The Work Community

I started working from home full time three months ago. Before I took this new position, I had been at a desk in a cubicle for 8 years. People talked about working from home in the same cryptic manner they talk about having a child. Unspecific statements like "It will be an adjustment." were common.

When I interviewed for the job, the interviewers would ask about my time management skills, and whether I would have a place to work that was free from distraction. These were my best guesses on what the adjustment would be. Check, time managment. Check, office upstairs. I was prepared.

Turns out my biggest adjustment was unrelated to time management or finding space away from my wife and toddling daughter. The biggest adjustment for me has been the mental shift. I don't have two communities that are exclusive anymore. I'm always at work, and I'm always at home. There is no line.

When I worked in a cubicle, talking about home while at work would be considered "unprofessional." Likewise, talking about work too much at home would be wrongfully "bringing my work home with me." The end result was two separate communities with two specific locations, with social pressure to keep them separate.

Now that I work at home, I still have colleagues, teammates, a boss, and a "virtual community" that I work with. I don't believe in virtual communities by the way. I argue that the purest form of community must share a common location which is frequently frequented. Being physically at home while I'm working keeps me from ever changing communities during the day. I never make the mental shift of being at work. I'm never "at work" anymore.

I love it. I love the adjustment. I don't mind always being at home. I don't mind letting go of that work location. It doesn't bother me at all. I wouldn't say that I'm used to it yet, 8 years of a cubicle is a long time, but I'm getting used to it. It feels a lot more natural to talk to my wife about a meeting with a client than it ever did at work.