Photo: Jodie Cook
You know I used to idolise the freelance life. I wanted the remote lifestyle, my own hours, and the freedom from fluorescent-bathed cubicles.
And I would get a taste of the digital nomad lifestyle, but me being me, I would also get bored of it real quick.
Back then, I used to whine to anyone who’d listen, and seeing as to how my friends were way more responsible than me, my complaints often fell on deaf ears.
“What’s the problem?” a friend once said. “At least you get to stay home.”
“Yeah,” I’d tell them, “but I work just as hard at ho—”
“And you don’t need to spend time and money on your commute. You lucky guy, you.”
“That’s a solid point for sure, but—”
“It must be great to schedule your own time. If I were you, I’d spend my days working at cafes.”
“But work is work—”
“You’re so lucky.”
“Right.”
My whining would soon turn into actual arguments for the downsides of freelancing, but my friends would stand their ground, and they too would counter with the benefits I was enjoying.
But now the pandemic has changed how we all work, and we’re all (well, the lucky ones among us, at least) basically freelancers with a daily work commitment now.
And since most of my friends have been reiterating the exact points I’d presented from years past, I figured I’d take this moment to say I told you so.
So without further ado, let’s explore the unexpected downsides of the work-from-home life, brought to you by the pandemic.
Work from home dress code. Photo: C Z Shi
Work is home
That’s what they should call it, because with the extended lockdowns imposed in certain countries—especially in Malaysia—most of us have made our homes our offices.
I was lucky. As a hairdresser during the formative years of my career, I never knew the meaning of ‘taking your work home’. That privilege was quickly dispelled the moment I made my transition to office labour. And that was worsened by living the freelance life.
Today, to deal with the demands of a full-time job at home, you basically have to convert a certain area in your home to handle your daily stressors. And how can you look at your dinner table the same way once it’s hosted two dozen Zoom metings?
In the old days (pre-pandemic, that is), my friends would gush at the freedom to work at home. “Imagine working from my couch! I’d be so much more productive.”
Be careful what you wish for, Jesslyn. I heard that you loathe your guest room now. But to be fair though, it’s much better than hating your bedroom (and some people do rent rooms instead of entire houses).
Of course, there are those who soldier on, but even the most resilient people won’t be able to handle distractions, which brings me to my next point.
Wachu doin?
“What do you mean you can’t stand interruptions?” said someone who had no idea he’d be stuck working indoors in the coming years. “That’s such a small price to pay to be able to work from home!”
Ha. Guess who’s complaining about their children barging in on their meetings or their partners telling them about that amazing episode in Bojack Horseman when they’re busy typing up a report.
My problem being around people who aren’t on the same timeline as you is that you often get derailed from your thoughts, and it’s almost impossible to work your way up to your next flow state without getting distracted once more. Even my dog has gotten in on the action.
But that’s the price you pay when you have to work in the living room because the WiFi is spotty in your bedroom.
It seems like the only solution to this is to live alone, but I digress. Let’s move on to the next point.
Hello it’s me again. Yes, it’s playtime again. Photo: Caspar Camille Rubin
No free lunch? How about no lunch
It was easy to set a delineation line back at the office. Once lunch time rolled around, we’d all put our work on hold and just forget about deadlines till we’re done eating. That was the understanding we all had.
But now, with the freedom afforded to us through our new work arrangements, you’re expected to handle work whenever you can, because not everybody takes their lunch at the same time.
Some companies are better than others at respecting the lunch hour, but it’s easy for people to forget that you typically have your first meal at 4 p.m. because you’re intermittent fasting, and it’s not like relaxing from 1–2 does you any good since you’re working from home anyway.
Oh you could remind your colleagues that you take your lunch break at 4 p.m., but after a while, it’s probably easier to just eat while you work instead.
You bum
There’s just something about working from home that paints you in a different light.
You’re home, so you can take out the trash right? And while you’re at it, could you water the plants? Maybe walk the dog? And you have to drop me off at the supermarket because I won’t be able to find parking. You can’t? Why? You’re not doing anything, are you?
