I have decided to share my experience working from home because I get a lot of you’re lucky comments from friends who feel like all I do is stay home and make money without stress. If only that was the case.
Aside what some of my friends think, I think there’s some sort of misconception by a lot of people especially those working regular 9-5 jobs about what working from home really entails. You think it’s all fancy, all rosy and less stressful. You get so intrigued You start dreaming of quitting your 9-5 and working from home instead. But before you quit that job, I want you to know that it’s not all fancy, rosy and less stressful. It’s a crazy experience that can consume you if you are not careful.
The purpose of writing this post isn’t to say working from home is a total write off. No don’t get me wrong, it’s a super amazing experience and like everything else, it has it ups and downs. This post is talking about my downside experience working from home. If you’re interested in a post on the perks of working from home, let me know in the comment section.
My Experience Working From Home
For the past 10-12 months, I’ve juggled one remote job or another. But I started my experience working from home fully about 6 months ago and so far it’s been a rollercoaster ride. I am a Social media manager for brands and a content developer for a website. But I work remotely, so I spent most of my time creating and developing content. My experience working from home has been both good and bad. However, today I’m sharing five not-so-good ones.
1. People don’t believe that you are actually working.
This one irks me every time. Even though my parents know I work remote jobs. It’s still not enough to pacify them to let me spend all day on my laptop or phone. My dad constantly complains about how I am a freak who can’t stay away from the internet. But they are not even my problem. Whenever I tell people I am working while on my phone, a few tend to give me what I call the “I don’t believe you look”. Only a few people understand. I blame it on the fact that virtual/remote jobs are just becoming a thing in Nigeria. So people aren’t used to the idea yet. Hopefully they get used to it. Because it’s pretty annoying when I am made to feel like I don’t do anything significant when I spend most of my day creating content.
2. All The House Chores Come To You.
In line with my parents not seeing working remotely as an actual job plus the fact that I am home all day, I get to do most of the chores. I previously shared in my how to rekindle your love for reading post. How my parents tend to start calling when I am reading. Now imagine what happens when they think I am just whiling away time on my phone. If you guessed the calls doubles, you aren’t wrong! And with the calls come chores.
I am glad that my parents are becoming more receptive and understanding of the nature of my job after they started seeing traits of financial independence from me.
3. You Work Round The Clock, Literally.
One of the things I love about working from home is the fact that I’ve got plenty of time to play around with. Ironically that’s one of the things I hate too because it tends to make me not set a work time/duration/limit. There are days when I start working at 4am and some days when I am still working at 9/10pm. There’s no restriction to when you can create content except time sensitive contents. So I tend to tell myself things like; it’s never too early or too late to start working. Although I am trying to develop a fixed work schedule but some days, I still have to work late into the night. Besides, I am more productive when I am fresh from sleep, so I still find myself working at 4am on days, I wake up too early.
4. You Will Be Bored To Death, That’s if Loneliness Doesn’t Kill You First.
This is basically self-explanatory. You work from home, you work from your house, so you are basically indoors all day, everyday! Does working from home still sound like fun to you because this is one of the reasons I have a love-hate relationship with working from home. You will get bored, tired and lonely. If you are not careful you will become a hermit and spend all your time indoors. But this isn’t my situation 100% because on some days, I drag myself out of the house but the struggle is real. You never know how much you love staying indoors until you have to socialize and interact with others after being away from social life for a while. I fear one day, I’ll wake up and find all my social skills are gone (insert teary eyes).
5. Self-care Who?
I mean why bath, makeup, dress nice, lay my edges and all if all I will be doing is sitting at home all day. I mean who will see me? Who will see my fine clothes and eyebrows on fleek. Don’t even say I can take selfies now. Selfies aren’t enough. I want to walk out and flaunt my beauty but no I can’t because I work from home.
The above is my everyday struggle. Working from home makes it difficult to bother about Self-care and beauty. Let me not even add the food cravings that come with being at home all day. I am writing a post and snacking on peanuts. Oh please don’t say I can control my cravings and avoid snacks. They are the only companion I’ve got! With every bite I take, they low-key make me remember I am not alone. And so the struggle begins, my waist line increases and I start screaming “fat why me?”.
To sum up, no man is an Island but working from home might make you feel like one. So for those who think working from home is the next best thing to chicken wings, you are wrong. The truth is it has it ups and downs just like a normal 9-5. So don’t let the whole work from home buzz that’s going on social media, make you feel like you are missing out of something or feel like you are in the wrong occupation. The most important thing is to do you and get you a job you wholeheartedly love doing be it a 9-5 or a remote job.
Which category do you fall into, work from office or work from home? And what are the highs and lows that come with your job?.
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Gift Collins is an ingenious creative. She loves to put her polished thoughts into words and pictures to create beautiful stories. She is a media girl-in and out.
An experienced Filmmaker, Scriptwriter and Blogger. She also has skills and experience in social media management.
Welcome to her space, it’s yours too!
I cannot fully relate to this but I’ve had low days where I’ve got to work from home and everyone ask continue to ask if I was really fine or I’m on leave or something.
I don’t understand how hard it is for them to understand I was just working from home. And truly, forget the make up and slay life once you decide to work from home.
I love blog posts I could just read through without stress.. And I read every Wed in this! Greatpost
Though I’m a student I basically work from home, given that I don’t stay in a hostel. Hostel would still count as home anyway. I do admit it can be challenging as you said – gosh, my family don’t even know about my social media management gigs, it’s just now and then they get to see me take photographs, but picturing myself doing it full time like once school is over, I can definitely see myself being sent on multiple errands lol. I get you on the snacking! Whenever I’m at home, I just can’t stop perusing around the fridge and perambulating around the kitchen area lol – I will eat a large plate of noodles and still be hungry and restless. When I’m home, I can’t even stay in one place for long. One minute I’m typing away, the next I’m mopping just because, or ironing just because.. I can be so random ehn. Honestly working from home takes discipline and definitely needs time blocks! I think having a cute ‘office’ space would also be really motivating, like those pretty Pinterest types.
I don’t mind the loneliness, and I don’t care for unnecessary making up lol – when I’m out, let me be going out and looking good. If I’m at home, I can dress however I like (which is 100% pyjamas from morning to night). I don’t even have ‘house clothes’ i have pyjamas strictly.
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Lmao. I think a cute office space is totally cool and I’ll love to have one but I low-key know I will hardly use it because I am not a sit at one place kinda person, I love to move around, toss, turn, change position and all. I cannot for the life of me sit all day and hence reduce my already small butt…. Mgbano ???
Good for you working from Home. I think that’s great! I’d love to work remotely but i know how much of a struggle that can be. My aunt used to work from home and I know how we still ran to her for everything even though she’s at work. Haha. So now she Locks herself in the home office until her break time.
“after they started seeing traits of financial independence from me“ ??? that part. Loved reading about your experience.
Awww, this was a nice read.
To be honest, those of us working in an office think it would be slightly easier to work from home,, but obviously this doesn’t run true.
It must be very hard to wake up every morning knowing you’d still be at home bexause someone like me, I’ll still be sleeping anyhow. So, much reapect to you Gift!!
I really liked reading this. Well done girl!
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Laughed hard at the parents don’t think you’re working part cause I can relate. My dad complains often about how I am always on the phone. I’d pick working from home over an office job though.
How this post is relevant in this current situation… Lovely post, I can do relate, lol.