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Pants are overrated... I did at least put shorts on today.

abridgel, why don't you start a business on the side. I've had 10 ideas today just from reading this board. Loans, Swingers Website, Dog Walking, Furnace Cleaner, Restaurant Owner, Open a parking lot next to No Frills, Open a Daycare, Sell toboggans...

I do love my job and I work from home. I've spent over 25 years as an administrative assistant working for someone else. When my employer gave me the opportunity to pursue other interests (5 years ago), I took it and ran with it and have never looked back. I'm a "Virtual Assistant". I provide administrative support to other small business owners (most who work from their homes as well) and I do it all remotely from my home office. I set my own hours, work when I want, take time off when I want and answer to no one but myself. Unfortunately, I can't take snow days but if I feel like going out for a while I just do it.

Of course, you need to have some sort of discipline but I charge by the hour so if I don't do the work I don't get paid. Right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you can find something to work on from home, I'd say go for it.

I think you may need to reevaluate if you are doing something you enjoy. I for one, work from home a few days a week, and go into the office other days. I enjoy my job though. The work environment here is great, we are allowed to take breaks and use the company games room, etc... Looks to me based on what you're writing that you may not be enjoying your job/company environment. Time for a change?

Of course, maybe i'm reading you wrong and you simply don't wanna work.

That may get boring after a while, I dunno...

LOL Mike!!

I have a lot to say on this topic, but I'll try keep it short.
The main theme is it's YOUR life, and YOU are in control. You dictate how much you want to earn to reflect the lifestyle you want to live (creating the perfect balance for YOU - this balance idea is different for everybody)

Out of school, I got into the IT game. worked hard and worked more, built a reputation, then a business, and had the skills and reputation to charge crazy good money... ON the side, I kept my real estate passion alive whenever possible. Then the kid came along, and I wanted nothing more than to cut down my hours, the commute, and everything that took time away from my family.

I used my reputation to prove that I could do 5 days of work in 4, reducing my commute to 3 days (working from home on the 4th day, and not working at all on the 5th to be with my kid all day.)
... eventually I weeded that out completely and left the IT game to do the Real Estate thing FULL time. Yeah, I took a temporary pay cut since I only take on 3 clients at a time, and the money isn't as ludicrous at some of the IT contracts I had, but MAN is it ever worth it.
Not only do I absolutely LOVE what I do, I get to meet new people all the time, stay in Milton most of the time, stay close to my kid, and set my own hours. If I want to play with my kid for a few hours, and work on feature sheets, videos, and property research while he's napping or in bed at night, I can do that!
If it doesn't feel like 'work' and is something you really enjoy, it's EASY to stay away from playing xbox while you should be working. (lol)

A tip - I worked from home full time for 3 years straight in the IT business a long time ago - that was with IBM, and I found they have the MOST jobs (technical but some non-technical) that allow the work-from-home arrangement - in fact, they really do encourage it! Don't bother searching job sites for 'work-from-home' - you will find nothing but scams and money making systems LOL!

https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/search.jsp

search for all jobs in canada, then sort by location. "Canada (any)" means working from home, and there are currently 28 jobs in that category.

By the way, what do you do??

I work in IT as well.

abridgel wrote:

I work in IT as well.

Then IBM is a good bet

There are a few other companies really good as well with the work from home, but IBM is the best since they are CHEAP and don't want to pay rent on office buildings to house their staff that don't need to be there

Email me and we can discuss it detail if you like!

I can also dig up some old contacts too, if you are in a tech field that I dealt with in the past.
Fred

I do work from home 100% of the time and love it, and yes even so, I am tired of the 9-5 thing, hell when we played on the pond a few weeks back I literally told my boss I'll be back in a few and went. Like the OP admits, your work motivation dicipates and you find youself more motivated to live. That's what keeps me here, I mean I like what I do, but a job is a job and in reality I'm ambitious for life, not to climb the corporate ladder. So my work balance is perfect, only because the home part works so darn good that it's worth being a little bored at work.

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:15 am ]
Post subject:	Work/Life Balance
As the years go by and I get older I find myself valuing my time more and more and more. I used to think I wanted to be the "go-getter" at work, put extra time in and impress my bosses and move up the corporate ladder. However lately I have been finding myself sneaking away from work as much as possible. I have always been a a lazy worker but had a knack of knowing when to push through work or let it slide. Now I am finding myself not even caring about when to push through the work - I've found an employer that lets me come to work late and leave early (they don't watch us like hawks and as long as we are getting our work done they don't care). I think I do the bare minimum but they seem happy. Now I think I may be getting spolied cause in recent weeks, months I have been thinking about it and I want to find a position where I can work from home at least %50 so that I may free up more time for personal things I enjoy. My wife and I make decent money and I am very thankful for that. Anyone else just thinkn that the 9-5 job thiingy isn't working out for them? By no means am I going to quit my job but I would love an even better work/life balance. Looking for similiar stories, situations or general comments.

