Working from home - much more efficient?

[y4m]

It can be isolating, but yeah I'm way more productive at home

[chessie]

I found I can get more done. Less distractions, no walk ups from helpdesk or managers trying to by pass the system/tickets. I like it a lot. When I work from home I have found I work more and longer hours too.

[bliss]

I'm not more productive at home. But I also don't really have an office at home. Perhaps if I had a designated area it would be easier. I could never do homework at home either.

[chessie]

Aug 23, 2012 9:38:00 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

I am working on the couch on a laptop with the dog next to me, feet elevated. The dog is a much better companion than 95% of my coworkers.

haha I agree with this about the dog/coworkers..When I am at work, my coworkers actually call me and they are like 2 cubes down from me or they instant message me. O technology.

[countthestars]

Like little, I am still distracted some but by different things. Like Vicmo, my VPN can be slow at times which makes me less productive. When I first started WFH I was much more productive than in the office. Now that I do it full time, it's probably pretty even.

[mrssandro]

I LOVE working from home. Especially if I have a ton of email to sort through. I tend to get distracted at work and being at home makes me put more effort in catching up because I look like I am actually working when I resolve old stuff.

[anna7602]

I WAH, but don't dig being alone all day. So, now that I am not chit-chatting with co-workers, I find myself shutting down my computer at home to go to the grocery store in the middle of the day- mainly for the human interaction! Or hanging out on message boards.

I think my overall productivity is probably the same, but it is pretty nice to know that if I don't feel like doing something during the day, I can make up the time otherwise and it's all just on me. No boss is going to criticize me for the 2 hours I took off for a yoga class at noon. I'll just sleep 2 hours less that night.

[rubytue]

There was a freakanomics session on marketplace about thus last night. Apparently they did an controlled study on a Chinese travel company and found a 13% productivity increase. I'll see if I can dig up a link. I thought this was going to be the story.

[rubytue]

Link: www.marketplace.org/topics/business/freakonomics-radio/can-working-home-increase-productivity

[Deleted]

Aug 23, 2012 9:34:48 GMT -5 y4m said:

It can be isolating, but yeah I'm way more productive at home

This exactly. I've had to go in to work a couple of times and get nothing done. I am no longer use to working through the noise and can't stay focused.

[rubytue]

Aug 23, 2012 9:49:39 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Link: www.marketplace.org/topics/business/freakonomics-radio/can-working-home-increase-productivity

PS - read the transcript, not the full story. The full story has some key things missing from the line about the 13% productivity increase. NQB - can you get on that ;-)

[Deleted]

I am bad at working from home. I have been in my lab office every single day that I've been working on my dissertation, because I more easily get in the zone here. Plus, Biscuit is high-maintenance and thinks that I should be throwing his ball whenever I'm home.

[Deleted]

I love working from home. I only do it twice a week so that helps (I don't feel isolated really), but I am so much more productive at home. Basically once I get done what I need to get done I am done for the day so that is a huge motivating factor for me ha.

[glitzy07]

For me it depends upon the tasks that I have to do. There are certain tedious parts of my job that are awesome for working at home. Some others that are terrible because my system is much faster at work and I have two 24" monitors, while I have my 17" laptop at home.

We're currently working on re-doing a bedroom in our basement as a home office. I think once we get that turned into "my space" and I can plug my laptop into my desktop monitor for dual monitors, it might be easier to be at home. Plus then I'll have a dedicated work space.

We're allowed to work up to once a week from home, though it happens a lot less frequently for me based on meetings and such.

[crazycakes]

I only work from home one day per week and I find that I get a lot more work done as well. At least twice as much. In the office I always have people stopping by to ask questions, go over something "real quick," etc. At home I can prioritize my day and just plow through things without being stopped and changing gears all the time. I also get more things done around the house, as I'll use my short breaks to start dinner, throw in a load of laundry, and other little things. In the office I'll take a quick walk around the building or something, which is okay but as productive.

I wish I could work from home more often.

[Deleted]

I suck at working from home. I procrastinate a lot. I tell myself I'll finish up some work right after I do XYZ, but XYZ leads to ABC, and ABC leads to JKL. It's a cycle that never ends. I suck at focusing.

[gt7301b]

Aug 23, 2012 10:07:18 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Aug 23, 2012 9:49:39 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Link: www.marketplace.org/topics/business/freakonomics-radio/can-working-home-increase-productivity

PS - read the transcript, not the full story. The full story has some key things missing from the line about the 13% productivity increase. NQB - can you get on that ;-)

Damn that dirty pirate whore who wrote the actual story.

[Deleted]

I love working from home, but should only do it one day a week. I start to get owly and territorial. But it is good for my mental health and I plan to ask for one work from home day/ week in lieu of a raise during my annual review next spring. We'll still send DD to daycare, but I'd be able to make progress on major projects while doing laundry.

[lmb5109]

I work from home full time. If I have deadlines, I'm super focused and work a very full day. If I don't have deadlines, i find myself slacking more and on the boards more.

[LoveTrains]

My husband works from home 2ish days a week. on the days he works form home, he wakes up at 6 am and immediately starts working. He works for about six hours, then takes a 2 hour break at lunch, and then works for another six hours after that. Honestly, I find his working from home days to suck because he works so many more hours and the line between working/leisure is always blurred.