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‘Working life isn’t 9-5 any more. The world is connected. Companies that do not embrace this are missing a trick’ says Virgin boss Richard Branson.

This was in reaction to Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer telling employees who work remotely, they need to move back to working in the company offices. In fact, Richard Branson is so passionate about it, he goes on to say ‘We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they are at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will.’

If you look at the statistics there seems to be a quiet revolution taking place, particularly across the working parents of Australia, but what’s it really like to work from home?

There is of course the obvious benefits… no traffic jams, increased flexibility and if you really want to, you can stay in your pyjamas all day.

However, what else do mums who are working from home say about this? I took to the streets; okay to Facebook, to ask some seasoned work-from-home mums, what it was really like.

‘You get so much done!’ they chorused! One of the most amazing things about working from home, especially with children in tow, is the injection of super powers.

Once the kids are down for an afternoon sleep, or off to school for the day, you absolutely go for it, with an unrelenting enthusiasm knowing that your time is limited.



It’s true isn’t it, the longer you have to do something, the longer you take. And the opposite is true too. If you have a deadline, like the school bell, there’s no room for procrastination. ‘I amaze myself on a daily basis’ said one mum.

You become a champion multi-tasker. Much like an octopus with eight tentacles… one swinging the baby chair, another putting on the dishwasher, whilst simultaneously responding to an email. ‘I am very used to putting the washing on with phone in hand’, stated another. Most commonly referred to as the ‘juggle’, our work from home mums are so good at it, it’s surprising they haven’t been poached by the circus.

It’s more creative. Writers, designers and artists can all attest to feeling more creative when not chained to an office desk.

Being able to type in the sunshine or draw in the early hours of the morning, as the rest of the household is still sound asleep are often when the magic moments happen.

I know as a graphic designer and writer myself; the ‘big idea’ often strikes as I’m sipping hot chocolate, nestled into my home studio, babes fast asleep upstairs.

Working from home is on the rise and for good reason. With all the benefits, hand in hand with the challenges of modern parenting, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that 590 people are searching how to set up a business from home on Google per month!

Many of us are trying to earn a living to support our family’s finances, whilst still being there to meet our responsibilities as parents, and the traditional 9-5 office job is just not conducive to making this happen.

‘One day offices will be a thing of the past’ declares Branson. I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Are you lucky enough to work from home? Are you more productive? Please SHARE in the comments below.

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  • Even more so after covid

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  • Unless one is extremely well organised and focused on their business model [or the boss’s business] it is extremely hard to work productively from home – all the little distractions pop up and it is easy to put things off when you shouldn’t.
    As they say – be careful for what you wish for. Something suffers – either home or work.

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  • Wish I could work from home.

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  • Uh I would love to be able to work from home!

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  • I am on maternity leave until May and would love to be able to work from home. Our little one is due soon and I’m already not looking forward to going back to work. My occupation is childcare, but Family Day Care isn’t really suitable as my older son will be starting Kinder next year and it won’t be practical.

    I wish this article had links to actual job opportunities to be able to work from home (direct selling as well as office type work)

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  • if I could think of an idea that earned my what I earn at work, I would be home – for sure!

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  • I think working from home would be ideal at times!

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  • Am I the only one who disagrees that working from home is good??? I just think ‘home is home’ and ‘work is work’. I don’t like the idea of brining work into my home as then there’s no limits as to when I’m actually working. Need to be so much more disciplined! I also love the social aspect of being in a workplace.

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  • I am extremely lucky to have fallen into a new Home Business called Four Oceans. With Four Oceans we don’t have to buy anything, nor do we have to sell anything, Four Oceans markets Self Improvement and Personal Development with Travel as a Bonus. It is our Mission to spread GLOBAL HAPPINESS.

    There are four levels you can Join: Entry which is totally free, no hidden costs, you have the opportunity to do our 21 Days of Happiness Program, you are invited to attend Vacationars all around the world. (These are Seminars on Vacation) all Designed to bring happiness to you, and something really special for our FREE members is the all new Explorer Lite, it is a travel portal with the cheapest holidays you will find. Explorer Lite is being launched in the next couple of weeks.

    Then there is ‘Elevate’, ‘Elite’ and the best of all is ‘Explorer’. As Explorer has just been launched, it is usually a one time fee of US$497 and US$99.97 per month, now, I can give you a $200 voucher, so it is only US $297 and US$79.97 per month. You get so much too much to mention, but the Explorer Travel Portal is the best in the world. I have upgraded to Explorer and my goodness, I am amazed how much I can save in accommodation.

    If you want to learn more, you can go to http://doodles.fouroceans.net and look at the videos and scroll down the main page to learn about Four Oceans or even go to my Facebook Page – Dee’s “Four Oceans” Family.

    That is what we are, a big family. I love this type of family, we work together and we are there for eachother. So, if you like to travel, and if you thought you could never travel overseas, you are wrong. Now you can travel anywhere in the world for incredible prices. Just choose where and you will not regret signing up for FREE.

    xxx Dee

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  • yes i would love to work from home

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  • This is certainly a contemporary article, working from home is so much easier than it used to be.

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  • I think this is so relevant – especially if you are unable to work 9 – 5 but can put in the hours elsewhere

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  • Working from home is a win/win solution for individuals and the organisations you work for, the up side is far more than the down side.

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  • Twelve years ago, I started balancing work in an office with being a carer and a mother. I was lucky to be able to segregate a portion of my work I could take home and work from there 1-2 days a week, and commute the other days for the work I couldn’t. But it was very much dependant on the nature of work, how much networking is required, and working efficiently as part a team. My hat is off to employers who work with their staff to open up this opportunity, and to the entrepeneurs who run their own home businesses.

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  • Great article and great read. I would love to be able to work from home. Just not sure what I could do though

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