When I tell people what I do and that I work from home they usually say, “that must be nice”. But they don't really get it. It's not nice. It's not cool. It's not easy. It's amazing. Let me tell you the things I can do from home and then how much (in thousands of dollars) working from my own home on my own time means to me.
What I Can Do from Home
Working from home isn't (only) about working in your PJs. When you have en employer that trusts you and let's you make your own schedule you can make the most of your life.
- You can choose to work longer hours with more breaks
- You can do the laundry
- You can take five minute breaks to play with your dog
- You can go to a coffee shop or the library to change your work environment
- You can meet up with other remote workers and choose who you spend time with
There's also the part where you work your own schedule. Unless I have a meeting scheduled I don't have to be in at a certain time. I can sign in early or late, take breaks when I need as long as I get my job my done.
- I love getting up early some days and getting a start on my tasks and having extra time if I need it
- I sometimes get up late and have a nice breakfast with my partner before she leaves for work
- If you have some sort of crazy emergency you can get the work done whenever. That night, tomorrow, or even the weekend if you really want.
- I almost always walk to a coffee shop. Sometimes it's only 5 minutes but sometimes I like to go for 30 minute walks and stretch my legs a bit. With the freedom of schedule you can do that.
How Much It Means to Me
So… this is really what I wanted to talk about today. The previous section was there to give you context. I have a lot of trust in my job and I love it. So much so that I wouldn't trade this job for another $1,000, not $5,000, to be totally honest it would have to be closer to $20,000 but even then I don't know. With time you can use whenever you want as long as you get your job done you can have a few side projects and maybe even make $20,000. So maybe it would have to be closer to $30,000. Kinda crazy when you think about it but it's hard to put a price on happiness and that's why the value of remote to me is so high.
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