Remote Work – Pros and Cons

Remote Work - To Be or Not to Be?

Making money online and working remotely usually go hand in hand.  Do you have what it takes for remote work?  It's not for everyone, you may want to do a little soul searching to discover if working remotely is for you.  Let’s explore some of the pros and cons to working remotely so you can decide if remote work is a fit.

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Freedom

Pros:

Freedom to work when you are at your best.  You can decide when you work and where you work.  You can break free from traditional 9-5 hours and escape the frustration of gridlock and endless commutes. 

Cons:

You are accountable to you.  There is no one to say - “Hey - Great Job!”  It’s up to you to give yourself a pat on the back.  The opposite to freedom is structure - you create your own, or the days may zip past and nothing will get done.  

Cost Effectiveness

Pros:

It’s amazing how much money goes into the 9-5 lifestyle.  Sometimes it seemed to cost us to work at the traditional office. Parking costs escalate every year, as does the cost of gas and car maintenance. That doesn’t even take into account the need to always look professional and keep up with the current styles.  Dressing for success costs money. 

Cons:

It can be lonely. It’s fun to find out what everyone did on the weekend.  There are some great friendships (and relationships like Bob’s and mine that start at work - that’s a story for another blog).  The cost of going to work is balanced by the benefits of the social interaction that naturally happens.  

Increased Productivity

Pros:

Do you remember a colleague who kept coming into your office to chat, especially when you have deadlines the next day? Well that doesn’t happen anymore.  Remote work allows you to be the master of your time. You can be productive for hours and there are no interruptions, unless you create them.

Cons:

You are no longer easily accessible and in fact people may forget you exist at all.  Work is always looming.  Sometimes it's a challenge to stop working and put balance back in your life. Working remotely can be all consuming. There is no longer the line between home and office your home is your office.  Your commute is to the next room or down the hall.

A Possible Solution

Find a Community

In your soul searching, we want to point out that the decision to work remotely may not be as black and white as the pros and cons, just when you thought you had it all figured out!

It’s about community.  In the remote world that is gaining momentum every day we are still humans who want to connect with one another.  More than ever we have a need it seems to be in communication with others to share ideas, hopes and dreams.  If you look at the list of pros and cons and believe remote work could be a fit we encourage you to find an online community that you relate to.

We found a community of online entrepreneurs with Six Figure Mentors or SFM where people just like us were looking for time and financial freedom.  We like and trust these people so when we are feeling lonely or overwhelmed we reach out.  We participate in mastermind groups and weekly seminars that help keep us accountable to ourselves and to one another.

We are not alone.

Take Time to Reflect

We are thankful we no longer commute to work and go to an office.  We still have connection with people, the only difference, these people live all around the world.  For us, the pros outweigh the cons.  This is a personal decision we took very seriously and we encourage you to take this decision seriously too.

Enjoy the journey.