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If you work from home, you're bound to encounter problems of one sort or another. As a programmer I did a stint of teleworking and it has its good points and bad points. I'm not sure if it is a lifestyle that would suit everyone however. Care must be taken to separate work from your personal life, particularly if you are in a relationship.
I started working from home about 4 years ago. A friend had a business idea and needed me to join him to develop some computer programs. The programs were to provide premium rate text messages, initially as a way to pay for downloads, but then expanded to all sorts of downloadable content. Everything seemed fine in the beginning and there were no serious problems with either my relationship or my health.
Since it was my business I had the motivation to put in as much time as possible. I tended to work 12-hour days 6 days a week. I think this is common to most business starts ups and may not be indicative of working at home. I had no problem sitting in a comfortable chair with the TV on in the background working on my laptop. My partner used to work fairly long shifts so I had the house to myself most of the time. I never had the chance to get bored or distracted, as there was always so much to do.
It was very isolating working at home. Working as a programmer can be very a very solitary activity at the best of times but I thing it was heightened both by the nature of the company... (Basically there was me doing the I.T. plus two sales people, period.) My partner used to complain that she had no sense of space in the flat because I was always there and always working. She felt that I didn't contribute socially to our relationship and that was because I never had a break from work. I wasn't earning a proper income at the time so that increased her sense of imbalance in the relationship.
Looking back I notice that I was always totally focused on working, there was always more work to do and no definite break between work time and personal time. Draw your own conclusions from this, my experience of working from home.
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He drives me nuts being here, but when he isn't, then he hassn't any money coming in. If he isn't here, the phones still ring and he expects me to be an unpaid skivvy and answer it/take messages as well as run the home.
He is also a voluntary in-house counsellor, which he spends quite a lot of time doing, this also brings in little income (and none in the past), so I am also taking calls from some of his clients.
He just doesn't realise how much pressure he is putting on the family and our finances, because he is doing what HE wants to do with all this and talking to him is a waste of time, he just says that this is his job.
But I just wish he would get a proper job 9-5- like most other people, bring in a proper wage, get from under my feet and stop using me as his personal lacky. :(
Anderson
They need someone on the streets looking for work for them though.