People tend to forget that working in the office includes downtime as well—the covert YouTube videos you sneak in when your boss is in a meeting, when you’re on Reddit, ready to Alt+Tab the moment you see a reflection in your monitor, or when you just stare blankly at your Word Doc while actually listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Try doing that at home though, and you’re instantly seen as someone with nothing to do, and thus deemed as a potential contributor to the daily chores.
Of course, you won’t have to deal with all this if you lived alone. And speaking of which…
Heh, bum, get it? Photo: Jon Butterworth
For-never alone
We may complain about having to brave the daily commute in our normal working lives, but sometimes solitude does provide some valuable decompressing time.
I’m going to admit this is probably a ‘me’ thing, and I’m not sure how many people can relate to this, but I certainly appreciate having an hour just to stare at traffic without needing to hold a conversation. And I love not needing an excuse for it. It’s just built into my day.
But once you spend months at a time being locked down, you start to feel like you never get true alone time anymore. I wonder how parents do it.
At the end of the day, I guess I want to say that…
The grass is always greener
No matter how great things may seem on the other side, there’s always the suckage we can’t see till we get there.
I, for one, did not expect to dislike freelancing as much as the cubicle life. Maybe that’s just me. But I’m preeettyy sure that some of you have begun looking at the digital nomad lifestyle from a different perspective, especially if you’ve been harbouring dreams of working remotely.
And if we’ve learned anything, it’s that the challenges of working from home could be overcome if you live on your own.
But then again, I think we’ve also learned not to assume that the grass is greener on the other side.
Your Friendly Malaysian Writer 
Working from home needs a very high level of ability to set boundaries and make sure one’s work gets priority.
More so for me than for my husband (who worked from home when covid hit) because I run the home, manage the maid and do her work when she’s on leave, manage reorganization when there’s home repair – a strangely continuous activity after the lock down as so many things gave way like never before, and spend more time with elderly family.
I have learned the skill of setting boundaries and making sure they’re a family priority. It can be hard to learn but I have. Love working from home and on my own.
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Absolutely, working from home can be both a blessing and a curse. While it offers a lot of flexibility and the ability to work in your own space, it can also blur the lines between work and personal life, making it difficult to switch off and relax. It sounds like you have really honed your skills in setting boundaries and making sure your work is a family priority, which is no easy feat!
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Yes – it comes from desperation and no other viable way out. ha ha!!
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Great Post and nice to meet you through Kally Stuart.
I responded over on Kally’s post as well. Visit sometime when you can.
Stay well, 🌷
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Nice to meet you as well! Thanks so much for taking the time to drop a comment. I appreciate you!
(Also, thanks to Kally, if you’re reading this, for being the reason for us connecting.)
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Pingback: Guest Post: Working From Home Ain’t As Cool As It Seemed, Huh? – MiddleMe
Such awesome article. You punch all the points spot on, Stuart. May I reblog this article as guest post and link it back to you please?
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But of course. Thanks so much for the support, Kally!
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Awesome!
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How I feel you! Working from home creates the idea that, since you ARE home, why can you not spend five minutes doing this other thing that needs to get done? Focus, focus, focus, and try not to get unfocused by simply focusing. As for the lunch hour, I am an eat while I work kind of gal, unless there is a video call to speak of . . . 🤣
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Oh yeah, and focus has always been an issue for me as well. It’s so easy to get swept around thanks to everything that’s lying around at home and on the internet. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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You know, I do find that commute time can be a valuable slice of downtime. Not when I’m tense about making it on time, but when I know I’ve got a good buffer, it can be really nice to just enjoy the journey. My favorite was actually when I rode the bus, since I could read or even doze on the way. Not such a good idea when driving…😅
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I’m glad you don’t read when you drive, lol. It’s such an underestimated refuge, right? I didn’t know that the commute could be relaxing too, even through traffic jams. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
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All good points. Been working from home for 16 years and quite enjoy it, but I agree with all your points. It takes a special kind of discipline from everyone in the family to be able to make it work. I had the misfortune to enter Covid lockdown between homes–family lived in a shed for 12 weeks and none of us could go to work or school. Try 3 different Zoom meetings around one table in an unheated shed during winter on a dodgy internet connection. LOL! Was so thrilled to go back to normal working from home!
