Whenever those “work at home” scams hit my inbox, working at home in your underwear is often one of the “selling points” of the scam.
I won’t say I’ve never worked in a state of dishabille. I do sometimes.
But you know, Flylady has a point when she talks about “dressing to your shoes”. You do need a mental cue that says, “Okay, this is worktime![1]”
Do I ever work sitting propped up in bed? Goodness me, yes, I do! Finished my last project exactly that way. Sounds pretty cool, dunnit? I’m not saying it isn’t fun. It’s a lot of fun. Knowing that my “office” is my laptop, and can go anywhere is really, really cool. I’m not gonna lie to you.
But friends, work is still work. I might be working naked,[2] but I’m still working. The project still has to get done. If I take off to flit around all day because no-one is staring over my shoulder and my deadline isn’t for another week, work doesn’t get done. Cyberloafing in a formal office? Dandy. Go for it. Work isn’t getting done there, either.
But there’s a big difference between me and the person who practices the 5 Habits of the Highly Successful Slacker. He’s figured out a way to get paid without producing much.
I can’t.
I get paid when the job is done[3]. How I did it, when I did it,[4] what I was wearing when I did it… None of that matters. All that matters is “Did you finish?” and “Was it of good quality?”
Sure, sure, ideally you’ll treat your office job like that. If you do, you’ll probably have a really good, successful career and that’s awesome. The reality is that it’s awfully easy not to.
I like being my own boss and working to the job rather than to the clock.
But those “Work at home in your underwear” scams just make me roll my eyes. It makes it sound like you’ll be making a lot of money, but you won’t be working.
Don’t fall for that nonsense. You know, TANSTAAFL and all that smack.
[1] Mine is turning off my email, getting off the social networking sites, and closing chat.
[2] Though living as I do in Northern New England, it really hasn’t warmed up enough that I want to do that!
[3] Or more likely at specific milestones of the job.
[4] Providing I meet the deadline.