Is Working From Home Still Working For You?
Working from home has changed the way many of us think about work.
For freelancers, consultants and business owners in particular, it can offer enormous freedom. There is no commute, fewer overheads and much greater control over your day.
But there is another question worth asking.
Is it still helping you do your best work?
For some people, the answer will absolutely be yes.
For others, perhaps not quite as much as it once did.
Home working can be brilliant, until it is not
At first, working from home can feel incredibly freeing.
You gain back commuting time. You can organise your day around your own priorities and create a routine that suits you.
Over time, though, the boundaries can start to blur.
The kitchen table becomes the desk. A quick household job interrupts a piece of work. The working day starts earlier, finishes later and somehow never feels completely finished.
I often speak to people who enjoy the flexibility of working from home but also recognise that they are not always as focused as they would like to be.
That does not mean home working is wrong.
It may simply mean you need more than one option.
Your environment affects how you feel as well as how you work
We tend to think of productivity as a matter of discipline.
But our environment has a huge part to play too.
A dedicated place to work can create a very different mindset from sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop.
It can help you switch into work mode, protect your headspace and give you a clearer distinction between work time and home time.
That can be particularly useful for the tasks that need proper concentration.
The proposal you have been putting off.
The financial planning you never quite get around to.
The presentation that needs a few uninterrupted hours.
The thinking time that always seems to get squeezed out by day to day demands.
You may not need an office
One reason people keep working from home even when it is not ideal is that the alternatives can feel too big.
Taking a permanent office may be unnecessary or too expensive.
A traditional coworking space might come with more facilities or social interaction than you actually want.
A café can be useful occasionally, but it is not always practical for calls, confidential conversations or focused work.
The answer does not need to be choosing between home and a permanent office.
Flexible workspace gives people another option.
A professional environment when you need one, without a long term commitment.
Sometimes a change of scene creates space to think
There is something powerful about deliberately going somewhere to work.
You arrive with a purpose.
You know what you want to get done.
There are fewer distractions and there is a natural beginning and end to the working session.
For business owners in particular, that can create valuable space to think about the business rather than simply react to it.
A change of environment can help you step out of delivery mode and make room for planning, ideas and decisions.
Sometimes even one focused day can make a surprising difference.
Think about the work, not just the workplace
The better question may not be whether you should work from home or from an office.
It might be:
Where am I most effective for this particular piece of work?
Home may be perfect for routine administration.
A client site may be best for meetings.
A professional workspace may suit the days when you need privacy, concentration or simply a different setting.
There does not need to be one answer.
Give yourself the environment you need
One of the real benefits of modern working is choice.
The important thing is to use that choice deliberately.
If working from home still suits you perfectly, there may be no reason to change anything.
But if you find yourself distracted, lacking boundaries or struggling to create enough headspace, it may be worth experimenting with a different environment.
Productivity is not always about doing more.
Sometimes it is simply about creating the right conditions to do your best work.
So perhaps the question is not, “Where should I work?” It is, “Where do I work best?”
About Boodl Workspace
Boodl Workspace is a stylish, welcoming and flexible workspace in Merton, SW19, created for people who want somewhere calm and professional to get things done. With four spacious ergonomic desks, it offers freelancers, consultants, business owners and hybrid workers an alternative to both working from home and committing to a permanent office. It is designed particularly for people who value a peaceful, productive environment and simply want a good place to focus when they need it.
If a change of scenery could help you have a more productive working day, discover Boodl Workspace at www.boodlworkspace.co.uk.
