Welcome to Commute Free Me, a blog all about the trials and tribulations of home working.
I’ve been working from home full time for nearly 18 months and have learnt a hell of a lot along the way!
At first, I was really excited to take the leap into remote working. I had worked 2-3 days a week from home in a previous role so thought the transition would be easy – a dream job! Turns out, working from home can be pretty tough going and I was totally unprepared for the challenges I faced.
Despite me finding it a challenging adjustment, I now wouldn’t change the way I work. Yes, I have down days where I yearn to be in an office and have trivial chat about the latest Netflix series everyone’s talking about. But for every one of those down days, I’ve had times when I’ve been able to do things in my personal life that would not have been possible had I had a normal office job. So, for that, I am thankful.
My relationship with home working
The first few months of working from home full time were a rollercoaster ride. As a full-time employee joining a company that operates virtually, I found it hard to settle in and find my way. Despite supportive colleagues, there were many times when I wondered whether this was the working life for me. My situation wasn’t helped by the fact I was living in a shared, rented house share at the time, which was far from an ideal situation.
But then, like with anything in life, I gradually got used to my new normal. I found ways to adapt and thrive in my new environment. I figured out how to get my work space just right, keep a productive working routine and combat the inevitable loneliness that comes with home working.
I still have my moments, don’t get me wrong. But I truly believe remote working can bring out the best in people and more companies should be forward thinking enough to give it a serious chance (not just in times of emergency but as a matter of course).
What is Commute Free Me all about?
I’ve set up Commute Free Me to support people who work from home. In the times when I struggled with home working, I didn’t feel there was enough advice out there. I want to change that and make Commute Free Me a hub for the global home working community.
I’ve learned a lot in during my time as a home worker and want to share my experiences with you. It might be that you’re new to home working, been doing it for years or think it might be for you. I’m hoping you can all gain something from following this blog and teach me a few things along the way too.
I will always be honest in this blog. I will never pretend that home working is perfect. I will talk openly about the challenges, but always provide advice on how these can be overcome to create a rewarding work/life balance.
What Commute Free Me isn’t
Commute Free Me isn’t about promoting working from home opportunities. There are plenty of those kind of sites out there already, so I suggest you check those out instead to find your dream remote working job.
Once you’ve found your perfect working from home job, then come back here and join our community!
Get involved!
I am always interested in hearing from other home workers. If you want to share your experience, have a question or a suggestion for a blog topic, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you!
