Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's not all it's cracked up to be, but I'm still doing it.

My big girl job allows me to work from home on occasion.

I know, right?

While this is incredibly awesome, and not something they will pry away from me without much anger and despair and wailing, working from home is not all it's cracked up to be.

Herewith, my pros and cons:

Pro: No commute.

Con: Thinking that this means you'll still get up at your usual ungodly hour and accomplish some of those household/health maintenance tasks you simply don't have time for during the week, because of the hellish commute and the attendant tiredness.

Yeah, instead it's just an extra hour of sleeping in and then feeling like a loser shitheel because you are once again BEHIND in your day and you just woke up.

Pro: Not having to use a public restroom.

Con: Realizing you do, actually, use a lot of toilet paper and have to replace it more often than you are willing to tell people.  Also, the cats don't want you to be sad and lonely, so they will follow you into the bathroom [or throw themselves at the door if you are foolish enough to shut it properly], meaning that your personal time just got weird.

Pro: Not having to work through your lunch.

Con: Actually making your lunch during the day, which seems like a lot more work than it does first thing in the morning.

Also, the proximity of those evil seductresses, yummy salted pita chips can be overwhelming and you might will maybe are going to eat a lot more of them than you should, necessitating more water drinking which means more peeing and here we go again, cats twining themselves around your legs while you're doing your business. 

Pro: Blessed solitude.

Con: Feeling like you have to immediately answer IMs and emails from your co-workers so they don't think you're slacking off. 

Pro: Not having to get dressed up.

Con: Still getting showered and dressed so you don't feel like a hobo.  And then feeling like you've wasted a cute outfit on nobody, unless the UPS guy shows up, or you think of an errand you can run.


But who wants to run an errand? You've just had a tough day at work!

22 comments:

  1. As much as I hate my commute, if I worked from home, I would be fired. Or I would try to cram all my work into 2 hours because the other 6 of the 8 hour work day were spent on Facebook, watching TV,possibly drinking and definitely napping.

    I have zero self control

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  2. This is EXACTLY what it's like the few times I've worked from home. Weird cat and all. Thanks for the belly laughs. I so needed it this morning.

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  3. my guilty pleasure of working from home? an unblocked twitter account. and music as loud as I please.

    and the bad part? the wife gives me chore lists.

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  4. I find I end up working more at home than going in. Since I am literally doing office work, plus a random load of luandry, mopping, changing bed sheets in between. It's more exhausting.

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  5. I used to work from home all the time (for a real salary) and found this to be my biggest pro/con:

    Con: when you work from home, everyone thinks you are laying on the sofa watching Oprah and eating bon-bons(who eats bon-bons anyways?)

    Pro: when I worked from home I used to lay on the floor and do leg raises while watching reruns of the OC. On occasion potato chips were involved, but only when I was truly PMS-y.

    Now, go give your loving cats a hug!

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  6. I would have ZERO self discipline. Actually, I'd probably get a lot of BLOG done, and not a lot of work done. Go on with your bad self, girlfriend.

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  7. Pro: Keurig machine on your desk.
    Con: having to put on clothes for Skype office meetings.
    Pro: LOOK NO PANTS!
    Con: Access to daytime TV.
    Pro: Staying cozy in my new Snuggie.
    Con: Forgetting to turn off Skype while drinking coffee directly from Keurig, in Snuggie.

    I think we can see why I can't work from home. I envy your dedication.

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  8. why work from home when i have the pleasure of: sitting among strangers who don't give a rat's ass about me but see my face more than my own family, taking in the wonderful aromas from the kitchen & bathroom, and my personal favorite - meetings where people show off their wit and humor.

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  9. Obviously your cats and my cat have been in contact. My cat does this all the time.
    Pro: complete access to fridge.
    Con: No desire to get out of PJs and stock said fridge.

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  10. Aww, I don't mind when my kitty wants to follow me into the bathroom. I call her a creep, but she doesn't seem to mind :) I like working from home, but I start to go stir-crazy after a while if I don't see or talk to anyone.

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  11. LOL! I felt the same way when I worked from home...when I had a job. I would email my boss an update on every minute task I accomplished so he would know that I was working. My husband has been telling me for years that I use way to much toilet paper...it kinda concerns me that he doesn't.

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  12. I think a really good job would be to work from home as a professional sleeper. This is my dream and if you dream it you can do it. BRB, posting resume on Monster...

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  13. My cats would love it if I worked from home. But my typing might take a hit with Isabel always sitting on the keyboard while I write.

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  14. I am about to embark on a work-from-home venture since I don't really "do" people that well. I predict I never get dressed in real clothes again and gain 50 pounds by New Year's. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  15. I work from home these days. I am amazed at how quickly 8 hours go by. The biggest hurdle is to continue working after 5. I always find an excuse to watch TV.

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  16. I'm worse when I work at home, because I start work when I'd start the commute, and then that's just horrible.

    And the dogs and kids do not understand the difference between me being home and be working from home.

    And fucking around on facebook is so much more tempting when you know that your boss isn't going to walk up behind you.

    And the damn chips! Why do I buy so many tasty, tasty chips?

    And, god forbid someone IM's me while I'm refilling my chip bag, or peeing out the gazillion gallons of water because I know, secretly, they're judging me for goofing off.

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  17. We are always out of pita chips here. Somehow.

    Also toilet paper.

    And this is why I don't have cats.

    (shhhhh.)

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  18. I know, I think I eat more when sitting and working at home than doing anything else, ever. When I worked outside the home? I was SO SKINNY. Sigh.

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  19. We agree with everything you say and will add the following:
    Things that rule: watching episodes of the X Files in between conference calls or while answering emails
    Things that suck: the laundry eyeing you suspiciously and dishes leering at you while you work

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  20. Pro: Watching Project Runway marathon in middle of day and telling self it's equivalent to the million little breaks actual office workers treat themselves to every day.

    Con: Growing increasingly reticent to have actual face-to-face interactions with people.

    Note to Handflapper: I, apparently, am your ghost of Workingathome Future, because you described me perfectly.

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  21. The con about responding ASAP - um yeah.

    Also I have said shitheel my whole life and NEVER knew how to spell it. Seriously, thank you.

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Every time you comment, I get a lady boner.