Working From Home (WFH)...

[Algonquin]

Does anyone here have the option of working form home?

It has its benefits, but it has its drawback as well... What do you fretters think?

David

[marnold***]

While I've got an office at church, my main office is at home. It is nice in that I could be around the kids when they were growing up. The problem is that I can never "go home". Of course that's the nature of the job too--being on call 24/7.

[Algonquin]

Spending more time with the kids Matt is definately a plus! It does allow me a little more time with my daughter and son in the morning, but it's off to school for her by about 8:00, and I drop off the boy at daycare by 09:00 each day.

When the daughter was his age, it was dropping her off at 06:30, and rushing home to pick her up by 05:45 pm.

David

[sunvalleylaw]

I have the option and sometimes do. I ordinarily go to my law office, but can stay home when I need to for the kids. Generally though, I get little done then.

[Algonquin]

Generally though, I get little done then.

SVL... I can fully understand that. I have my busy times, and I have my slow times... I really wish the workload was better balanced.

Right now I'm in a slower part of the year, but I truly wish it wasn't. I'd rather get more accomplished during the winter months, but that isn't the case for the work I do.

I now realize that if I'd be busy in the office, I'll be busy at home, and if it's slow at the office... vice versa!

Not for everyone I'm sure, but I decided to take what was offered to me.

Besides... gas $$$ is freaking out of this world right now!

[SuperSwede]

My wife has a secure ID card that allows her to work via VPN from home.

Personally I love going to the office! The coffee machine and I are best friends

[Lev]

Yeah, I work over VPN one day a week (at least). I have quite a heavy commute to work so it's nice to get a break from the traffic. I think you do need to have some discipline to make it work, especially if your guitars are in your home office screaming "play me, play me, play me!".

[Kazz]

I have the option to work from home when necessary....I only use that option when one of the kids are sick or something...but it is there when I need it. I agree it takes great discipline to work from home and actually get the job done.

I used to be in sales with a company located in Round Rock Texas...during that time I lived in Hewitt...just outside of Shinerville Texas.....and worked from home...then when I left Hewitt and came back to Indiana and even on to Arizona...I still worked for the same place....just worked from home...I made it a point to get up at the same time every morning...shower and put on work clothes just as if I was going to an office.....when I took the job with the company I am with now....it was because after 2 years of working from home...I wanted adult contact every day and not just via a telephone.

[just strum]

I also VPN into work on days where I'm not feeling up to the long drive (like today). We have been getting snow for two days (A steady light snow that is at about 8") and for the second day all the schools are closed. My early morning drive yesterday was 1 hour and 35 minutes (norm 1 hr) and very dangerous with a lot of accidents on the way.

I also stay home when I have something I need to do when it requires minimal interruption. My productivity improves to the point where I can easily accomplish double normal output by working from home. I've tried to talk them into letting work from home 3 or 4 days a week and I've lost the battle.

Disadvantage, when at home I work in the room with all my guitars and the temptation often overtakes me. Then again, is that really a disadvantage?

[warren0728]

i have worked from home for over 11 years....wouldn't have it any other way.... :

ww

[sunvalleylaw]

SVL... I can fully understand that. I have my busy times, and I have my slow times... I really wish the workload was better balanced.

Basically, if I am home due to the kids, they like to be around. My youngest is only 4 so it is hard to tell her to beat it. So I can do work from home, and do some every week for a coupla hours if it makes more sense due to court schedules and driving, but I don't look for my most focused and productive drafting time then. Returning calls, emails, doing books, etc. is better done then. My mac syncs up my calendar, contacts, email, etc. over the net, so it makes that easy. I could remote access the office, but I have never found a real need. If I need something, I either email it to myself from work, or ask my paralegal to do it, plus I have recent office machine backups here to work from.

Hope your slow season speeds up. When self employed, it ebbs and flows, and it is best to look at the big picture. At least for me. I also relate to what Matt (marnold) was mentioning. I have considered building a home office for my full time office, but one reason I have not is that I would never be away from the office, and the office would never be away from me and my family. I care for my clients, but I don't want them at my house all the time.

[warren0728]

When self employed, it ebbs and flows, and it is best to look at the big picture.

yep....feast or famine....either i am so swamped that i have to work way to many hours or i am slow and hoping the phone starts ringing....if i could only learn to enjoy the slow times and not panic it would be better!

Seems like we are either complaining about being too busy or complaining about being slow...

ww

[sunvalleylaw]

That's what most lawyers I know do. It might be different in big firms where they burn you till you frazzle.


P.S. I am home right now, getting ready for the day and for some simple court. The county seat is in Hailey, where my home is, rather than in Ketchum, 11 miles north toward SV.

[warren0728]

That's what most lawyers I know do

i have a lot of friends and colleagues that work for themselves also...and it's the same for them too....it would be nice if we could get projects in and a nice steady manageable pace....but it rarely works out that way!

sometimes i think my clients all get together and say...let's slam warren this week for fun to see if he can handle it....and then not call for a month

ww

[luvmyshiner]

Man, I can relate to the feast or famine thing. It seems that there are certain times of the year when business always slows down (for some reason people don't want to get divorced around Christmas, and then it usually slows down in May as well), and certain times when it speeds up (like when the tax refunds start coming in). We usually try to plan our vacations around the slow time.

Steve, now that my kids are grown it's just the opposite for me. I occasionally take a morning away from the office and work at home to catch up on my drafting without being interrupted by the phone and clients. My laptop is my primary computer, and it goes home with me every night, so it's easy enough to access all my relevant programs and data. I started using a laptop about six years ago when our office was broken into. They didn't take my computer, but I realized how much it would set me back if they had.

I agree with Steve on the issue of having clients know where I live. I guard my personal life and time pretty closely, and the few clients I have had who did know where I lived always seemed to feel free to drop by after hours and want to discuss their case. I also rarely give clients my cell phone number for all the same reasons. I occasionally will have a client ask for it, and I just tell them that they can't afford it.

[Mark]

I love it I have a Plumbing business I run from my home, shop is out in the garage our extra bedroom is my office/music studio. All my clients are here in town and I have no commute. Its great, havent found a downside to it yet.

[warren0728]

i'm not a lawyer (although i love to argue : ) but my business revolves around tight deadlines....it drives me crazy when a client calls...gives me a project on a friday and need to have it ready on monday...they think nothing of having me work at night or over the weekend! the advertising industry is a strange one....it's also hard being creative on demand....especially if you are having a bad day or are sick...but somebody's gotta do it!

ww

[Brian Krashpad]

I can work at home but since my office is a leisurely 15-minute drive away, and because we need a back-up to our marketing/client-liason guy, I do go in to work every day anyhow.

At home I have to share the computer with my wife, plus deal with distractions from kids, etc. It's nice to be able to work from home if I have to (I did over this last weekend), but without a separate office set up in the house I prefer using my office.

Then again going into the office isn't as much a pain for me as it is for many others. I don't have any annoying coworkers (I have coworkers, just not annoying ones), no dress code, etc.

[sunvalleylaw]

Your situation is similar to mine. My office is only 15-20 min away on a beautiful scenery drive, and when I am at home, I am in my wife's office, not my own. So I can, but I normally go to the office.