Why working from home can be a trap that you gradually need to free yourself from

Working from home isn’t something new, but ever since the pandemic, many jobs have depended on telecommuting for the first time, and many people experienced a regular work from home schedule for the first time. The work that previously required going to the office is now being done within the comforts of one’s home. Many people assumed it would be easier, less stress-inducing, way less tiring than the previous schedule, and overall they could get used to such a schedule. But that’s not always the case. For a lot of people, their WFH schedule has trapped them into a vicious cycle of not being well-rested and not feeling motivated enough to work properly. Why? Let’s find out:

1. It’s difficult to manage your own time and schedule

The thing with WFH is, you need to separate your home life from your work life. That is increasingly difficult to do if your work life is now part of your home life. Sure, the idea of not sitting in the limited space of your cubicle within the boring walls of your office is quite tempting, but that’s only a tiny plus point of the much bigger problem.

Working from home sometimes also means not having specific work hours. Your work collides with your time of rest and your time to socialize, it all just turns into one big mess where you’re trying to figure out how to create boundaries between your private and your professional life. It also means working through the evening once you’ve procrastinated your morning away, and spending whatever time you had for rest, working.

2. Little to no boundaries

Adding into the first point, the mental division between your home and your office is completely eradicated once your home is your office. It feels as though the place where you rest, where you feel most relaxed, is now the place where you have to also stay in touch with your whole office. Whatever little boundaries you had are now gone, and you don’t feel relaxed as you previously did because it feels like you’re never off your job. It becomes really difficult to turn it all off and just relax. And also, even if you try to turn it off, your overworking colleagues’ emails and text messages regarding work updates at odd times are going to make you feel like you’re still at your job.

3. There’s way too many distractions to get the work done

If you live with your family, and you’re trying to get some work done within the house, I can understand your pain and empathize with you completely. It becomes really difficult to get into that mind space to finish your work on time if you’re having your meals with your family, or if they’re just around you, and you’re also trying to do your work.

4. Very little direction and supervision

At the office, you have your boss and your supervisors, who provide you with direction and supervision. Just being around your boss or your colleagues can make you feel more competitive, and help you get the job done. But without them, it’s really difficult to let yourself do the work without succumbing to procrastination. Thus, many remote workers feel like there is an absence of that guidance to stay on track.

5. WFH can lead to social isolation

Not having the right work environment can easily lead to social interaction, as you might miss not having your colleagues around you. This can further take a toll on your mental health and also affect your quality of work.

There’s very few benefits of working from home for people who like their work environment and don’t have the right environment to work from home. If you feel like WFH is the only option for you, then consider what it can mean for you and how you can fix the situation to be more beneficial for you. Because without the imposed structure of an office, it can be more draining than you think. Thus, if you want the freedom of remote working, consider your options before sticking to it completely.