Pros and Cons of Remote Working That You Need To Know

Remote working gives you more freedom but can sometimes be challenging.  You need to know the pros and cons of remote work.

You probably imagine working on a laptop next to the swimming pool or the beach, sipping a cocktail.  Remote working is a fantastic lifestyle choice, but the picture painted above is not reality; these are the worst places to work.

If you’re working the 9-to-5 and want to quit working remotely as a freelancer or entrepreneur, here is a selection of the pros and cons of remote work.

Schedule Work Around Your Life

Working in bursts is another distinct advantage of remote working. Provided you meet your deadlines to your clients, you could easily work a long day a few times a week and have more free time overall. This is excellent if you have creative interests, demanding family schedules, or just like a little self-care time.

The best part about scheduling freedom is the capacity to build in mindful breaks during your workday. Even just ten minutes of active exercise can help counterbalance sitting all day. Remote work can offer that benefit if you’ve been searching for a way to integrate more movement into your life.

Save Money while Working from Home

Saving money is another benefit of remote working. The expense of commuting and the cost of a professional wardrobe is removed, giving you a chance to save more money for more travel. Food costs and coffee shop trips are often less since it’s just as easy to whip up lunch or a latte at home.

No Daily Commute to the Office

Those cold Winter mornings are the worst when you have to drag yourself out of bed and walk to the bus stop or train station to commute to the office. Dark mornings and evenings are just the worst for motivating yourself for work.

How many times have you arrived for the bus or train early and found that it is delayed or, worst still, canceled? If you drive to work, there’s the stress of traffic queues and finding car parking spaces.

Wear What You Want

No more maintaining two wardrobes – one for home and work. No suits and ties (yay!) No having to spend time ironing shirts. Wear what is comfortable for working at home. Of course, looking smart and professional when on conference calls with potential clients is always essential.

The Isolation of Working Alone

Going from working in an office full of people working to the isolation of being alone in your apartment or a coffee house can be a lonely experience. It’s essential to keep connected with loved ones through technology like messaging apps.

Slack is the tool of choice for many remote workers for work-related conversations. As an introvert, you probably love your own company, so working remotely will suit you perfectly, but if you are an extrovert, you might want to look at events where you are staying on sites like meeting other like-minded people.

Technology and Internet Issues

As a remote worker, being unable to connect to the internet to work is probably one of the more stressful things that can happen to you. Firstly, purchase a MiFi hub that is unlocked to any network without delay.

Purchase a sim card that includes internet data and keep this at home should the internet go down. It’s also recommended to have your mobile phone unlocked so you can use any sim cards and then set up a personal hotspot.

It’s worth the investment because if you work on a time-sensitive project for a client, you don’t want to lose money and future work by missing deadlines.

No One to Motivate you

When working from home, you do not have someone looking over you to ensure you are productive. Not getting work completed will mean you are not making money, and this adds additional stress to your life.

The solution is introducing a routine into your life. Initially, you will want to tweak this routine until you find the time of the day when you are most productive. Working in the evening was the best time because I needed to get out and explore during the day.

Please don’t feel this routine has to be strict; you could decide to change it on a specific day of the week. What’s important is that you build the perfect work-life balance and give yourself the freedom to enjoy life.

Taxes and Money Management

When you transition from your 9-to-5 job into a freelancer or entrepreneur, dealing with your business’s finances is one of the biggest shocks. Learning about taxes and subsequent laws around tax take time.

You will have to start keeping a record of your revenue and receipts. It’s advisable to calculate how much tax you will pay on your income and then make sure you save this money in a separate account and don’t touch it.

Payment of Invoices

When freelancing, some clients will take longer than others. You could be waiting four weeks or longer to get paid for the work you’ve completed, so money management skills are necessary to ensure you can continue paying rent and bills.

With all this said, in all honesty, when you start working remotely, you will not want to go back to office life. Over time you will create the perfect work-life balance, giving you more time to spend on the things you love.