How Working From Home Changed My Life

Living alone was my ultimate dream so when I moved to my house two years ago, all I wanted was to stay at home 24/7 and leave only when I wanted to. But I had an office job at the time and it made leaving the house every night feel like torture.

For a year, my house was basically just a place I sleep, take a bath, and get dressed in everyday because 15-16 hours of my daily life were spent in the office and on the road on my commute to work and back home. The remaining hours were for sleeping to regain enough energy to go to work when I wake up.

It was a sick cycle of sleeping at day, waking up in the afternoon, working at night, and going home the next morning. I would wake up everyday wishing I didn't have to leave the house ever again.

I was a mess, dragging myself to work every night because I thought it's the only choice I had. But it didn't take me long to realize and admit to myself that the cycle wasn't healthy for me anymore. I did like my job but I knew I had to get the fuck out of it.

So I did something reckless.

I quit my job and started working from home.

It's been more than a year now since I took that jump and I'm happy to say that I have never, for a second, regret my decision. I actually consider it the best decision I've ever made in my life so far. And as of this writing, I don't see myself going back to working a corporate job in an office ever again. Not in the next 5 years. Not in the next 10 years. Not ever!

Change definitely came a year early for me.

And I've been wanting to share about it here for a long time but I thought 5-6 months of being homebased might be a little too early for me to start talking/writing about it. But since it's been more than a year now, I feel like I've already seen enough of my new life to finally be able to share my thoughts about it. So yay!

And since CHANGE is such a popular word these days, I thought I'd share with you how this huge change of career path I took last year changed my life in ways I could never have imagined.

Zero pressure to dress up and look good everyday!

I believe that we should always dress like we're going to see your worst enemy. So one struggle I had to deal with on a daily basis when I had an office job was choosing my #OOTD (Outfit of The Day). You know, the typical I-have-so-many-clothes-but-I-have-nothing-to-wear dilemma? If choosing clothes already take me almost an hour, I can just imagine how much time make-up addicts spend on their face everyday before going out!

Now that I'm working from home, I can look like crap and still perform my daily duties at work.

Bad hair day? No problemo!
Too lazy to shower? I can do that tomorrow!
Not feeling pretty? Only my cats will judge me!

I literally work in my pajamas or my tattered rug-like clothes. I no longer get stressed about wearing dilapidated pants that are usually not allowed in offices because now, I don't even need to worry about wearing pants at all.

If you've ever wished you were a stripper so you wouldn't have to wear pants or bra to work, get a homebased job instead. It's pretty much the same thing. No dancing, pole climbing, or floor rolling skills required!

Traffic is no longer a part of my daily routine.

#homeoffice #selfie 😻😍 hay sana hindi matraffic mamaya after ng shift ko hahahahah

A photo posted by Dominique B. (@niknokniknok) on Mar 10, 2016 at 11:54pm PST

Today I confess that this is something I've been wanting so bad to gloat about for so long but I've been trying so hard not to because 99.9% of my friends and family (boyfriend included) are working at offices, going through hellish traffic everyday, and I just didn't want to be that asshole that rubs in it their face how miserable it is to be to stuck in traffic or have to walk the train rails because MRT stopped working again.

But today is the day I'm gonna be that asshole so, excuse me: I DON'T GET STUCK IN TRAFFIC ANYMORE! I don't even know what traffic is anymore. Wait, let me Google it.

I could go on and on with the gloating but for the sake of not offending people (because I have actually grown into a more mature and sensitive person now), I just literally deleted an entire paragraph I wrote earlier about how lucky I am for not having to put up with Manila traffic anymore. Haha!

Alarm clocks are a thing of the past.

One of the main reasons why I quit my corporate job last year was that I wanted so bad to quit the night shift life. I've worked night shift for only 2 years but it was the worst part of that sick cycle I was dying to break.

There are people who have been  at it for decades already, have gotten used to the schedule and lifestyle, and are surprisingly still alive until today (lol), but none of the job perks worked on me. I may have liked the job and some of the people in it but I also wanted to sleep at night again so I had to say bye. 

