On Working From Home

Posted by Melissa Dylan May 1, 2006

I used to think I wasn't a morning person. I dreaded getting out of bed, forcing myself into pantyhose, and facing a long commute through horrific traffic.

But, as it turns out, I'm a morning person after all. Since I started working from home, I use mornings differently. I hop out of bed and get right to work-returning e-mails, writing while my mind is still fresh, or using some momentum to tackle the beginning of a project I've been putting off.

I don't get dressed. I make coffee and pull my laptop into bed. Or I take two steps to my PC and hammer out some e-mail queries. I ignore the phone, because talking isn't my strong suit until at least 9. I'm still up at 7 a.m., but suddenly mornings don't look that bad.

Turns out it wasn't mornings I hated; it was the commute, the panty-hose, the small talk with security personnel. By the time I made it to the office, I was drained. The last thing I wanted to do was get to work.

No wonder I hated getting out of bed: I faced my least-favorite part of the day as soon as I woke up, and I had to shake myself from a deep sleep to boot. Truth is, I gave myself more permission to slack off in the workplace, because simply being there felt like half the job.

These days, even if I have to be somewhere at 10 a.m., at least it's tolerable. I can get things accomplished before I have to face clothing choices and traffic. I get a number of tasks done first, and then getting dressed doesn't feel so daunting.

And yet most work environments suffer under the assumption that I'll be happier, more productive, and an all-around better employee if I do it their way. Does that make any sense?

Thank goodness more and more workplaces are giving allowance to the fact that not everyone works the best under the same conditions.

This week, talk to your manager about your options. I've listed some good back-up arguments for why you should telecommute in this week's article. Enjoy and good luck!