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In the age of the computer and fast Internet connections it has become more common for people to work from their own home rather than commuting to an office. If you have the possibility of working at home and are not yet decided whether you should try it out, first consider the advantages and disadvantages before making your choice. In this article I explore three advantages and three disadvantages of working at home.

First let’s look at the advantages of shifting your workplace to your own home.

1. Flexibility is the first big advantage of working at home. When you are at home you can work nicely, but also be available in case of any family emergencies or non-work related needs. If you are raising kids or taking care of pets or a garden, then being at home means that you can, take a few minutes off to do things that you would never be able to do if you were miles away in an office.

2. Working at home means you don’t have to commute for hours and hours. How much time do you spend commuting to work each day? Wouldn’t you like to use this time more productively or use it for more enjoyable activities? If you work at home you can use the commuting time for some better purpose.

3. Reducing expenses is the third big advantage to working at home. If you are a self employed person then you can make major savings by working at home and not renting your office and paying extra utility bills as well. Not only do you gain by eliminating office costs, but you gain by not paying the bill for commuting to and from work. This saving will come to anyone who works at home, whether self employed or whether you work for someone else.

But there are possible negative factors associated with working at home. Let’s consider them now.

1. Flexibility can turn into endless distractions. If you are not careful, your close proximity to the other parts of your life could reduce your effectiveness at work. Many family matters can be done in non-work hours, but if you are nearby you may be called to do those tasks during your most productive working hours. It all depends on how disciplined you are, and also on how you are treated by your family.

2. Some people work less effectively when they are at home. If you need a very formal atmosphere in order to perform well, then working at home may not be for you. There is a lot of temptation to get up and do some non-work tasks when you are at home, and if you are not careful you could lose valuable time. This is a factor that will vary from person to person, and is a bit subjective but you should consider it.

3. You may overwork when you are working from your home. When you work in an office for fixed hours, then you usually can go home and forget about work. When your office is a few steps from your living room, then you may be tempted to put in extra time on the computer and you may end up with less leisure time than before. Once again, it all depends on you and how well you can manage your time.

As we have seen, there are considerable attractions to working at home, but there are possible difficulties as well. Weigh all the factors before making a decision to start working at home.

Jon Reed is a staff writer for the American Educational Guidance Center which develops online degree and online college websites.