Many of you know I have relocated to Charleston and am heading up Sol’s new coastal headquarters. While you may think this is the view from my office, the only water I see is the fountain at the entrance of my apartment complex.
Transitioning from an office worker to at-home worker took some getting used to. It wasn’t the logistics that was challenging. With access to Wifi, a Mac and coffee, I can pretty much do my job from anywhere. It was the getting used to being by myself. And being productive. Every day.
While writing is a pretty solitary task, I no longer have the luxury of reading something aloud and getting everyone’s collective feedback. Even with FaceTime and conference calls, brainstorming over the phone is just not as inspiring as in person. Not to mention all the office banter I miss out on.
On the flip side, isolation has its perks. I don’t need to wear ear-crushing headphones to listen to music or block out noise. I don’t have to sit in the same chair for all day meetings. I can stay home with my toddler when he’s sick, take a work call and quickly press mute when he’s on the verge of a meltdown. And I can wear sweatpants. Or no pants!
All work-from-homers like myself experience similar pros and cons, as evidenced by this hilarious doodle by The Oatmeal. And while the remote worker lifestyle is quickly becoming the norm in industries such as ours and technology, it’s still revered like a magical unicorn pony. This is how the “job” conversation usually goes:
Charlestonian: “So, what do you do?”
Me: “I work for a marketing agency.”
(Disclaimer: I quit telling people I’m a Content Strategist or that we’re an interactive branding strategy agency because I got tired of explaining that. 1. I am not a designer. 2. I don’t actually build websites myself. And 3. I do more than just write. Non-creatives can sort-of wrap their heads around “marketing.”)
Charlestonian: “Oh, really? Where?”
Me: “I actually work from home. For an agency in Atlanta.”
Charlestonian: “Oh.” (Confusion sets in.) “I wish I could work from home.”
Me: (Half-smile.)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish working so I can move on to job #2: Being a mom. Housekeeper. Cook. And accountant. But, hey, at least I won’t have to fight rush hour traffic.
