When conjuring the benefits of working from home, most folks tend to focus on the lack of a traditional office. To be able to earn income without a commute, dress code, or boss over the shoulder sounds like a dream come true to most people. It is no surprise more people are working from home than ever before.
Of course, seasoned work-from-home professionals know the situation is no bed of roses. It is hardwork like any other and requires a tremendous amount of self-control, motivation, and focus.
Yet even those who have spent many years racking up work hours within the confines of their own residence often neglect to utilize the additional perks to their situation. True, it is great to be able to work wearing pajamas, but there are ways in which working from home can improve one’s quality of life rather than just make it a little more comfortable.
These life improvement aspects of work from home are as follows:
Geographic Freedom
Let us say you have lived in Greentown your whole life, but have always dreamed of moving to Orangeville on the other side of the country. You have visited several times and the warm weather, pretty landscape, and friendly locals are sure to improve mood, increase motivation, and boost productivity. With work from home, this is possible with little more than the will to do so and the planning to make it happen.
Better yet, moving cross country can be accomplished without causing a major disruption to workflow. This is achieved by hiring a service like Allied Movers to handle the transportation of furniture and personal belongings instead of doing it yourself. Options like this allow professionals to keep working rather than hauling and driving for days, ultimately saving money. Especially considering how much is spent on food and lodging when doing the move solo.
Of course, a day or two might be spent working out of coffee shops and an empty house, so think about getting a Starbucks rewards card and buying a bean bag upon arrival.
Extra Income
Many work-from-home professionals have the benefit of being able to create their own work schedule. So long as the work gets done by the due date or deadline, the exact time in which the work is done is relatively negotiable.
This provides a great opportunity for work-from-home professionals to increase their income potential, consequently improving their quality of life over time. This is achieved by arranging the work schedule to allow room for a “side hustle” gig, which is difficult or impossible to do with regular 9-5 hours.
Rideshare provides a perfect example. Much of the money earned as an Uber driver or Lyft driver is made in the late night and early morning hours. This makes it tough for someone with a 9-5 schedule to make good money as a rideshare driver. However, if a person were to plan their work-from-home schedule to begin later in the day — early afternoon for instance — this would allow time to do rideshare at optimum hours and get enough sleep to be productive the next day.
More Time With Family
Parents who regret not spending more time with their children and children who wish they saw more of their parents are more likely than not reacting to the life-consuming nature of most careers. To provide a good life for our family, we must work hard, and in order to work hard we must be at the office as much as possible, away from our family.
This unfortunate dynamic shifts with parents working from home. Now, the location where professional output is forged is the same where family memories are made. While keeping the workspace and home space separate is critical to a successful work from home situation, there is no doubting the increased exposure to family thanks to working from home.
The result is less regrets about spending so much time at work. Let us say it is an exceptionally sunny day outside and the kids are home from school for a holiday. Rather than being confined to the office, a parent can decide to postpone work for a few hours and go play in the backyard. Opportunities to strengthen family bonds blossom thanks to work-from-home, leading to improved quality of life for the whole clan.
Sure, work-from-home lets us go an extra day without shaving and cuts down wear and tear on the car, however there are added benefits as well, ones which help to make life a more rewarding and fulfilling experience!
