Should I Work From Home Today? (Pros and Cons)

It’s 7 am and the dog woke up at 4 am. You’re in your PJs and you need to get some work done today, what do you do? The decision on whether or not to work from home today is a personal one that should be made after considering all of the pros and cons.

If you are trying to avoid distractions today, working from home may not be the best choice as there are going to be things competing for your attention. However, if your day requires less focus than usual, then working from home today may just give you the break that you need to keep you energized throughout the week!

Let’s take a look at a few things that we might be thinking, followed by pros and cons for each.

1. “I’m feeling tired and don’t want to go into the office”

Should I Work From Home Today?

This is probably going to be the most common thought that is running through the heads of everyone reading this article. Too often, we find ourselves waking up in the morning with not enough energy to fully get out of bed and start our workday. Whether you work from home full-time or part-time, this can be an issue.

This may not even be a “tired” issue. We often confuse the feeling of being unmotivated with being tired. Follow the instructions in this article to see if you can get motivated.

Related: 6 Ways to Keep Yourself Motivated While Working From Home

If you can work from home and your boss is ok with it, I would say work from home in this situation. The last thing you want is to go into the office and feel miserable all day because you are tired and unmotivated.

Here are some pros and cons of choosing to work from home today instead of going to the office.

Pros of Working From Home

You’ll get to sleep in a little more (no commute)
You can take a nap on your lunch break
You get to stay in your comfortable clothes

Cons of Working From Home

You might feel even more tired throughout the day
You could fall asleep
It’s possible you might be less productive

2. “It’s a beautiful day outside, it would be nice to work from home”

If your work office is anything like most, it is probably lacking windows and exposure to the outside elements, such as sunshine. Office buildings are meant to last a long time and the more exposure to the elements, the greater the risk for any kind of damage. This serves us in terms of safety, but how about when it’s 70 degrees and sunny outside? Do you want to sit in a dreary office all day? If you choose to work from the office, that will be your reality.

However, if you choose to work from home, you can open the windows and let in the fresh air and breeze. You can even work outside if your line of work will permit you to do so. This means you can sit on the patio, by the pool, at a park, and soak up the sunshine and beautiful weather.

Ferris Bueller said it best, “How Could I Possibly Be Expected To Handle School On A Day Like This?”. The only difference is replacing “school” with “the office”.

Beautiful weather was made for us and nature to enjoy. It’s going to be hard for me to come up with any cons for this point, but let me do my best.

Pros of Working From Home

You can open your windows and enjoy the weather
You can work outside

Cons of Working From Home

The weather might be so beautiful that it is distracting

3. “My boss is out of town, so there won’t be anyone at the office”

A lot of offices today look like ghost towns. There might be a few people popping in here and there, but overall most people are working from home. If your boss is the only reason that you are choosing to continue to work in the office and they aren’t there today, why not take the day and work from home? As long as they are ok with it, of course!

Pros of Working From Home

You won’t have to commute
You’ll can sleep in a little more
You can make your lunch

Cons of Working From Home

You won’t get the social interaction that you usually get at the office (if other people are there)

4. “The commute will take too long – it’ll be faster if I work from home today”

The dreaded commute! Working in an office away from home means you have to commute every day, to and from the office. Depending on where you live, this might be a car, train, bus, bicycle, or even walking. Either way, the longer your commute, the earlier you have to get to work and the later you are going to get home.

Pros of Working From Home

You won’t have to deal with traffic
You’ll get to sleep in longer
You can take your time with breakfast

Cons of Working From Home

The commute to work can be a very good time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts

It’s Decision Time

At the end of the day (or beginning in this case), if you’re reading the same list that I’ve written, it seems abundantly clear to take the day and work from home if you can. As long as you have permission and your boss is ok with it, I say go for it.

If you’re currently working full-time in the office and the thoughts above are common occurrences, or if you’re working a hybrid schedule of remote and in-office time and you want to transition to full-time work from home, start searching. It’s 2021. There are plenty of work from home and remote jobs available.