Reply to: Who said Homeworking is easy !!!

[Solent]

Interesting views, I have a lot going on outside working life, gym, rugby etc but when not doing those, hard to not get down to some more code. I think it is right that 2 hours solid graft at home is more than a whole day at the office. Well... I think Solent should take a chill pill, be productive but cut down on the amount I deliver, as it has been full on recently. Umm, impresses the client but I don't think the pace is a good one.

Appreciate everyone's view, cheers for those.

[badger7579]

For me its written into my contract that I can work anywhere as long as I meet the deadlines with my projects. As I understand this is a good pointer to being outside IR35 (control aspect)

I'll tend to do 2 days a week at home.

Get up 7.30
logon 8.30
work till 12.30 have a break 30 mins
Start back at approx 1.30 and work till about 5 then logoff.

My second day at home tends to be a Friday when not a lot is going off anyway.

The main reason for going into the office is to go to meetings and touch base with my project team.

[DieScum]

My typical day is something like this

9:00 - Log on, check emails, have breakfast
12:30 - Lunch or Gym
5:00 - Log off

In between really depends how much work I do. Sometimes there isn't much on. Sometimes I find it very hard to work to be honest.

Overall I enjoy home working but do have mixed feelings. I wouldn't want to lose it any time soon and go back to an office.

Or rather it depends on the office. A few years back I had a fun job. There were about 8 of us consultants in a building with sales, admin, etc. So was a nice social environment not just IT nerds.

As consultants we'd either be on the road working hard, all around the world, in front of customers. But when we were in the office it was relaxed. We could come in late. I'd saunter in about 10 and leave at 5. We would mess about and catch up on where we had been with whoever was in that week.

A lot of your social life was taken care of. There was always something springing up. A celebration meal, someone visiting from an international office who needs taking out, one of the birds organising something.

The office was ten minutes walk from my office and I used to walk to work along the harbour.

Would be great to go back to something like that again... but that place shut down two months after I left. Relocated to Cheshire.

As a consultant I must have worked in ... I dunno ... definitely over 50 offices over the last 8 or so years. The majority have been pretty rubbish, drab environments where you get in and get out to earn the money.

I think the whole idea of the 9-5 just doesn't work for me. I'm happier putting in a solid 2 hours of work a day and then doing other stuff for the rest of that time... and I reckon I get just as much done as a 9-5 day in a traditional office. How much productive work actually goes on in offices?

[PAH]

And I thought I was anti-social.

I think I've spent too long developing web apps. My life is becoming more and more stateless.

Maybe I'm subconsciously preparing for the day HMRC turn up with their tub of vaseline labelled "IR35". One way ticket to the first destination on the board at the airport will be in order. Now that's what I call playing the lottery. Especially if the flight's to Saudi Arabia and I turn up in my T shirt with the "Don't be boring let's go whoring. Sponsored by Mates with Stella." caption. Fortunately I can grow a beard in 3 hours, so should fit well in if I can get past security.

[VectraMan]

I really don't give a toss about what some bod was doing at the weekend or how their kids are great at everything. I know someday soon I'll have seen the back of them for good.

Same with all those prats at school/college/uni. If I really give a toss what they're doing now I'll look them up on facebook under my fake login.

And I thought I was anti-social.

[PAH]

I don't miss that much. 90% of that social interaction at work is fake and most people do not want to mix personal feelings and work.

Particularly with contracting where you're likely to be moving on sooner than later. I really don't give a toss about what some bod was doing at the weekend or how their kids are great at everything. I know someday soon I'll have seen the back of them for good.

Same with all those prats at school/college/uni. If I really give a toss what they're doing now I'll look them up on facebook under my fake login.

Besides the internet (and CUK!) offer some relief from an otherwise lonely life on the road as a contractor. Other forms of relief are also easily obtainable for a price.

Contracting's the perfect career for me, I don't do long term commitment, and get paid handsomely for it. Never married, no kids, never owned a house. I do sympathise with all those that are plagued by stress. To me it's just another word in the dictionary.

As for homeworking, only been lucky enough to be offered it for a few months on a previous gig. It was great. Maybe if we offered a lower rate to work at home the agents would swing it for us, so they could pocket the difference!

[VectraMan]

I've been doing it for 5 months now, some of it for a client (who still owes me money), and some on my plan B. I've just had two really good days where I've got loads done, but I've found myself going whole weeks where it's hard to get on with anything.

I have the spare room as an office, which is good as it keeps the seperation, but I think the key is having enough other things in your life that you feel you get away from work. Which I don't, unfortunately, and I think that's why I struggle.

When I started this I had all these ideas about doing volunteer work, or night school classes, or anything to get out of the house now I had the time, and haven't got round to any of it.

The lack of social interaction is an issue, but then before all this I spent 18 months at a client where nobody spoke to each other; I think I prefer it this way.

[darmstadt]

7:00 - power up the laptop and VPN in. Check mails, do some work
9:00 - do other stuff
10:00 - go into town for coffee and stuff
13:00 - back home. Check mails, do some work
14:00 - bored, watch court TV and chat shows (shout at the telly a lot)
17:00 - check mails, do some work (except Fridays, 17:01 - pub)
18:00 - evening meal
20:00 - check mails
20:01 - sit down for an evening in
23:00 - check mails and power down.

8 hours minimum, sorted (actually if the work was slightly more taxing then I would put the hours in, but as the way they schedule work, 1 hour actual work = 2 hours, it all works out fine.)

[Francko]

I think that is the hardest thing

I don't miss that much. 90% of that social interaction at work is fake and most people do not want to mix personal feelings and work.

[FarmerPalmer]

but miss the social interaction.

I think that is the hardest thing

[Francko]

..plus the two my wife needs

I have initially read this as "plus the two wives I need"....

[lilelvis2000]

Yeah I'm currently "working" outta a spare room in my wife's office. Plenty of room for all the servers I use..plus the two my wife needs. I get some social interaction with other tenants in the building, plus I can just bob out whenever and for how long I like.

The only downside is that I can't access from home if I forget something or need to try an idea which flys into my head at night.

I'm hopeing that soon we'll get a larger place so I can setup at home. 'course need to find a project first to fund that.

[thunderlizard]

Sometimes it's hourly paid.

Sometimes it's involved in managing an offshore team: I pay them hourly but charge the end client a fixed price for the deliverable so it's in my interests to get things done to a high standard without dawdling.

And sometimes it's not directly billable at all. Go figure that one out.

[Turion]

You just need to get into the routine that's right for you.
Mine is:
9:00 - 13:00 work
13:00 - 15:00 massive lunch break
15:00 - 18:00 work
18:00 - 19:30 break including food
19:30 - 01:00 work

Unless this is hourly paid, must be very inefficient or desperate to impress. Either way, it would not leave much time for living.

For me, a day is 8 hours max. In office or working from home.

[d000hg]

I only work from home. Normally I work 8-12.30, 1.30-6. Yesterday I logged 14 hours but the software was being demoed today. And I charge hourly, which makes me much happier to work long hours... I'm a proper nerd so I would work on my own coding if I had no work.