[Vision2020] : working from home

[Megan Prusynski]

I'll agree, working from home can be challenging and you have to have  
a lot of discipline. Small distractions arise a lot, but really  
aren't much of a problem for someone like me who is quite used to  
multi-tasking. I also don't have kids, so that makes a huge  
difference. The pets don't require much supervision other than just  
letting the dog out to go to the bathroom and giving them some  
attention once in a while. It really helps to have a certain room of  
the house as a dedicated office (this helps for tax deductions as  
well) so I can shut the door and really focus. In that regard, it's  
probably less distracting than an office full of chatty co-workers!

When I was in school I was a nanny for a designer who worked at home.  
I would come over to interact with her little one and give him the  
attention he needed so she could get her work done. Having a  
babysitter who is there while you're working would be an option for a  
work-at-home parent, and may be a little cheaper than day care.

Working at home is not for everyone, but I sure love it! :) It can  
get lonely at times, but that's why I interact with others online. I  
learn a great deal from fellow designers on a design forum I  
frequent, and it gives me someone to talk to, although virtually,  
while I'm waiting for files to upload or for Photoshop to open. I  
also talk to all my co-workers on IM and on the phone. I have to be  
sure to get out on evenings and weekends once in a while or I feel  
like I'm trapped in this house, though. I sure don't mind having no  
commute (unless you call walking from the bedroom to the office a  
commute - lol) and for me at least, the benefits far outweigh the  
disadvantages. It really depends on the person and the job, it works  
out well for me since I do design, which is all digital anyway, and  
I'm pretty self-motivated, organized, and focused (well, when I want  
to be).

Just a little perspective from someone who works at home. Speaking of  
which, I gotta get back to work, my files are done uploading! :)

peace,
~megan

On Feb 28, 2007, at 1:46 PM, vision2020-request at moscow.com wrote:

> There's another problem attached to working from home.  It's the  
> lack of validity often attached to a "working from home" job.  I'm  
> not talking about professional validity, but family validity.   
> Maybe others have figured out how to do it, but many of the women  
> who work from home are still seen by family members--husbands and  
> dependent children as being there for them regardless.    Even with  
> an office in the home,  "where's the peanut butter?" or "why did  
> you wash only one of my white socks?" intervene---you get the  
> drift--if you aren't a husband or dependent child.
>
> The solution.  Well women who work at home take their children to  
> daycare if they can afford it and god only knows what they do with  
> their husbands.
>
> Sue Hovey
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Megan Prusynski
>   To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>   Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 10:10 AM
>   Subject: [Vision2020] Panel Rejects Day-Care Rule - Working at Home
>
>
>   I work at home here in Moscow. It's really easy to do and quite  
> common in my field (graphic & web design) and I know of other  
> designers in the area that do the same thing. I work for an  
> organization based in Virginia, actually most of our web designers  
> telecommute, as it saves on overhead as well as allowing us to be  
> home with our families (which for me means I don't have to abandon  
> my "furry children" all day). I also do freelance work from home.  
> No commute so I use fewer fossil fuels, saves my employers and  
> clients money since there's less overhead, and I get to work in my  
> pjs if I so desire. Win-win situation! :)
>
>
>   As for the day care bill, I am very sad to see this happen in  
> Idaho. I used to intern for IdahoSTARS, a local non-profit that  
> works to improve child care in the state (actually I worked with  
> several of the people quoted in the article) so this issue really  
> hits home. We definitely need better standards to improve child  
> care in this state, and it's very sad to see that all the hard work  
> done by the agencies hoping to improve Idaho's child care situation  
> was in vain on this bill. It is blatant disregard for less  
> fortunate working families in this state. How can mom stay home  
> with the kids if she has to work two jobs just to support them on  
> our extremely low minimum-wage? I certainly hope that things  
> improve for child care in this state. Kinda makes me glad I don't  
> have (human) children...
>
>
>   peace,
>   ~megan

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