Author:	MJD03 [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:32 am ]
Post subject:
Is 9-5 working out for anyone?? Who want's to sit at a desk all day, staring at a computer screen pretending to actually be interested in what their doing? I sure as hell don't, but hey...it pays the bills. Hence why I'm on here 95% of my working day, I can't concentrate on actual work for more then 10 mins...

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:34 am ]
Post subject:
Do you guys ever think about looking for another job? Maybe finding a position that is work from home? I understand that "Hey it pays the bills" mentality but sometimes it's just maddening that I waste 80% of my day here. I don't hate my job - but when I think about it life is short and basically I'm wasting time.

Author:	Sir Ryasus [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:40 am ]
Post subject:
working from home would make it even worse from me. My employer encourages it, but I never end up getting anything done except playing NHL on my xbox and watching porn. I'm glad I have to come to work, it gives me and excuse to put on pants.

Author:	MJD03 [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:43 am ]
Post subject:
Of course. But I realize I've never been happy at any job. I've been in retail and the service industry and just as unhappy as I am in an office. I just don't think I'm cut out to work, period. But we all need money... I often think about how we've only got one life and I spend 40 hours a week doing something I don't actually want to do. Definitely wish I could be out travelling the world, or doing a job that actually makes a difference... One day I'd love to try my hand at running my own business, and work for myself, set my own hours and vacation time...but until my stroke of genius hits I'm stuck here pushing papers and sending out invoices

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Author:	mikefc [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:44 am ]
Post subject:
Pants are overrated... I did at least put shorts on today. abridgel, why don't you start a business on the side. I've had 10 ideas today just from reading this board. Loans, Swingers Website, Dog Walking, Furnace Cleaner, Restaurant Owner, Open a parking lot next to No Frills, Open a Daycare, Sell toboggans...

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:46 am ]
Post subject:
mikefc wrote: Pants are overrated... I did at least put shorts on today. abridgel, why don't you start a business on the side. I've had 10 ideas today just from reading this board. Loans, Swingers Website, Dog Walking, Furnace Cleaner, Restaurant Owner, Open a parking lot next to No Frills, Open a Daycare, Sell toboggans... I have no idea what business I would open - I make a decent salary and wouldn't want to put my family and home at risk. I love dogs but don't think I would love walking 10 dogs at a time.

Author:	DRiFT_645 [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:01 pm ]
Post subject:
I think you may need to reevaluate if you are doing something you enjoy. I for one, work from home a few days a week, and go into the office other days. I enjoy my job though. The work environment here is great, we are allowed to take breaks and use the company games room, etc... Looks to me based on what you're writing that you may not be enjoying your job/company environment. Time for a change? Of course, maybe i'm reading you wrong and you simply don't wanna work. That may get boring after a while, I dunno...

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:01 pm ]
Post subject:
virtualmary wrote: I do love my job and I work from home. I've spent over 25 years as an administrative assistant working for someone else. When my employer gave me the opportunity to pursue other interests (5 years ago), I took it and ran with it and have never looked back. I'm a "Virtual Assistant". I provide administrative support to other small business owners (most who work from their homes as well) and I do it all remotely from my home office. I set my own hours, work when I want, take time off when I want and answer to no one but myself. Unfortunately, I can't take snow days but if I feel like going out for a while I just do it. Of course, you need to have some sort of discipline but I charge by the hour so if I don't do the work I don't get paid. Right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you can find something to work on from home, I'd say go for it. Do you ever worry about not having clients?

Author:	Fred D [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:02 pm ]
Post subject:
LOL Mike!! I have a lot to say on this topic, but I'll try keep it short. The main theme is it's YOUR life, and YOU are in control. You dictate how much you want to earn to reflect the lifestyle you want to live (creating the perfect balance for YOU - this balance idea is different for everybody) Out of school, I got into the IT game. worked hard and worked more, built a reputation, then a business, and had the skills and reputation to charge crazy good money... ON the side, I kept my real estate passion alive whenever possible. Then the kid came along, and I wanted nothing more than to cut down my hours, the commute, and everything that took time away from my family. I used my reputation to prove that I could do 5 days of work in 4, reducing my commute to 3 days (working from home on the 4th day, and not working at all on the 5th to be with my kid all day.) ... eventually I weeded that out completely and left the IT game to do the Real Estate thing FULL time. Yeah, I took a temporary pay cut since I only take on 3 clients at a time, and the money isn't as ludicrous at some of the IT contracts I had, but MAN is it ever worth it. Not only do I absolutely LOVE what I do, I get to meet new people all the time, stay in Milton most of the time, stay close to my kid, and set my own hours. If I want to play with my kid for a few hours, and work on feature sheets, videos, and property research while he's napping or in bed at night, I can do that! If it doesn't feel like 'work' and is something you really enjoy, it's EASY to stay away from playing xbox while you should be working. (lol) A tip - I worked from home full time for 3 years straight in the IT business a long time ago - that was with IBM, and I found they have the MOST jobs (technical but some non-technical) that allow the work-from-home arrangement - in fact, they really do encourage it! Don't bother searching job sites for 'work-from-home' - you will find nothing but scams and money making systems LOL! https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/search.jsp search for all jobs in canada, then sort by location. "Canada (any)" means working from home, and there are currently 28 jobs in that category. By the way, what do you do??

