Why Getting A Remote Job Will Make You Happier, Healthier and More Productive

If you’ve considered or researched working remotely in any capacity, I’m sure you’ve seen the myriad of studies that discuss the positive outcomes: increased revenue and decreased expenditure for companies, environmental impact, faster company growth, etc. And all of those things are truly awesome. But something that’s not fully transparent from these studies is the full depth of how much it can improve an individual’s quality of life.

I’ve been working from home for the past 4 years, and during this time I’ve seen the conversation around remote work slowly growing. The remote work revolution that’s taking place is in it’s new “sexy” phase - and if you’re following it, you know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen the stunning images of people working from mountaintops, articles titled “how I made $9,000 a month working from Bali” or the companies popping up for remote worker adventures - again, all truly awesome. But what does the remote work revolution mean for someone like me? A mom in her 30’s with no ability to just disappear for a year to work in the jungle? Well, it’s not quite as sexy, but it is just as awesome!

Despite being able to have ‘complete’ freedom to work from anywhere as is often touted, remote work has still had a real impact in making me a healthier, happier, more productive human being. Here’s how

Bye bye commute! I would consider myself to be a pretty kind person. (You know, I’m polite to waiters, I hold the door open for elderly folk, I make cookies for the new neighbors and all that jazz) - but the second someone cuts me off on the highway, I immediately resort to using some very unsavory language and gestures. And I know I’m not alone here people. One recent study showed over a 7 year study period, there were more than 12,000 preventable injuries and over 200 murders associated directly to road rage!

And while of course most of population would consider this outrageous, it just goes to show the level of stress that’s associated with commuting during peak times. You don’t understand how much that stress truly contributes to your overall well being until you are able to stop being a part of that madness and you watch other people go through it from the sidelines in silent relief. Not to mention, it really gives you back like 2 hours of your day that you can spend doing other things. Which leads me into the next point…

Work life balance isn’t a unicorn. It actually does exist, and it can be almost easy to achieve when you take out a constricting schedule and a long commute. If you weren’t spending 30 minutes in the morning picking out an outfit, 30 minutes packing your lunch or doing makeup/getting gas etc. and then another 30-45 minutes heading to the office and back, that’s almost 3 hours of your day, more than 1,000 hours a year you can spend doing other things that actually make you truly happy like hanging out with your family or pursuing a hobby. You know, living your life.

And another big thing that has made me happier working remotely? The trust I feel from my company and the pride in my work that comes from that. As moral adults, why shouldn’t we be able to work where and when it best suits us? I’m a firm believer that the people who would slack off and take advantage of working remote are the same people who are going to eventually fail in a corporate environment anyway. My company knows it, and everyone else should too. Contrary to what some bigger corporations might think, having a boss literally breathing down your neck doesn’t make you want to achieve more in your position. Why is that just now becoming a revelation?

It all kind of goes back to the point above - more time! More time to cook healthy food (and eat a breakfast that includes more than just black coffee and a bag of jellybeans I found in my car), more time to exercise when it suits me. 1pm Yoga class? Sign me up! I’ll work around it. Plus it will help me focus during my late afternoon meetings. Quick walk around the block with my dog at 10:30am? Yes I think I will, and during that I can brainstorm work ideas while my blood is actually flowing. Need to make a doctor appointment? Oh, I actually can do that now without having to know 3 weeks in advance, before I even know I’m going to get sick, to get it approved - nice! I can’t stress this enough, when you’re in charge of planning your own day, you will feel more balanced and you will have more time to make yourself a priority which benefits everyone involved - you, your family, AND your employer / business.

Some people might argue that remote workers miss out on much needed collaboration with co-workers. I could debate this point all day considering the advances in face-to-face meeting software, but let’s even put that point aside for now and look at a couple others.

1. Just watch this TedTalk from Stanford Professor Nicholas Bloom. It will tell you everything you need to know about why being outside the office has been proven to increase worker productivity.

2. I am most productive in the mornings for two reasons: silence, and coffee. I like knocking out part of my day while everyone is still asleep, and with the flexibility of remote work, I can do that. I also like being done with my workday by the time my after-lunch induced coma hits and I become a breathing robot. Again, working while you are the sharpest helps you get more done.

3. I loved my old cubicle-mate at my last job, we’ll call her Susan, and her kids were truly adorable. But I probably spent 5 hours a week just listening to stories about their sports, friends and school work. I enjoyed it, it was fun, but it also took time away from projects I could have been doing at the time that then kept me at work later and took time away from my own family. Talks with coworkers are nice, but they can become a huge distraction in today’s open office environments, one of the biggest I’d argue. And if you remove that distraction, you’re going to see the amount you can get done really skyrocket. No offense to all the Susan’s out there - you keep cubicle life interesting so keep doing you, girl!

What we’ve discussed here is honestly just the tip of the iceberg. So, even if it’s not in the cards for you to quit your job and take your laptop to Tahiti, I’d still encourage you to pursue working remotely. If you can’t find a new remote job, take steps to make your current job more flexible (Find tips for doing this with this blog from 1 million for work flexibility). The remote work conversation is going to continue growing. Become a part of it, and realize for yourself the difference it makes!