Lindsey Hover
The Roses and Thorns of Working Remotely
Lindsey Hover
Summer 2015
On my first day as a young working professional in Washington, DC, I sat behind my computer screen and watched as my peers hastily cooked their breakfasts, suited up, and headed out to begin their commutes. Sitting there in my sweatpants, I felt a mild jealousy, glamorizing the suits and skirts, and the half hour commute to work as emblematic of a “real life” that I, as a remote worker on two jobs, was missing.
Picture taken on a walk around the city
This romanticism faded on the very next day, when the process had begun again, and there I was, already a half an hour deep into my work as my sleepy new friends, lint rollers in hand, dragged their feet out of our lovely, air conditioned apartment to avoid eye contact with the thousands of other commuters, desperately trying not to spill their coffees on the Red Line. Working from home and constructing my own work hours quickly grew on me; my peers will most certainly recall my fresh catchphrase “Working in your underwear is the American Dream.” While it’s not all bread and butter, working from home is definitely a desirable circumstance, if you’re capable of discipline.
You have the freedom to make your own hours, for the most part:
PROS: This turned out to be ideal for early risers like myself. I would begin working around 7 in the morning, and find myself comfortably finished around 2pm. This left plenty of room to continue working, or get ahead. Regardless, you have time for breaks, errands, and excursions, which for me encompassed daily exercise, grocery shopping, and checking in on school work.
Bike ride around the city
CONS: If you’re a sleeper, beware of working next to your bed. I’ve found it’s generally best to get out of your room and into the open to resist the temptation for daily naps and other things that distract from productivity.
The economy of the commute from the bedroom to the living room:
PROS: You save both time and money avoiding a daily commute, as well as stress. Classmates often lost about $30 a week getting to and from their jobs, with the constant stress of missing the last train that would get them to work on time. With that half hour, or in some cases, an hour plus saved, I had time to explore my surrounding area in far greater depth during the day than most of my peers. In this way, working from home can make you a resourceful saver, if you play your cards right. And plus, you’ll save additional money on dry cleaning.
CONS: Well, you don’t get to look glitzy everyday. You have no reason to buy nice shoes, and might not become adjusted to wearing professional attire for future jobs. In order to acclimate myself to being uncomfortable in business clothing, I tended to dress up in business to business casual attire for class, which I think was a smart move both for appearance and familiarity with casually tucking in your shirttails while sitting at a conference table.
You live next to your kitchen:
PROS: This is another money and time saver. You don’t need to rush to make a lunch in the morning, and you’ll live more cheaply by avoiding eating lunch out as frequently as those who work away.
CONS: It’s very easy to live in your kitchen. If you’re diet conscious or are just easily distracted by food, you’ll have to learn to economize your snack times and exercise discipline.
You essentially work alone:
PROS: You have all the privacy you could ever dream of. You can work in your underwear, put your feet up on the table, have whatever embarrassing music playing that you desire.
CONS: Sometimes you get lonely. Sometimes your smartphone and social media seems like a welcome release to human contact. Again, discipline. You don’t have coworkers, team happy hours, or networking events, unless you work at finding them and getting invites, which you absolutely can, if you exercise your social muscles.
Your home is your home, and you’re always there:
PROS: You get to know the building staff, the ins and outs of the building, and you find time to make your home more homey than any traditional dorm during a working and busy academic schedule.
CONS: The cleaning staff hates you; because you’re always there, they assume you’re the sole responsibility for the mess. The landlord often walks in on you when you’re in a towel. You hear the elevator running and look to see if it stops on your floor, like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home.
All in all, working remotely has been a wonderful and reassuring learning experience. Don’t be afraid to try it out in the future.
Lindsey Hover is a senior student of international relations, journalism, and the Arabic language, who has developed a proficiency at sauteing kale and concurrently editing video.