Now, I don't only get to sleep at night, I also don't need to set an alarm for the next day. My shift starts at 9:00 AM so even if I stay up late the night before, I can still get a complete an 8-hour sleep as long as I hit the sack by midnight.

The only reason I could think of for seting an alarm these days is when I have an early flight to catch and it's not like I travel all the time so it's basically a once in a blue moon thing to me now.

The house rules are now mine to make [and break]. 

If you have worked at a BPO company before, I'm sure you know what it's like to be a robot inside the office. Sit properly, don't tilt your head down (cuz it looks like you're sleeping), don't gossip with your seatmate, don't bring food on your desk, don't chat over Skype or Hangouts about non-work-related stuff. The CCTV is watching and every wrong move gets you a memo.

Not that I have issues following authority, I do I know that rules are rules and I'm fine with the valid ones but the ones I mentioned above are just *some* of the most ridiculous rules I've ever had to put up with just to keep a job. And I find it ridiculous that your stay in a company will be determined by how good you are at being a robot (AKA following stupid rules) and not by how good you really are at what you do.

At my home office, none of those stupid rules apply. And you know what? I get to learn discipline anyway. I can do anything I want but I also know when it's time to focus on work so I can get shit done. I've become much more disciplined than I ever was when I had an office job.

Less humans, more cats!

Out of all the many perks of being homebased, this is definitely my favorite. Human interaction is optional - physical ones, at least. I do talk to my workmates and my bosses but only through Skype or Slack and it's all purely work-related and it works well great for me!

Back when I was still working at offices, I would always ask myself why do I even need to interact/coexist with *insignificant people in the office I don't even like* in the first place? Can't I just come to work, laugh with my friends, do my job, get shit done, go home, then get paid at the end of the month?


Now, the only people I want and choose to see and talk to are my family and my boyfriend, so they're basically the only people I've talked to for the past 14+ months. The only officemates I have at home on weekdays/work days are my cats and they're awesome at keeping me free from the stress of my sometimes heavy work load. What other kinds of interactions could I possibly need?

The heavens have obviously showered me with answers to my prayers. I am (forgive me for this) #BLESSED.

I get to do better things with my time.

I became more productive because I get to use every minute of my day doing things I actually like. Back then, sitting for hours inside a jeep or van or FX on my to way to work depresses the crap out of me. Everyday, I would think of all the things I could've been doing if I hadn't been wasting 4-5, even 6 fucking hours on the road. Six hours could have been 6 episodes of Orphan Black already!

Now, the hours I used to waste on choosing what to wear for the day and sitting on heavy traffic on my commute to and from work are now spent in doing other things I love/need to do:

• DIY projects
• Running my online shop
• Playing with my pets
• Writing
• Reading books
• Exercising
• Watching TV, movies, and series
• Sleeping
• Doing household chores

Well, I'd choose being productive at home than spending 6 hours on the road any damn day.

I can travel anytime, for however long!

As long as the budget allows of course. No more fighting for vacation leaves. No more feeling bad about family trips I can't join cause I've ran out of vacation leave at work. When I get invited for an out of town trip, and I have the budget, I don't even have to think twice about my availability anymore. I can leave whenever I want because I can take work with me wherever I go!

I look and feel healthier.

As if I don't already see it in the mirror, I have a weighing scale and a pile of 24-inch-waisted pants and shorts that no longer fit to prove it.

My folks have been complimenting me about gaining weight. For years, they've been telling me to EAT and now they finally got what they want. (huhu) As much as I hate it, my chubby cheeks have made a comeback.

My usually bad skin also looks and feels better now. All thanks to the unlimited access to my bed and the fridge and zero exposure to sun and pollution! After years of being sleep-deprived, I am now literally at a place where I can take all the rest I need deserve.

I became a better "furparent".

Compared to when I was always away for work, my cats definitely seem healthier and happier now that I'm always around. When I had an office job, 2 of my cats died because they got sick and I didn't even notice --- and when I did, it was already too late. I also had 3 other cats that went missing and didn't make it back home and I wasn't able to look for them because I had to go to work.

