The Pros And Cons Of Working From Home
By Thoughtis
Pro: You can wear a muumuu to work
I’m a post-modern work baby, which means I have no concept of what it means to work in an office that enforces a dress code and has Casual Fridays. I’ve actually only worked from an office one time and it was for three months at an edgy magazine that encouraged you to wear a Balenciaga trash bag to work. I don’t own a pair of slacks, a tie, or a conservative button down. If I ever worked for an old school media company, I would have to buy an entirely new wardrobe. So thank my lucky stars that I work for a funky downtown NYC blog! I can work from home and wear a Nutella-stained nightgown if I so desire. I can wander down my hallway in a dazed state, running my nails up and down my walls, which is something I do at least once a day.
Con: Ew, you can wear a muumuu to work
Being able to wear what you want can be a double-edged sword because sometimes you need to look chic for your own sanity. Most of the time, I don’t even work from home though; I go to a cafe called V Bar on St. Marks and 1st Avenue (Come visit me at work! Just kidding. Don’t.). V Bar is a blogger’s wet dream because it’s huge, has ample outlets, great wifi and no one is EVER in here. Most places in the East Village are overrun with the unemployed so it’s sort of impossible to find a place to sit with direct outlet access. But not V Bar,no sirrie. No one dares to tread in here for some reason. Coming here forces me to look presentable every day. I’m not about to roll up here in my jammies with chocolate stains on my mouth. I have to look like I’m a functioning member of society.
Pro: You can roll out of a bed five minutes before work
This is the best thing about working from home, in my opinion. When people tell me that they commute from like South Brooklyn to Midtown, my heart breaks for them. I cannot fathom having a 45 minute commute every day because working from home has spoiled the hell out of me. Every day, I roll out of bed at 8:45, throw some clothes on, run some gunk through my hair (it gives me the illusion that I “styled” myself that day} and am logged on twenty minutes later. I mean, are you kidding me? No one told me that life could be this good! When I was in college, everyone was instilling fear in me about the corporate world, the punishing 9-to-5 grind and commute. Suckers! I masturbate on the clock!
Con: There’s no separation between work and home
When you work from home, you can start to go a little cray cray. Your apartment is meant to be your sanctuary, a reprieve from your workday. But when you work and live in the same space, lines have a tendency to get completely blurred. I worked for TC during the winter while living alone in a studio apartment, and I think things got a little The Shining for me. It’s just not healthy to spend that much time in your apartment. You start to feel isolated and weird. Instead of coming home after a long workday, you’re just…home. It makes it hard to know when to stop working.
Pro: You can drink on the clock without judgement
Bring Mad Men into the now by drinking on the J-O-B. Having a glass of wine when you work from home is a great perk and an awesome way to foster creativity! Truth to be told, I’ve never done it. If I have one glass of wine, I start to feel woozy and can barely stare at the computer screen, let alone type. But I know there are plenty of functional alcoholics who can do stuff while drunk. This pro is for you!
Con: By being at home, you’re living on temptation island
Your home is your pleasure chest. There’s bottles of wine, spare Xanax lying around, and junk food in the cupboards. It’s too distracting! How can you ever be productive when there’s TV to watch and mind-altering substances to take? Yeah, working from home, can often lead to you getting day drunk and telling your boss you mysteriously lost your internet connection.