What It’s Really Like to Work From Home Full-Time

The idea of going fully remote and working from home full-time is one of the biggest motivations for professionals all over the United States of America today. With the advancement of telecommunication technologies, remote jobs have become more common. From the theoretical perspective, working remotely is the dream of many employees, which seems to represent a flawless solution to corporate burnout. In theory, the benefits of a fully remote position seem to be endless.

Being able to remove the daily grind of commuting, having complete autonomy in your environment, as well as having extra time, seems like an ultimate combination of positive conditions. As a result, millions of Americans view remote job openings as a definitive answer to poor lifestyle balance.

Nonetheless, moving to work remotely full-time introduces its share of challenges that few professionals are ready to meet. There is an idealized vision of full-time remote work in the modern era, which is depicted as responding to emails while lying on the sunbathing beach. At the same time, remote work entails a series of difficulties, including isolation, the lack of discipline, and the difficulty of maintaining boundaries between the personal life and professional responsibilities. To cope with those issues successfully, you need to see beyond the initial excitement and recognize the underlying problems of the remote lifestyle.

The Eradication of the American Commute

The most evident, universally recognized benefit of switching to a fully remote job is the total elimination of the daily commute. The daily grind of commuting can be viewed as a huge problem in the lives of millions of American citizens today. Sitting in traffic and wasting hours of your precious life on a daily commute is a frustrating and energy-draining experience. Moreover, the cost of gas alone can be quite high. Therefore, by switching to remote work, professionals remove those obstacles from their everyday life and achieve higher productivity levels.

The extra time that was wasted previously on traveling can be used for other purposes. In particular, a fully remote worker can start his day with cooking a healthy breakfast, working out or spending time with kids. Furthermore, saving time on the road means that money that was wasted previously can also be saved. Those funds can be redirected elsewhere, whether it be paying off loans or investing into stocks. Overall, remote work helps individuals save both time and financial resources.

Environmental Autonomy vs. Inner Discipline

Another advantage of remote work is the ability of remote workers to tailor their working environment based on individual preferences. Being at home, remote workers have access to a number of factors that can be controlled, including the sound, lighting, temperature, etc. This allows them to create a highly specialized, productive working environment that will help boost productivity and improve output. Moreover, the absence of office colleagues and open floor plans means that there will be no distractions. Remote workers have an opportunity to customize the environment in any way they like.

However, remote work also implies a certain psychological paradox. First of all, in the absence of an official workplace and coworkers, the issue of self-discipline emerges. In fact, a remote environment creates a whole series of potential distractors that will keep a person busy throughout the working hours if he or she does not possess self-control. A remote worker can get distracted by pets, children, various household chores, or simply turn on Netflix. To succeed in this type of work environment, one has to be disciplined and organized.

Disintegration of Boundaries and Burnout

One of the key psychological dangers associated with full-time remote work is the disintegration of boundaries between the professional and private spheres. Typically, when a person leaves the corporate office, they psychologically leave work behind. However, if someone works from home, those lines get blurred, making it extremely difficult for the human brain to differentiate between what is work-related and what is personal. Since everything happens inside of one’s house, work-related elements get blended with other things happening in a person’s life.

As a result, people tend to work harder rather than less when they are employed remotely. They have an option to check messages after dinner or even on a holiday. Since you are still technically at the office, unplugging from work can be challenging. The inability to psychologically detach from work can cause a whole set of additional problems, ranging from burnout and fatigue to conflicts with one’s family members. Overall, it can be concluded that full-time remote work increases workload significantly.

Digital Isolation and the Lack of Community

As was mentioned earlier, humans are social animals. Traditionally, an office was considered the place where adults gathered to socialize. However, with the emergence of fully remote models of work, people stop engaging in face-to-face communication. All conversations are transferred to the digital sphere; hence, the opportunity to interact socially with other people disappears. Moreover, remote workers lose opportunities to participate in team-building exercises that are common in the workplace. As a result, remote workers experience isolation, which negatively impacts their psychological condition.

Office Communication vs Digital Remote Communication

Overall, remote communication and the absence of casual contacts result in a situation when a person feels isolated from other people. The lack of contact results in feeling lonely and unvalued. In addition, the nature of remote communication implies a strictly defined agenda. It is impossible to have any kind of social interaction during video calls. Consequently, the sense of belonging decreases significantly. In order to preserve mental health, one should find alternatives and organize an external social community.

Proximity Bias in Corporate Setting

One of the most important issues associated with remote work is a phenomenon of proximity bias. Typically, in corporate settings, the concept of proximity bias occurs because employees who work on-site are easier to promote. People who work remotely are not able to interact with their supervisors every day; therefore, they miss out on certain promotion opportunities. Hence, one of the main challenges for fully remote professionals is staying visible and valued in a corporate environment.

In order to overcome this issue, one has to become a fully-fledged professional in the sphere of communication. The point is to create an illusion of constant communication through different communication tools available. Remote employees should create reports for their superiors, communicate regularly on different channels of communication, and take charge of some communication processes. Hence, they will make themselves visible and increase their chances for promotion.

Best Practices for Maintaining Remote Success

Staying productive and healthy while working from home is possible if one adopts certain behavioral practices. The following ones are believed to be the most effective.

1. Creation of Separate Working Space

The key aspect of creating an efficient remote work environment is establishing boundaries. It is recommended to have a designated room for work, or at least a separate desk that one uses while working. Otherwise, it is difficult to switch back and forth between different activities and focus properly. One should also be cautious about the type of the surface where one works. Working in a bedroom or a living room can be psychologically confusing.

2. Proper Investment into Equipment

A person working remotely needs to have appropriate technological equipment and infrastructure in place. This includes not only computers and printers, but also ergonomic chairs and desks. In addition, one has to invest in the necessary office supplies that will facilitate work. The Internet access also matters as one cannot afford to work without connectivity. In case of failures in the network, it would be wise to have some kind of reserve infrastructure in place.

3. Daily Start and Finish Routines

Creating an efficient work schedule implies sticking to the designated timetable strictly. It is recommended to develop some kinds of routines for the start and completion of workdays. This allows remote workers to maintain discipline and avoid burning out or becoming demotivated. The process of logging in or logging out can also be improved through developing routines that will signal to one’s brain when the working period starts or finishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to keep personal and work life separated when they are happening in the same house?

Answer: First of all, one can separate two aspects of his/her life using different areas of the house. The workspace should not overlap with the domestic sphere in any way. Otherwise, one cannot psychologically switch from the personal to the professional sphere of activities. Additionally, it is useful to configure one’s communication applications to turn off once the working hours have expired. This prevents work-related information from coming to one’s attention after a designated time.

Will working from home full-time influence your career negatively?

Answer: The answer depends on how much you are involved in communication. The concept of proximity bias states that employees that spend more time with executives are perceived positively and can get promoted faster than others. However, this can be avoided through communicating with superiors and reporting on work regularly. One should be proactive and try to get involved in projects that involve multiple teams.

How to handle distractions caused by family or roommates?

Answer: It is crucial to set strict limits for family members or roommates in terms of working hours. It is also reasonable to have some signals that indicate whether one is free for conversation or not. One can close the door to the work area, put up a special sign, or even wear headphones while working. That way, others will know when they are not supposed to bother you.

How to avoid loneliness in remote work?

Answer: The best way to combat loneliness is to organize your life outside the work environment and outside your house. One should join some clubs, attend seminars, go to cafes, and spend time outside the house in general. One can also join a local gym and engage in social activities.