I cried a river for each of those cats I failed and have taken for granted. It may seem exaggerated to some people but I still blame myself until now for what happened to my cats that didn't make it. I feel like none of those bad things would've happened if I was actually around, if I had only been really there for them. :(

But for the past year I've been working from home, none of my remaining cats got severely sick and died. The moment I notice something wrong, they are taken to the vet right away. I was also able to get all my female cats spayed and my male cats neutered. And I was even able to adopt a dog! Now, we're big happy family of 1 cute human, 10 cute cats, and 1 cute dog!

I have saved up for the rainy days.

The most shocking /heartbreaking thing I realized in the past 14 months I've been home-based was that I worked corporate jobs for more than 8 years and was not able to save even just a small amount of money. Nothing. Nada.

Maybe it's my bad spending habits? Maybe I have not been very wise with my money? Maybe it's the huge amout of deductions from my salary? I don't know. All I know is back then, I was always broke. LOL

I'm not saying I'm filthy rich now but I've stacked chips for the rainy days so I guess I'm gonna be okay. I don't have a health card so it's important that I can send myself to the hospital when I get sick and will need to go see a doctor and buy meds. And when I die, I'll have enough to fund my cats and dog's necessities until they find new loving homes. I'll have that secured on my last will and testament by the way.

I feel safer.

Because I don't go out at night for work anymore, my fears of getting robbed, kidnapped, raped, murdered, and dumped in a ditch are gone. Ahh yes, I am done carrying a boxcutter and other sharp objects as deadly weapons in my bag because I'm paranoid that someone would always try to harass me because I'm cute and I don't look like someone who would pull a cutter out her bag to slash a mother#$%^& in the throat when she feels threatened.

Come heavy rain or storm, I am safe and sound and warm and dry at home.

And last but not the least...

I got to have my own home office...

...which is obviously a dream come true for this kid:

I know I make it sound like I have the perfect job and that it's better than everybody else's but that's because it is - FOR ME. So don't get me wrong. While I do see it as the perfect set-up and definitely better than everybody else's, I know this kind of work isn't for everybody.

• Are you someone who loves to look good and dress up and go out everyday?
• Are you someone who can't survive a day without human interaction?
• Does the mere thought of staying at home 24/7 drive you crazy?
• Do you always feel the need to socialize and be with friends?

If you're someone whose social life is a non-negotiable, then I don't think a home-based job is something you'd enjoy for a long period of time. Maybe for a month or two, but definitely not for more than a year. Obviously, if your line of work requires your physical presence, this isn't for you as well.

As for me, being homebased works great because I don't get easily bored with things other people normally find boring. After all, what's boring for one person may not be boring at all for someone else. Some people get bored when they're home alone, I get bored in a crowd, surrounded by strangers. Some people can't stand working in silence, I can't stand loud people anywhere, period.

I can't say it's because I'm an "anti-social" "introvert". Not trying to be a special snowflake here, okay? I do like hanging out with friends but everyday social activities and human interaction are things I don't mind living without if it means getting myself in comfortable set-up where I can be  more productive and of course, healthier physically, psychologically, and emotionally.

I admit, taking the big leap last year scared me. If I fucked it up, I'd be jobless and broke and might even lose my house. I had a lot of doubts when I was starting out. There were hard times that made me question myself: WTF am I doing? How long am I gonna be able to keep this going? I had so many what ifs. I was so scared I'd end up regretting it.

But I wanted this life so bad so I worked extra hard to sustain it. (NOT EASY)
I wanted this life so bad so I willingly embraced all the changes that came with it.

And now that I have it, I promise to be even more welcoming to change. I promise to keep kicking self-doubt hard in the balls everytime it creeps in to throw me off track. I promise to keep rolling with the punches. And I promise to never waste another minute of my life again because now, I'm going to make every split second of it count.

How about you guys? Is working from home something you'd be willing to try if given a chance? And if you did give it a try, do you think you're going to enjoy it as well? Let me know what you think!