I spent most of my career commuting to a noisy office, so the idea of working from home always felt like a distant dream. In late 2024 my company announced that employees could choose a fully remote option starting the new year. Part of me was thrilled – no more traffic jams or packed trains – while another part of me worried. Would I get lazy without a boss looking over my shoulder? How would I handle meetings from my tiny apartment? After talking it over with my family and crunching the numbers, I decided to take the leap in January 2025.
Those first few days felt strangely liberating. Instead of throwing on a backpack and racing out the door, I brewed my coffee slowly and took a few minutes to stretch. I cleared a corner of my bedroom, brought in an old dining chair, and tried to make it feel like an office. It wasn’t glamorous: my “desk” was a wooden board on top of two crates and my cat seemed determined to sleep on my keyboard. I quickly realized that reliable Wi-Fi and a second monitor were essential, so I upgraded my router and visited the local electronics store. Setting up my own workspace was the first taste of independence.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. After the novelty wore off, I discovered just how many distractions lurk at home. There was always a load of laundry to do, a neighbour’s doorbell ringing, or a family member asking a quick question that turned into a 20-minute chat. Without the natural start and end of a commute, my workdays blurred into evenings. I found myself checking email at midnight and feeling guilty if I took a proper lunch break. To regain control, I set clear boundaries: headphones on meant “I’m at work,” and at 6 pm I closed my laptop and put it away. I also learned to schedule small breaks just like I would get up to grab a coffee at the office.
The benefits, however, were undeniable. I stopped spending two hours a day in traffic and saved a surprising amount of money on petrol and takeaway lunches. I could use that time to cook, to read, or to pick up my daughter from school. When my energy dipped, I did a quick yoga session or watered my plants instead of mindlessly scrolling social media. My productivity actually improved because there were fewer random interruptions and I could tackle deep work in blocks of time that suited me. On Fridays, I sometimes worked from a nearby café just to change the scenery.
Adapting to remote work also meant embracing new tools and habits. Video calls replaced conference rooms, and written communication became more important than ever. I learned to write clear updates on Slack, to record short Loom videos when explaining something complicated, and to invest in a decent webcam and microphone so my colleagues could hear me over the sound of my neighbour’s barking dog. Managing my own schedule forced me to be more organised: I started time blocking my calendar and setting reminders to stand up and stretch.
One thing I hadn’t anticipated was how much I would miss spontaneous chats by the coffee machine. Remote life can be isolating if you let it. To counter this, our team started a virtual “lunch table” once a week where we’d hop on Zoom and talk about everything except work. We celebrated birthdays over group calls, sent each other silly memes, and even organised an online game night. It wasn’t the same as high-fiving someone in person, but it reminded me that real humans were on the other side of the screen.
As the months went by, my perspective shifted. I stopped longing for the office and started appreciating the flexibility. My health improved because I slept better and ate meals I cooked myself. I discovered that I could plan errands during off-peak hours, which saved time and stress. The downside? It’s easy to feel like you’re always “on.” There were weeks when I realised I hadn’t left the house for three days. On those days I forced myself to go for a walk or work from a co-working space. Small rituals like lighting a candle at the start of the day and playing music when I logged off helped me separate work from life.
So would I recommend going remote in 2025? That depends on your personality and situation. If you thrive on structure or you need constant face-to-face collaboration, you might struggle. But if you’re curious, disciplined, and craving more control over your day, remote work can be incredibly rewarding. My advice is to experiment: try one or two remote days a week, invest in a setup that makes you feel comfortable, and don’t be too hard on yourself while you find your rhythm. Looking back, taking the plunge was one of the best decisions I made this year.