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Whoa, that sounds rough (the shed part). Glad you’ve worked through it, and are now back to normal working from home!
To be fair though, there are some benefits I enjoy that I don’t list here. Maybe I should write a post about the best parts about WFH, lol. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
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I think someone said you just gotta have the disposition for working from home. I understand all the downside but for me personally, it’s still better than going somewhere. Great post though, goes to show that work is work and everyone has to work on finding their own balance, no matter where their workspace might be.
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Yup, the most important thing is to figure out who we really are and work towards finding our own balance. Great point here, and thanks for adding your perspective!
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Yes and No to the last bit.
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I spend my commute praying or nearly ripping my steering wheel off. Without a way to destress or have alone time I’d probably have my own Tyler Durden. But with more smoothies and less soap…
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Haha, but all the fun of having a Tyler Durden are the soaps! And maybe starting an entire society without you knowing. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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I find all your points completely valid. I still would pick them all over the disadvantage of working in an office. Our office is a giant room of cubicles with 100 people crammed together. Besides, at home, I get to wear comfortable pants.
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Oh yeah, pros and cons indeed. But pants? I haven’t worn one since I started WFH.
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Thank you for this! I hate working from home. 1 day at home is great for the flexibility to do a load of laundry or something, or if the weather is awful, but I hated working from home this pandemic. I am going to the office tomorrow and I am thrilled!
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Lol, to be fair, I probably have the same amount of complaints for working at the office as well. Maybe my actual problem is dancing to someone else’s beat, but that’s a story for another day.
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Yeah, the whole “work” thing can be a real bummer, regardless of where it takes place
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I don’t work from home but this confirms my suspicions about what it would be like. I don’t think I’d pace myself very well and I’d be going ADD all over the house. And my parents would be butting in constantly. And I’d be checking the fridge forty times to see if the thing I wanted magically appeared yet. On the plus side, I wouldn’t have to see my boss 😁. Life is a series of tradeoffs.
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Lol yeah, tradeoffs tradeoffs. While I do appreciate being able to sneak in a workout session throughout the day, there are drawbacks to this life as well.
But nothing is ever perfect, and our goal is to find the imperfections that we can best deal with. Thanks so much for stopping by, Hetty!
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i, for one, love working from home and i never want it to end for me.
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In a similar vein, as an introvert, I never want the lockdowns to end. But we won’t go into what that means about how the pandemic is being handled in our country. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Me too, I was in the seventh heaven when everything was closed!
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Working from home isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Although there are obvious upsides, downsides still exist and rear their ugly head. Living with my grandparent, he had some difficulty at first coming to the realization that my desk area was my office. But since then, he’s become more understanding when I tell him “I’m working now” and actually let’s me go uninterrupted, with the occasional question of “Have you eaten yet?” thrown here and there.
Wonderful read as always!
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Oh yeah. I certainly love not having to brave the traffic jams and being able to schedule a workout in the middle of my day, but those little ‘watchu doing’ moments can definitely take me out of my important work. And I feel guilty whenever I tell them not to bother me.
Thanks so much for your wonderful insights. I appreciate it!
p.s. I can’t seem to access your website through your profile, as the link seems to be down. Just letting you know in case you weren’t aware.
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Thanks for letting me know! Hopefully the tinkering I did has fixed it.
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It’s definitely been an eye opener working from home and shined a light on what freelancers have already been experiencing. I have been lucky in the fact that I live alone but still find myself prone to being distracted and then overworking in the evenings through guilt of not being as productive throughout the day. I guess it’s all about finding balance and trying to stick to working hours.
