when you should be doing your taxes.
6. Go out at least a few time a week - go get coffee or something. This, I have to admit is something I am terrible at. Although I do take the dog out most days to at least see outside.
The benefits? For me they are extreme. I get to live surrounded by the mountains, with bears and eagles in my back yard (literally), world class salmon fishing, skiing in Whistler 30mins away and a lower cost of living. An my commute is approximately 30 seconds round trip!
So my last point would be: if your going to work from home, make sure that your home is somewhere you want to work! And if you can live in a lower cost area, if your working from home why be in the city?
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I completely agree with Russell in that if you can, or are able to make a separate space for an office/work area in your home it can work out nicely….especially if you deck it out nicely with good office furniture, artwork, etc. However, if you don’t have the luxury of space in your home to set up a separate space, then renting an outside office is definitely the way to go!
I’m in a similar postion, I realise the importance of working from an office and the benefit of collaboration but cant justify the additional expenses to run a small office. We have just recently saved the cash for a loft conversion which will be used as a purpose built office, however I’m not comfortable with future employees walking through my house to go to work on the fourth floor. So i’m in a catch 22 situation, its boring working on your own as designer. Any suggestions?
Yeh, look at shared offices or hot-desking. We’ve recently move into a shared office at Basecamp3… it works great for us.
You get the benefit of a workplace, other people/businesses to talk to (and collaborate with!) and there’s less hassle compared to running your own office.
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