I was lucky enough to be able to work remotely for the last few months. It was a huge boon that allowed me to move to Texas, live with my husband and not end up in a really lousy situation with my lease in Michigan. All around, a good thing that I am very grateful for!
That said, after a few months, I had begun to wonder if I was really living the dream. Sure I could wake up 20 minutes before I had to start work. And I didn't have to wear anything more formal than a hoodie. Lunch was easy too and I didn't need to have anything prepared in advance.
I also had no work-life separation. It was too easy for me to work all night long, after working all day long, because my office was also my home. I didn't have anyone to talk to during the day and started to go pretty stir crazy. Eventually motivation was pretty hard to come by with no colleagues, few deadlines and no meetings or phone calls. I used to be a work at home pro, when I only did it every once and a while, but after a few months I was struggling.
After a month of wind-down on the project I had been working on, I started a new postdoc down here in Houston last week. It comes with a hefty commute and a more formal dress code than a hoodie and shorts but it is also providing me with a lot of structure, people to talk to during the day and a challenging set of goals and objectives. Best of all, when I come home at night, I can leave my work at the office (I might choose not to but that's a different issue...)!
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