How Working From Home Can Actually Make You More Productive
As if I needed any more proof to support my love of working from home, Forbes contributor Larry Alton posted an article last week called “Are Remote Workers More Productive Than In-Office Workers?” exploring the productivity pros and cons of living a work-from-home life. Aside from the fact that Fifth Harmony released a bitchin’ song
Although there’s a lot of speculation about whether or not it is as effective as working in-office, a lot of the conversation around it comes without evidence. However, Alton swept in on Forbes to tell us that, heck yes, it is effective, citing loads of studies where schedule flexibility and work-from-home opportunities sent employee productivity soaring. (You should check it out here.)
Of course, he did also mention the fact that yes, productivity will vary amongst remote workers for various reasons. Your location is obviously not the only important deciding factor in your productivity, and depending on your job, it might actually be way harder to work from home. Depending on the type of person you are, and whether or not you have the capacity to work surrounded by your home, family, and stuff, it might be near impossible for you to keep your productivity up while working from home. Your job also might simply be so collaborative in nature that you couldn’t possibly touch the productivity that you are capable of in-office. Alton lists six separate “problems” that might affect a person’s ability to be productive while working from home. So, yeah – it isn’t for everyone.
But it is definitely something to think about, and I can definitely speak to its effectiveness. Personally, I find remote working to be the best way for me to stay productive, and actively seek out opportunities that allow me to work from the comfort of wherever I damn well please.
In fact, as I write this, I am visiting my parents, sitting in the kitchen and listening to them talking to each other with music on in the background while simultaneously watching a video on YouTube. Tomorrow, I’ll likely find myself on the couch sipping coffee in my fluffy pink robe
I’m the type who is weirdly jolted by nothing but a change of scenery, and the act of simply being out of my house and in an office is sometimes enough to exhaust me to the point of genuinely lowering my productivity. As for the distractions that may surround me at home, I tend to find that I stir a lot more when working in dead silence, and find that one or two simple distractions – like the sound of voices in the next room, or a sitcom rerun on Netflix – helps me to stay focused and on-track. It also makes it all feel a lot less like work, which means I don’t burn out as quickly. I can easily write twice as long from the comfort of my couch as I’d be able to in an office, where I’d quickly find myself fidgeting in my chair and waiting to go home.
Although my work at the moment consists of writing and school assignments, I think my preference for remote working will hold true regardless of any job I may hold.
So, maybe it isn’t a total guarantee that your productivity will soar if you ask your boss to take a few days of work out of the office, but it might be worth a shot. You’ll never know how your productivity will be affected by working remotely, but if you’re lucky, Alton’s evidence will hold true, and you will find yourself happier and more productive in your work.
Worth a shot, right?
Mary writes every day for TFD, and tweets every day for her own personal fulfillment. Talk to her about money and life at mary@thefinancialdiet.com!
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