Working from home is a reality millions of people have transitioned into since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. For the first time, many workers were forced (or had the option) to work remotely to varying degrees of success. Today, we’re examining many aspects of working from home that no one talks about; here is the uncensored truth about remote life in 2024!
1. You Save Money
The typical remote worker saves significant cash! From not going through as much fuel during a daily commute to not paying top dollar for lunches during breaks, the savings start adding up quickly. If you’re smart and savvy with money, these savings are arguably the best reason to work from home (if you are given the choice, of course). As someone who works remotely, I don’t miss spending $15 daily on Chipotle on lunch breaks when I worked a standard nine-to-five job.
2. You’re Bored Often
I admit it: there’s something innately boring about working from home. Suddenly, our safe haven transforms into a workplace, which effectively traps us in the same box we sleep in. As a result, I find myself being bored constantly. If you think going to the same office every day is mundane, wait until you wake up and glumly walk ten feet to your workspace, where you’ll spend the next eight hours! At least during a commute, the traffic keeps things interesting!“
3. You Never Go Outside Some Days
As we all know, our work days can get quite busy. If you’ve ever wanted to understand what it feels like not to breathe fresh air or experience glorious natural sunlight for an entire day, you should definitely consider working from home! As someone who appreciates the great outdoors, not experiencing it as much as I’d like (even if it’s just for a few minutes) is heartbreaking. I find myself being less productive because I’m scheming ways to go outside.
4. Setting Up Your Home Office is Fun
I’m the farthest from an interior decorator, but I love setting up a home office. Laying out a room for maximum productivity is something I genuinely enjoy, and kitting out a desk with a few widescreen monitors and comfortable office chairs is a fantastic way to kill a weekend afternoon. Unlike actual offices, you can design your workspace to fit your personality and work style, which is a pleasant change of pace, to say the least!
5. You Miss Out on Socialization
Talking to coworkers in the office is excellent. Randomly cursing out horrible drivers during a morning commute is therapeutic in a way. Even sitting down with your boss for a quick chat is sometimes cathartic. Happy Hour is one of the greatest inventions ever. Unfortunately, most of these social interactions disappear when working from home, leaving you to convince your poor spouse to be the ultimate communicator at all times!
6. Wearing Pajamas to Work is Great
Working from home means never being forced to wear pants. Dressing however you like for your workday is an indescribable feeling; it’s like faking sick to get out of a test at school. It seems so wrong, yet it feels so right. I’m a big fan of comfort, and throwing on sweats and a hoodie before sitting down for hours of work is my prime example of a relaxing day. Judging by how many workers turn their Zoom cameras off during remote meetings, I’m not alone in this sentiment!
7. …But Sometimes It’s Weird
Wearing your pajamas while you work can be invigorating, but I confess it can get a little weird sometimes. On more than one occasion, I’ve looked down at myself in the middle of a day and thought, “Wow, I’m not even trying to be presentable today.” These intrusive thoughts are genuine; it’s effortless to get into a habit of not caring about how you look, and as we all know, it’s a slippery slope. One day, you’re wearing pajamas to work; the next, you’re absentmindedly arriving at the grocery store fully nude.
8. Your Productivity Varies
The upside of working in an honest-to-goodness physical office is that your productivity rarely suffers, thanks to the all-knowing eye of your superiors constantly hovering over you. When working from home, however, you’re left to your own devices and can quickly lose accountability. We’ve all been there; a short five-minute YouTube break revolving around a Hollywood actor quickly turns into an hour-long mission, and you end up earnestly wondering if you’re attracted to Timothée Chalamet now (spoiler alert: you are). Who hasn’t been in this situation?
9. You Forget How to Dress Yourself
Remember when I revealed the downside of wearing whatever you want when working from home? There’s another significant drawback: You legitimately forget how to dress yourself. If you had any semblance of fashion sense before working remotely, rest assured you have zero left. You quickly become a pathetic man or woman, unaware of how poorly you dress for social gatherings and important events. It’s happened to me, and it will happen to all of you!
10. You Miss the Gossip
Let’s be honest with ourselves; we all love juicy office gossip. Whether it’s who drank too much at the Christmas party or who went on a date with their coworker (and everything in between), indulging in some good, old-fashioned gossip is loved by all. Unfortunately, when working at home, you get none of that. Trust me, all attempts at creating homemade gossip will fail; your significant other will get very annoyed at your constant attempts to drum up drama for drama’s sake!
11. You Eat Better
Being in complete control of your diet and nutrition is one of the most significant aspects of working from home. At the office, you’re at the mercy of whatever is available (unless you pack your lunch like an elementary school student). Eating delicious meals at home in between work calls and assignments is underrated; endless trips to sandwich shops and eating office birthday cake get old quickly.
12. Your Vehicle Lasts Longer
Our vehicles endure daily wear and tear, and a daily commute compounds it even more! One of the most underappreciated side effects of working from home is that your car’s lifespan increases because you’re not driving it every day. I once had a three-hour round-trip commute in my 20s, and I shudder to think of its impact on my poor vintage Jeep Wrangler. Thankfully, men and women who work from home can sleep easily, knowing their poor vehicles will last longer, ultimately resulting in cost savings.
13. It’s Hard to Stay Motivated
When I began working from home, I fully expected my motivation would be through the roof. I assumed that being unencumbered by working in a physical office surrounded by coworkers would light a fire under me. I was wrong. To this day, I still struggle to find motivation to work, especially in the middle of the month. With so many distractions around me (a 30-minute lunch break can quickly turn into a two-hour television-watching endeavor), staying focused on making money is challenging!
14. It Affects Your Relationships
Personal relationships can also be significantly impacted by working from home. In my situation, my girlfriend and I both work from home; we work from the same space with our respective desks just a few feet apart. It’s fantastic and terrible simultaneously; we see each other all the time, leaving no space to “miss” each other. As you can guess, this has led to strains on our relationship that wouldn’t have necessarily happened if one of us commuted to work during the week.
15. It Often Feels Temporary
There’s something about working from home that feels temporary. It feels like the job can be taken from you at any moment without warning. My role felt substantial and vital when I would commute to the office. Conversely, I sometimes feel so insignificant when working from home that I frequently envision scenarios where my job is made redundant. This lack of feeling grounded and secure in what I do leads to much unneeded stress, as you can imagine!
