Best thing I ever did

[coe114c]

I store all my stock in one of those places, 60 sq ft for £21 a week as opposed to a warehouse which was costing £20k a year in rent and rates, mine also has a meeting and conference room you can hire out too. Some people have rented out the lock-ups and put little offices in there too. Several removal firms are based there I guess they pay extra to park their lorries there overnight.

[Cryxellis]

That was great working outside and then extra income when you are in your
house. All I can say was that was great and I just hope I can do the same

[Tigglet]

There are many benefits to working from home but I also agree with Freelancer that it can be lonely especially if you are used to being out and about. I think the trick is to ensure that you do have time out of the house doing non work-related activites for a complete change of scenery and to ensure you don't become isolated.

I expect there are also some people who work from home who would like to be able to get out more with their work. Depending on what you sell, generally it is not necessary to go out when running an online shop (unless you attend markets/fairs etc.) as you tend to deal with suppliers and customers over the phone and email, whereas for example a web designer is perhaps more likely to be out and about meeting customers.

I store all my stock in one of those places, 60 sq ft for £21 a week as opposed to a warehouse which was costing £20k a year in rent and rates, mine also has a meeting and conference room you can hire out too

Just out of interest, do they manage the logistics of orders - i.e. pack and despatch orders on your behalf or do you employ somebody yourself who is based at the warehouse and despatches the goods for you?

[Quest49]

Working from home gets very lonely and there are also the regular domestic interruptions. It is not all roses. I now miss my old office!!

[National Office Week]

Hi,

I used to work from home too and loved it - maybe a bit too much as I began to find too many distractions and my productivity levels dropped.

Now I rent an office just round the corner from home so I have the best of both worlds! I can set my own hours and days still so I have the flexibility, but also an extra incentive to leave the house, meet people and work more productively.

I have also found that having an office in a shared block gives me great networking opportunities.

Saying that, working from home works well for many so its what ever suits each individual.

Good on you!

Kim

[Barry]

coe114c, I am glad your not only saving money but have re-invigorated your working life at the same time!

When I started working from home I loved it but the novelty has now worn off to the point where I need to get out and away from this screen. argg

Sometimes the sheer solitude of working from home really gets to me especially when the days slowly turn to evening and then slowly to night.

Not being able to leave the office because its my bedroom .

ta

Barry

[Helen - Feelwells]

I am just thinking about moving out of my home and getting a unit. The business is now taking over the house and I think it would give me a much better balance if I could "go to work". Its too easy to spend all my time working, I have even started to feel guilty if I am doing housework or watching telly but being able to work in my pyjamas is definately the one thing I will miss.

Finding the right unit is quite a decision though, I want to make sure that it is close enough to home to allow me to get there quickly and ensure it is the right size so that I dont spend all the time and effort moving in and then realise its not big enough!

I thought 1000 sq ft was massive till I saw it and realised that it would be filled up pretty quickly.

There are plenty of council run units available near here with easy out 3 month notice periods which seem like a good idea, but I have never had a unit before so would really appreciate any tips or info on costs, hassles, benefits etc.

[Jeewhizz]

There are plenty of council run units available near here with easy out 3 month notice periods which seem like a good idea, but I have never had a unit before so would really appreciate any tips or info on costs, hassles, benefits etc.

Hi Helen,

Probably best if you started a new thread on this in the General Business Forum

[Tigglet]

I began to find too many distractions and my productivity levels dropped

yes, working from home certainly does require a lot of self-discipline!

[JulieChocolate]

Couldn't agree more. I could never get any work done in the office anyway as it was more like a playgroup with constant noise, gossip, joking etc. Much prefer the peace of home life and then if I'm feeling alone there's always these kind of forums to go to...