Thoughts on Working From Home

While I wait for the written offer to make it all seem real, I thought I would share my thoughts on theoretically working from home. I haven't done it full time, just the odd snow day here and there, and that one week last spring when I worked from Florida, but on the face of it, there are some serious pros and very few cons.

To start with the cons, they really boil down to one thing, and it's something I won't know until I try: Will I like it? Will I have the willpower? (I think so.) Will I find it too isolating? (I don't think so.) Basically, I have to try it and see. Any other cons are very small (no free coffee, that kind of thing). I mean, I will specifically miss working with some of the people I just worked with -- already do! -- but there's no guarantee that a new situation will have people like that (you always hope, but...).

And the pros? Lo, they are many and varied. In no especial order:

• No commute. This hands me five to ten hours a week, on a platter. Also, less money spent on gas, less wear and tear on the car, no driving in snow or other bad weather ... yes, it means I may not have "snow days," but it also means no hand-wringing to decide just how bad the roads are, ought I to try, am I justified staying home ... none of that.
• No more freezing in an office. I can't think how wonderful this would be. It ties in to wardrobe, too: I can wear sweatpants and t-shirts or whatever I want. But not to be so cold ... marvelous.
• Food flexibility. While proximity to my own kitchen might turn out to be a drawback (see: willpower), being able to cook things properly could be awfully nice: no waiting my turn, relying on a weak microwave, or wishing for something that really ought to be heated in the oven. I can eat loud food (like carrots) or 'aromatic' food (tuna noodle casserole) without worrying about bothering anyone else. I try to be very considerate of others, and it can be paralyzing, really.
• While we're talking consideration, I can play music if I want, or talk to myself out loud, and I don't have to listen to anyone else! No trying to concentrate with multiple conversations going on around me.

And I'm sure there's more, but that will do to start. I might even get myself a standing desk, something that has interested me for some time, once I'm sure that I'd like it. (No sense spending $400 on something like this if I decide two months in that it isn't going to work for me.) Overall, while I want to make myself a little distinct space (that will send the signal to my brain that "this is where we work"), for most things I will wait and see what I turn out to want or need. I mean, beyond the computer they provide. Organizational things.