Why You Should Be Able to Work from Home October 9, 2013 posted in short essay.

Nowadays, lots of employers offer partial home office. I’ll try to give you three reasons why you should want it, seek it and use it on a regular basis.

In general, home office is not for everyone and lots of articles have been written on this notion, but working from home once or twice a week is a different thing. So, let me put my two cents in.

Creativity

Change of your regular environment helps to stimulate creativity and creativity helps to solve problems. Programmers need to solve different kinds of problems and being creative could aid you to become an exceptional one.

Not long ago, when I was working on one project, I had problems with one particular algorithm. I spent three days at work trying to come up with the best possible solution. I couldn’t choose the right technology and the proper place for implementation. Three long days!

Then, I had one of my regular Thursday’s home offices and it finally came to me. I managed to create a simple elegant solution just by looking at the problem from a different perspective. Imagine how long it could have taken me with the same old view from my office desk.

Productivity

When you work in a large company, there is a possibility of having numerous people around you. They could seek your help or you may have lots of planned and unplanned meetings during the day with them. Also, there are some coffee breaks and friendly discussions in the office kitchenette.

Don’t get me wrong, I think you should help your colleagues as much as you can, and the social part of your job is important as well. It creates balance and helps you feel more open to the people around you.

However, if you work from home, all these regular distractions are gone. You have the computer. You are ready to code. You get the job done.

Work Life Balance

Don’t tell me you have never needed to stay at home to meet a plumber, pick up a delivery or just manage some personal stuff.

Working from home gives you much better flexibility in planning and arranging personal things. You save commuting time, which enables you to leave earlier for your weekend, pick up your kids from school or just spend some time with your family.

Those little things make you feel much happier, and so much more motivated to work. Finally, you become better and more focused in your job.

photo credit: Gregory Han cc

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