Perhaps because I just watched Made in Dagenham, my thoughts about working from home have coincided with those about differences for men and women in the workplace, to render this:

I bet men feel more at ease working from home because they don’t feel the pull of the home tasks as much as women do.

Granted, this popped into my head because I was thinking how much of a slob I was for leaving the flaxseeds I spilled on the floor.

But. Where was I? Yes: women perhaps preferring the siren call of the coffee shop workspace because it doesn’t nag at them about the dishes in the sink, the perfectly good lettuce wilting in the non-crisp crisper, or the plants calling for water, baking in the sun.

Like a home environment could. Hypothetically.

But there are even more conflicting strings at work here; it’s a veritable tug-o-war (and not as attractive as this one).

Why Go Out to Work

• less distraction (less anxiety/guilt)
• less loneliness (sanity)
• variety (‘a change is as good as a rest’)
• specific time commitment (pomodoro-style)

Why Stay In to Work

• less time taken (no travel and no need to be presentable)
• less money spent (for skint freelancers & to-be-discovered writers)
• to prove you’re not dependent/ challenge yourself (it may sound absurd but it enters in)
• you have everything you need there (so ‘should’ be productive)

Does this sound like a familiar head battle to anyone else? I should do this, but I should do that… competing shoulds, until you don’t really even know what you need anymore.

Do I go out to maintain my sanity and feel like a social animal amongst others?

On the other hand, what if I do, and I don’t get everything I want to get done on my list? I’ll come back home and have to keep working anyway!

On the other hand, if I don’t go out, I might just end up stewing at home, getting sucked into internet searches and non-urgent laundry loads without getting a scrap of work done, and being a complete mope besides!

It gets to be a conversation with a lot of ‘other hands…’

All this to say, it can be hard, and you’re not alone. What can you do to calm the crazy-making?

Well, you could try the quick-fixes suggested here…

Or you could try a coworking space, which can help with motivation and isolation, if you’ve got the money to spend…

Or there’s this well-balanced approach to working at home with a family…

But my favorite is my weekly GSD group.  GSD stands for Get Shit Done. It’s an accountability group, as well as a support and focus group, for people doing not-the-same things.

These ladies keep me sane! Kinda like Playgroup does for some people. 😉 I recommend you get your own small group together that you can cling to in times of madness.

Images via Just Something, Reel History, Cornel1801, & Margaret Pinard