9 Reasons Why Working Outside the Office Seems Easy and Why It’s Not

Before making a decision, it is useful to analyze how realistic your views and expectations are.




One in two people dream of working remotely. It is an idyllic picture: working in pajamas, flexible schedule, the absence of a boss behind his back. But reality is much more complicated than romantic representations. Research shows that 68 percent of remote employees experience problems they didn’t know they had in the office.


Remote work is not just transferring office tasks to a home environment. This is a radical paradigm shift that requires new skills, discipline, and an understanding of one’s own psychology.


The Illusion of Simplicity: Where Does Delusion Come From?

The human brain is prone to cognitive distortions, especially when it comes to unfamiliar experiences. We extrapolate known patterns to new situations without considering their specifics. Office work seems difficult precisely because we face its difficulties on a daily basis. Remote work seems easy because we only see its external attributes.



9 reasons for the illusory ease of remote work

1. Romancing the home environment
Home is associated with comfort and relaxation. It seems that working in a familiar environment will be easier and more enjoyable. However, the house is full of distractions: household chores, relatives, pets, the temptation to “watch the series quickly”.
Reality: Turning a home into an office requires clear zoning and iron discipline. Many remoters rent individual coworkings precisely because of the inability to concentrate at home.



2. Reevaluating your own self-discipline
People tend to overestimate their ability to control themselves in hypothetical situations. In the office, external frames create the structure of the working day, when working remotely, this structure must be created independently.
A Stanford University study found that only 23% of people are able to maintain high productivity when working from home without additional controls.





3. Underestimating the importance of social interaction
Introverts are especially inclined to believe that the absence of colleagues will be a boon. However, a person is a social being, and even minimal interaction with colleagues plays an important role in motivation and psychological well-being.
Elena, a programmer with five years of experience, moved to remote, and six months later felt an acute need for communication: “I thought I would be happy without office chatter.” It turned out that these empty conversations gave me energy and new ideas.


4. The illusion of schedule flexibility
Flexibility seems like absolute freedom, but in practice it is a double-edged sword. The lack of a clear time frame can lead to blurring the boundaries between work and personal life.
The paradox of remote work: 43% of remote workers work more hours than their office counterparts and feel less productive.



5. Underestimation of technical difficulties
In the office, IT support solves technical problems. At home, you become your own system administrator. Unstable Internet, problems with equipment, the need to ensure information security – all this falls on your shoulders.


6. Reassessing time and money savings
The lack of a road to the office does save time, but there are other items of expenditure: workplace equipment, increased electricity and Internet bills, the need for quality furniture to prevent health problems.


7. Underestimating the importance of professional development
In the office, professional development occurs naturally: observation of the work of colleagues, spontaneous discussions, mentoring. When working remotely, you need to make additional efforts to gain new knowledge and skills.




8. Ignoring psychological characteristics
Not all psychotypes adapt equally well to remote work. Extroverts, people with low stress resistance or a tendency to procrastinate can face serious difficulties.
Psychologists distinguish a “remote type of personality”: high self-motivation, the ability to self-organize, comfort in conditions of uncertainty, developed communication skills in the digital environment.



9. Underestimating the impact on career growth
Remote employees often face the “invisibility” effect. Lack of daily interaction with management can negatively affect career prospects, despite high productivity.




Practical recommendations for a successful transition

Remote work preparation system
Stage 1: Honest self-assessment of self-organization skills and motivation
Stage 2: Creating a full working space at home
Stage 3: Developing a clear daily routine and self-control system
Stage 4: Planning of professional development and social contacts


Lifehack from experts: Start with a hybrid work format. This will allow you to gradually adapt to remote work and identify potential problems without drastic changes in life.


Specific tools for success

Techniques of the Virtual Office: Create rituals for the beginning and end of the working day. Change into work clothes, even when working at home. This helps the brain switch between modes.

The Social Anchor Method: Schedule regular video calls with colleagues not only at work, but also for informal communication. Join professional communities in your field.

Microceles: Break down the workday into short sessions with clear tasks. This will help maintain concentration and a sense of achievement.

It's important to remember: The transition to remote work is not just a change of location, but a change in lifestyle. Give yourself time to adapt, it usually takes 3-6 months.


Conclusion

Remote work is not a universal solution for everyone. It requires specific skills, training and an honest assessment of one’s own capabilities. Romantic notions of working in pajamas with a cup of coffee can lead to stress, reduced productivity and career problems.

However, with the right approach, remote work can really become a source of freedom and professional growth. The key to success is realistic expectations, careful preparation, and a willingness to continually improve.

Remember that the best remote work is the one for which you are ready not only technically, but also psychologically. Invest time in preparation and the result will exceed expectations.


Glossary
Cognitive distortions
Systematic errors in thinking that arise due to the peculiarities of the human brain and affect decision-making and judgment.

Procrastination
A tendency to constantly postpone important and urgent matters, leading to life problems and painful psychological effects.

coworking
A work model in which people from different companies work in a common space using common infrastructure and services.

Hybrid format of work
A combination of office and remote work, in which the employee spends part of the time in the office, and part works remotely.

Extrapolation
The method of scientific research consists in extending the conclusions obtained from the observation of one part of the phenomenon to another part of it.

Information security
A set of measures aimed at protecting information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, distortion or destruction.