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:06 pm ]
Post subject:
Sandeep wrote: I think you may need to reevaluate if you are doing something you enjoy. I for one, work from home a few days a week, and go into the office other days. I enjoy my job though. The work environment here is great, we are allowed to take breaks and use the company games room, etc... Looks to me based on what you're writing that you may not be enjoying your job/company environment. Time for a change? Of course, maybe i'm reading you wrong and you simply don't wanna work. That may get boring after a while, I dunno... I would say I am tired in general of doing meaninless work. I don't think I am being fufilled.

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:08 pm ]
Post subject:
Fred D wrote: LOL Mike!! I have a lot to say on this topic, but I'll try keep it short. The main theme is it's YOUR life, and YOU are in control. You dictate how much you want to earn to reflect the lifestyle you want to live (creating the perfect balance for YOU - this balance idea is different for everybody) Out of school, I got into the IT game. worked hard and worked more, built a reputation, then a business, and had the skills and reputation to charge crazy good money... ON the side, I kept my real estate passion alive whenever possible. Then the kid came along, and I wanted nothing more than to cut down my hours, the commute, and everything that took time away from my family. I used my reputation to prove that I could do 5 days of work in 4, reducing my commute to 3 days (working from home on the 4th day, and not working at all on the 5th to be with my kid all day.) ... eventually I weeded that out completely and left the IT game to do the Real Estate thing FULL time. Yeah, I took a temporary pay cut since I only take on 3 clients at a time, and the money isn't as ludicrous at some of the IT contracts I had, but MAN is it ever worth it. Not only do I absolutely LOVE what I do, I get to meet new people all the time, stay in Milton most of the time, stay close to my kid, and set my own hours. If I want to play with my kid for a few hours, and work on feature sheets, videos, and property research while he's napping or in bed at night, I can do that! If it doesn't feel like 'work' and is something you really enjoy, it's EASY to stay away from playing xbox while you should be working. (lol) A tip - I worked from home full time for 3 years straight in the IT business a long time ago - that was with IBM, and I found they have the MOST jobs (technical but some non-technical) that allow the work-from-home arrangement - in fact, they really do encourage it! Don't bother searching job sites for 'work-from-home' - you will find nothing but scams and money making systems LOL! https://jobs3.netmedia1.com/cp/search.jsp search for all jobs in canada, then sort by location. "Canada (any)" means working from home, and there are currently 28 jobs in that category. By the way, what do you do?? I work in IT as well.

Author:	Fred D [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:14 pm ]
Post subject:
abridgel wrote: I work in IT as well. Then IBM is a good bet There are a few other companies really good as well with the work from home, but IBM is the best since they are CHEAP and don't want to pay rent on office buildings to house their staff that don't need to be there Email me and we can discuss it detail if you like! I can also dig up some old contacts too, if you are in a tech field that I dealt with in the past. Fred

Author:	abridgel [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:13 pm ]
Post subject:
Fred D wrote: abridgel wrote: I work in IT as well. Then IBM is a good bet There are a few other companies really good as well with the work from home, but IBM is the best since they are CHEAP and don't want to pay rent on office buildings to house their staff that don't need to be there Email me and we can discuss it detail if you like! I can also dig up some old contacts too, if you are in a tech field that I dealt with in the past. Fred Email sent to fred@fredhelps.com

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Author:	DRiFT_645 [ Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:28 pm ]
Post subject:
Nieuwendyk1989 wrote: I do work from home 100% of the time and love it, and yes even so, I am tired of the 9-5 thing, hell when we played on the pond a few weeks back I literally told my boss I'll be back in a few and went. Like the OP admits, your work motivation dicipates and you find youself more motivated to live. That's what keeps me here, I mean I like what I do, but a job is a job and in reality I'm ambitious for life, not to climb the corporate ladder. So my work balance is perfect, only because the home part works so darn good that it's worth being a little bored at work. I feel the same way. I love the flexibility my current job gives me (working from home 2-3 days per week). It's a great way to take care of household tasks. We don't have any kids yet, but when we do, it'll be that much more rewarding to be able to spend time with the kid(s). Yay for telecommuting!!!