Pros and Cons of Working From Home

I've been working from home for nearly a month now. I've been liking it so far, but it has definitely been an adjustment. In fact, the adjustment process isn't over yet, I don't think.

Here are some things I've learned so far


* I like working from home.
* The length of time I work without a break reflects how deep the problem is I am working on. If it's a tough problem and I get down inside it I might go for 4 hours without getting up. If I have a bunch of short problems, I'll get up between problems.
* I feel an obligation to provide 40 hours worth of work...even if it takes me 50 hours to do that (I'm not as good at the Ruby programming language as I should be).
* I can't work in a cluttered environment. I find myself picking up and organizing periodically throughout the day. I feel incredibly antsy that my desk and office still aren't all tidy.

Here are some pros and cons I've noticed

Pro of working at home

* I can be here to watch the kids if my wife has an exam or something
* I can wear the same clothes three days in a row and no one complains (hey, they're still clean)
* I can set my own hours
* I control the thermostat (my last office was cold!)
* If my 3.5 month old is being cute, I can take a break to see him
* No commute and no gas
* I don't have to remember to bring a snack or lunch. I've got all sorts of good food here at home.
* I can just take off early on Friday and go camping without asking anyone

Con of working at home

* Kids and Spouse often want attention when I'm working
* Personal time and space boundaries are pretty blurry (I'm working to fix that though)
* The computer isn't as much of a 'fun-place' as it has been. When I'm not working I don't feel inclined to blog (have you noticed?), draw or do my own programming
* The fridge and cupboards call my name with tempting snacks and treats
* My 3.5 month old is cute a lot and can distract me
* I have to be responsible enough to get my hours in each day
* If no one else is online, I don't have anyone to ask questions to.
* Projects I do want to do are here distracting me

I'm still feeling my way through this whole working from home thing, so I'm sure I'll learn more. Anyone else out there working from home?