In today’s changing world of work, it is rare to find professionals who spend many years in the same organization. On the contrary, it is not uncommon for millennia to have several positions, which may take the form of various self-employment and part-time jobs.

Most traditional workplaces have rigid structures where employees must conform to cultural norms such as wearing a shirt and tie and working 9 to 5.

A typical day for an employee is the same week after week, month after month – they spend most of their time in the office working under the direction of a manager, and at the end of their birth year, they receive a performance appraisal.

You should make an informed decision before transitioning from your work situation.

I’ve experienced both sides of the job – full-time employee in an office and self-employed person working from home. Here are some of my observations on both sides.

1. Working at home

1.1 It can be isolating

This is probably the biggest problem in working from home.

You can be a full-time home office worker or a self-employed person working from home. If you are an introvert, who can go for days without having small conversations, working from home would be ideal for you.

But working at home can torture extroverted people who find comfort in daily human interaction. Those who spend the whole week working at home for long periods will feel isolated and alone.

My advice would be to make an effort to meet your friends so often before you die of a heart attack at a young age.

1.2 You can save money very quickly

No lunch, no petrol, no car, no train tickets. These are very small daily expenses. However, in the long run, it becomes quite a significant expense. It is possible to deduct some of these expenses from your annual tax return. However, almost all professional costs are tax-deductible if you are a freelancer away from home.

 

1.3 You have flexibility

In addition to saving money, you also save time. Nothing is worse than sitting in a traffic jam every day for years. Those 30 minutes waiting on the road could easily be spent on a quick workout. You can take as many clients as possible or as few. Go for a walk whenever you want.

If you are sleepy after lunch or the sun has started to shine, go outside to get some fresh air. Did you have to take the child to the doctor on Thursday? Don’t worry. You can still work on Saturday. Such flexibility is a godsend, but it also means that.

 

1.4 You are stuck in work mode

This same flexibility can also cause a certain imbalance in your professional and private life. It isn’t easy to draw a line between work and leisure when you work at home. Because you have all the flexibility you need, it’s easy to put things off until a later day or time. You can always decide to work late at night or on Sundays because there is always something to do.

 

 

2. Working in an office

2.1 Rigid work schedules

Let’s say that many people find routine boring. According to a YouGov study from 2018, only 6% of the labor force has a regular job of 9 to 5. Statistics show that more and more people are opting for flexible working hours.

2.2 Stable working hours

Whether you work from 9 to 17 or from 8 to 4, you can draw a line between work and free time. Depending on your professional situation, your weekends are strictly yours and only yours. You can plan because you know your exact working hours and holidays.

2.3 No more daily expenses

You have to pay to get to work. According to a CareerBuilder study, an employee spends an average of $3,300 a year to get to work. Those who drive to work daily spend $1,600 a year on fuel alone. You also have to update your office wardrobe constantly, and most good quality formal wear is not cheap.

2.4 Pros and benefits

Your employer pays for your health insurance, sick days, holidays, pension funds, etc. Annual premiums are not uncommon in most organizations.

 

Benefits Of Working From Home

These are some of the main pros of the distance working I experience daily.

1. You no longer have to worry about work

I would get stressed before my workday started when I went to work.

I had to drive through the rush hour in New Delhi, which meant I had to drive at least an hour and a half full of rage. All of this disappeared without an unnecessary daily commute.

No more office politics, no more inefficient project management, no more last-minute tasks. I manage my time, project deadlines, and resources (and I have become much better at it too).

A few days after working remotely, I noticed the physical pros. I slept much better, had more time to exercise and my hair and skin looked much healthier. I also gained some (healthy) weight, and I was no longer underweight.

 

In retrospect, I worked more hours per week as a self-employed person. But I still felt little or no stress every day.

I worked from home or went to a café with my laptop whenever possible. I also earned much more per week because I was now working for international companies that paid much better for my work at my old New Delhi workplace.

Thanks to teleworking, I realized for the first time in my life that it is possible to enjoy your work.

 

2. You are more productive

As no known micromanager is overhanging me, I can concentrate on my work without getting angry.

No one bursts into my workspace to start a small conversation. No one is there to distract me from my work. Well, maybe my cat, but that’s the part of his work.

I am doing much more work than I have ever done as a full-time employee.

This is especially noticeable when I work with the in-house employees of some of my clients. I have to follow up with them on the tasks delegated to them, send them reminders, ask them to do it again, postpone meetings or answer emails, etc. I have to do much more work than I have ever done as a full-time employee.

There is no urgency because they know they will get paid at the end of the month anyway.

As a freelancer, you are paid either by the hour or by the project. The sooner you finish a project, the sooner you can send this invoice to the client. This intrinsic motivation is a serious boost to meet your deadlines as quickly as possible.

It’s a way of life that consists of doing a good job.

According to a recent survey on telework carried out by Tsheets, 59% of employers said that they would rate the performance of their teleworkers as “above average” compared to their other employees.

3. You are becoming more resourceful

Remote workers do not have support staff or colleagues to ask work-related questions. My office has no technical support, accounting, or human resources. If I have problems, I have to solve them myself.

Telework teaches you to be resourceful and to look for answers proactively.

It is an excellent skill for personal and professional life. I find it is more effective in some cases because I don’t have to rely on others to find answers. It saves me time because I don’t need to pause a task and wait for a solution from another colleague. A simple google-fu can solve most problems anyway.

Since working from home, I have learned how to create my blog with WordPress, market my skills better, negotiate my project fees, create invoices correctly, and much more.

 

4. You can take more time

Shortly after switching to teleworking, I magically became a high-performing human being.

I have been able to spend more time with my family, work more, and take care of my hobbies. In general, I have a well-balanced life. I have worked at distance learning part-time.

All that matters to my clients is that I deliver the work on time and as promised. I have to report to the hotel regularly and continue to answer the weekly remedial calls. But this is a very appreciated aspect of my working life from a distance.

Appointments at the doctor’s, bank, or visa office are not a problem because I don’t have to miss work. I can go when I need to and work later in the evening to catch up.

Another great pro is that I now have time to learn new skills.

When I am late in the day, I can go on YouTube or Skillshare to learn new skills. I also read a lot more now that I have time. I also have more time for hobbies and side activities.

 

5. You have much more flexibility

Most people employed full-time must apply in advance for their holidays and obtain approval from their boss. Generally, this must be done in March or April of each year.

This means impeccable planning of all your free days throughout the year. While this is not bad, it still takes away from flexibility.

Planning holidays is so much easier for me. I can spontaneously take a day off whenever I need or want it. When my fiancé and I want to travel together, I don’t plan any work or deadlines during those days.

Or even if I have deadlines, I can take my laptop with me and work a few hours during the holidays.

Breaks are much more enjoyable.

I can choose the 10-minute breaks I like – playing with my kitten, a short walk in the sun, a tea break on the balcony, a nap on the sofa, or brainstorming ideas for this blog.

I can stop working when my fiancé comes home from work and relax together for an aperitif.

We cook more often now because I’m not exhausted after a full day of work and traveling. When the weather is nice, we also take our cat out for a walk now that we have a few more hours each evening.

 

 

 

Conclusion

Full-time employees have the security of an employment contract, predictable work schedules, and predictable income, which helps them plan for the future. But they also have to spend many hours away from home and family.

If you are a highly motivated person, like your boss, and want to choose which projects you want to work on personally, and if you find daily life at the office stressful, then freelance work from home is a better option.

Freelancing allows you to be geographically independent and easily move to another country to conduct your business.