Why I Work From Home

Not too long ago, I posted about what I do for a living.

Part and parcel of that experience is the fact that I work from home 100% of the time. Many tiny house dwellers chose to build a second, smaller structure to act as an office or a studio. I have specifically chosen not to do that and I wanted to tell you why.

My entire goal for simplifying my life and working as a freelancer was to be able integrate my work and my life as much as possible. 

I don't want my work to be a separate thing that I "go to." I want it to organically be part of my life. When I work I don't just sit at the computer for 8 hours straight. However, my time away from my desk isn't really considered a break, either. Everything is fully integrated. My "work" is something I love to do so I don't usually need to find motivation.

Don't get me wrong - there are days that I would rather go outside and play than stay in and work at the computer but it is pretty easy to manage because when I want to go outside, I do.

My work does define me to some degree, but not in the sense that I am a workaholic who has a hard time balancing my home life and my job. When I use to talk about Work/Life balance to my employees and clients I didn't really understand what it could mean. I have come to realize that it can mean that my work and my life influence and enhance each other.

I don't see a big difference between what I do and how I live. I don't even think there are words for it in the English language. We are so ingrained to see work in terms of "Career" or "Job" that there is a sense of separation that is inherent in it. The closest I have come to the right phrase to convey what I fell about working is "Work/Life Blend." Even still, that article makes a case for 24/7 connection to your job and working on vacations, which isn't exactly what I mean.

I don't want to "take vacation time" to begin with. I want to be flexible to travel whenever I want and if have to meet deadlines while I am away from home then it is just part of my working experience. This concept is best known as location independence.

I am living my life. Part of my life is writing and that is how I get paid and how I am able to participate in the economy. I can call it work if you like because there isn't a better word, but that isn't how I think of it. It is just life for me.