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Omg I totally get what you mean about overworking in the evenings due to guilt. Yeah, we have to find our balance for sure, but that’s not always a black and white thing. Anyway, thanks so much for your amazing perspective!
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Such an interesting topic! Grass is greener on the other side is as true as it gets. The digital nomad life that seemed interesting at some point now seems hard. 😅 All the points you mentioned about WFH hold good for online studies too. Great post!
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Basically anything that allows you full autonomy does require some scheduling on your end, or else it wouldn’t work at all. Glad you connected this with online studies. I never would’ve made the connection.
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great post, Stuart. similar to your final comment about the grass being greener, I guess we should be careful what we wish for. My guess is that many people will try to find a combo of working from hoe a little bit, and at the office a little bit.
And perhaps that’s why many freelancers head to the local coffeeshop to get work done one or two days a week…
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Yeah, if people are afforded that freedom, that’s definitely one way to go. I myself am bound to the camera for certain hours a day, so that sucks. Also, the pandemic is raging here where I live. But yeah, during my freelance writing days, I sure did love writing from Starbucks from time to time. Thanks for visiting, Jim!
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Sorry to hear about the pandemic; I hope they get it under control soon!
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Thanks for this post! So I started writing this comment as a rant that I disagree. And I disagree, still. But it’s just personal preferences, I suppose. Thanks for the post, though! It opened my eyes to some ways face-to-face work is better.
Best of luck!
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Aw, you should’ve continued with that rant. All perspectives are allowed here. Thanks so much for stopping by, Emily!
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Actually I was too lazy to write a rant. I’m browsing the internet to procrastinate and have some fun, not to rant in the comments section (ahem, there were some exceptions).
Loved the post tho! It’s always nice to be exposed to a new perspective. Thanks!
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For me its like this, WFH is ideal if you’re your own boss but not recommended if you’re still working for a company or you have a boss. Based on my experience, it can really be toxic and tiring, i think companies take advantage of it too given that you have every tool you need with you. My solution is learn to manage your time and separate work from personal life. If my shift ends at 5pm then I would turn off my work laptop at 5pm, I also don’t entertain any work related messages after my shift unless its important.
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Yeah, working from home is better when you’re all alone. Except you can make them realize that you’re actually “at work”. Which is pretty hard.
An office job also has its downsides.
There’s always disadvantages and advantages right?
All in all, work isn’t fun.
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Definitely hit the nail on the head there! I am looking forward to the day when I find work fun, disadvantages and all. I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. Anyway, thanks for this post!
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Yeah, it probably is. Just keep looking. 😊😊
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You have a point here Stuart. When working from home and have others around they don’t always understand that you are actually working. They always assume that since you are there you are also available for them. However, the big conclusion to all you said I think is that everything has pros and cons and nothing is ever ideal. It is just that something suits a bit better to one person than it does to another one.
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Totally agreed! That’s life in a nutshell, isn’t it? Everything has its pros and cons, and our job is to find out which aspects of life give us the most returns for the cons we have to face. Thanks so much for your amazing perspective!
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hahahahaha Well said! I’ve worked at home (writing) for years now, but before then had an office job (among others). I’ve heard so many arguments from associates stuck at home and today they are itching to get back to the office.
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Lol nothing’s ever good enough, is it? I too started working from home before the pandemic, so I’m grateful I have ways of coping learned from those days, but I think it’s just in us to keep wanting more. Anyway, always great to see you here!
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My thoughts are working from home can be great if living alone and it suits your personality. It’s just the two of us here, I’ll be deep in thought with my composition, almost satisfied and then “honey can you look at this?” Augh. What can you do? :))
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Lol yeah. The good thing about experiences like these is that I’m learning that there are no perfect situations. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Like you said,you just gotta live alone to enjoy working from home.
But getting yourself a timetable could make things a lot easier,don’t you think so?
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Oh yeah, having a routine always wins, because it takes a lot of the think work out of life. Also, I believe we need routines to grow. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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