After working at home for eight months I have learned that it actually has its advantages. I’m not going to lie, there were a few times here and there where I wished I could have the in-office experience. So before choosing a position make sure that you weigh out the pros and cons of whether you would want to choose to work from home or go in person. But here are my reasons why I think working at home is beneficial for myself, and it can even be for you, if your career allows that choice.

2. Timing can be flexible

If I were to pick one main reason why working from home is a big advantage it would be this. You can manage your time however you like, if you have kids then you get to really take care of your children while also getting some work done. In my case, I take small breaks to cook and do my laundry or just leave to go to an appointment. While as if I were to be working in person I would have to stay at a desk from 9-6pm and just get to go out for lunch.

2. Early Bird & Night Owls

I’m sure I won’t be the only one who likes to either get a head start on their work for the day of or the next day. But when you have to go in person, it makes it all a bit more… tedious. Let’s say you want to go in early, you would have to wake up around 5 or 6am depending on how long you need to get ready, eat breakfast, and how far you live to get there. Which is not that bad, but I think I like my little routine a bit better. Roll out of bed around 7am to go to the gym and when I come back I just open my laptop to log in while making some breakfast. During the Holidays I would usually roll out of bed 10min before 9 and just log in and start my day off. Not really much of a super duper morning person for work, if you’re like me and like to stay after to get some work done… well you might want to rethink the in person choice.

When I went in the office, I wanted to stay in the office after work to get a few projects I needed to get done for the next day but instead decided to go home and I’ll tell you why. During the winter it gets darker early and working in the city I feel uncomfortable leaving around 7:30 or 8pm taking the train all the way home. Not only that, but I was also hungry and yes, I can get dinner and come back, but by the time I do that I might as well stay and get more work done than taking time to go out and grab dinner to come back. So working from home saves me time from heading out and I just go to the kitchen grab dinner and work at the same time.

3. Save Money

A huge plus of working at home is that you don’t really have to spend a lot of money for train, gas, lunch/dinner, etc. it could save you so much money, and even if you are commuting from another state! Imagine all of that ticket money you could save for something more essential like rent money, or build up for a car and even a house.

Let me tell you, nothing is cheap, so might as well take the time now to stay and work from home while you can and watch your savings grow!

4. Professional Attire

I cannot be the only one who struggles on finding a nice business attire outfit every single work day! Honestly, I think I’ve ran out of outfit ideas that I haven’t worn yet. But when I work from home you only have to look nice from the waist up haha. This also depends on how professional your co-workers and managers are during calls, you can also just wear a sweatshirt and call it a day!

You can get into the work zone being comfortable and cozy, never having to wake up early to decide what you’re going to wear.

5. Mental Health as a Priority

It can be draining staring at a laptop/computer in the office from 9-6pm with workload piling up every hour from your manager. This goes along side with having control of your availability, but this is so important for your well being. I know I tend to get stuck in that mindset of just not taking a break because I want to get my work done and prove that I can get it all done. When I say this, I cannot stress it enough: TAKE BREAKS!

Job burn out is real and if you don’t give yourself that time to shut down and regain your energy it will just be stressful for you in the long run. Take a half hour or an hour to go out for a walk or even if it’s watching a show or a movie to de-compress. Anything you think that will be helpful, maybe for some of you is FaceTiming your best friend/ significant other for a quick catch up. You know yourself best and when you feel tired and just want to scream because it’s all overwhelming- believe me I’ve been there and I’m still going through it. But we need to know when to shut down that laptop and give ourselves a rest.

Plus, I also figured after taking a break it actually improves my productivity and focus. I see things in a different perspective and can go on to tackle my tasks head on with a clear mindset. So that’s why I find working from home makes it easier to take small breaks when necessary.

I tried to encompass all of the advantages in these five points. But, essentially, the choice is yours since of course there are some negative aspects of working from home as well that we also have to take into account. I just hope this helped and sparked a new reasoning you haven’t thought before.