Working from home

Last year the company I work for implemented a work from home system. In December I could finally also profit from this system and have been mainly working from home since. In the future, I will probably come upon the disadvantages of working from home but for now, I enjoy all the advantages. 

No Commuting

Now that I work from home I do not have to spend 2 hours a day in overcrowded trains anymore. The line that I took was especially crowded and riding it was always a fight for survival so I am glad this time is over. I now also have 2 extra hours of free time every day that I don’t have to spend on the train but can rather spend doing something useful or with an activity I enjoy.

These days are finally over.

No getting up early

When I took the train to work I would get up at 6:30 to be in the office at 9:00. The train line I took was delayed for about 10 minutes every day in the morning so I would have to take an early train to not be late. Now that I work from home I can sleep until 8:00 which works a lot better with my natural sleep rhythm because I can hardly fall asleep before 24:00. Usually, I would pile up a sleep deficit over the week and balance that out by taking long naps on the weekends but now I am not as tired anymore.

Working in a quiet environment

We have an open plan office with little space so the desks of my colleagues were right next to my desk. The office is rather quiet in general but still, you hear the sound of other people typing or talking on the phone and when the monitor of your colleague is right next to you it will distract you somewhat.

Now I can work in a room where I am alone and there is no one to distract me. I can also put on my favorite music. I realized that for tasks that require a lot of concentration I finish them a lot faster when I work in a quiet environment.

Working in comfy clothing

In our office, we have the business casual dress code but it is not taken too seriously. Nevertheless, you have to look somewhat decent.

Now I can work in any clothing I like which basically means that I will be wearing jogging pants all the time. That is comfy and I also save money on clothes because I don’t have to buy office clothes anymore.

Have you already tried working from home? With the commuting situation in Tokyo, I think a lot more companies should offer the possibility to work from home, as chances are high it will have a positive effect on the employees’ health and performance.