Since leaving the 9-5 a couple years ago, I’ve been working from my home office, coffee shops and on-site with clients when appropriate. As my business has grown, I’ve started to put more time into thinking about whether or not I would want to run a business all online or if a physical space is required.
As someone who loves the independence of working at home but also enjoys the idea of collaboration; it’s something I’ve always been torn on. I decided I would ask my Facebook friends and followers what they thought and see what the consensus was as it relates to preference. Here’s some of the responses:
That’s just a handful of the 50-55 actual responses!
I couldn’t show them all but the breakdown was something like 80% for a combo, 15% for home and 5% for the office. But what I really found interesting was the difference in the responses depending on individuals personal lives.
For example, I found that parents and baby boomers suggested stated they were more productive at the office because there were less distractions. On the flipside, young people tended to express that they were more productive at home and that the office was where the distractions were because they would want to socialize with colleagues.
I’m curious. What do you think? Why do you prefer one over the other? When do you create your best work?
Here’s my opinion:
Working from home is a great way to avoid wasted time on a commute and provides me with an atmosphere that is built for productivity. I have no distractions when I’m working from home (unless I’m dog sitting) and that gives me a chance to work at a high level. At the same time, working in an office presents an opportunity for collaboration and face to face interaction that cannot be replicated through Skype and Google Hangouts. The random discussions in the lunch room and instant brainstorming sessions cannot be replaced. That said, with those opportunities come the opportunity for spontaneous lunch breaks, “can I pick your brain” sessions and more. Thus, I’m a fan of (1) working in the office with headphones and (2) the flexibility of being able to work from wherever I see fit.
Let me know in the comments of this post and check back later to see what other people think.
PS: Whether you like working at home or working in the office – I’m creating a playbook filled with businesses you can run on the side. It’s going to be filled with info on how you can get it started and how much it would cost. If you’re interested, sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send it to you for free once it’s live!