The work from home trade off
When I first started working from home, I thought I’d won the lottery. No more one-hour commute each way. No more winter mornings scraping the windshield. No more rushing from office to daycare pickup like I was in a Formula 1 pit stop. But what I didn’t realize was that those two hours I got back each day didn’t become my hours—they became everyone else’s.
Working from home sounds flexible, but sometimes it just means being the default for everything. The one who leaves for the mid-morning dentist appointment, the one who’s home for early release, the one who can “just throw in a load of laundry” between meetings. You become the meal prepper, snack packer, dog feeder, dog walker, and occasional household tech support. You look around and realize your office doubles as your living room, so suddenly you’re also the cleaning crew because, well, you have to look at it all day.
It’s not that I don’t love being here—it’s that here never ends. There’s no door to close, no commute to signal the start or end of the day. Just a slow slide from “I’m working” to “I guess I’ll unload the dishwasher before my next Zoom.” And while I’ve traded the drive for more time at home, I’ve picked up invisible hours—little five-minute tasks that add up to a full shift of managing a household that’s now also my workplace.
Working from home has been a gift in many ways. I get to see more of my family. I can take a walk with the dogs between meetings. But it’s also a cocoon—comfortable, safe, and sometimes a little too still. The challenge is remembering that being home doesn’t mean being available. That rest is still necessary. That boundaries still apply, even if the office is down the hall.
Maybe what we really need isn’t another productivity hack or app timer. Maybe we just need to see each other again. If you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, or remote worker who spends your days talking to screens and your nights trying to remember when you last had an in-person conversation—this is for you. We’re starting a Burlington, Vermont Work-From-Home Women’s Meetup. Once a month. No pressure. No pitches. Just real talk, real connection, and maybe a little caffeine (okay, definitely caffeine). Because working from home doesn’t have to mean working alone. Sometimes the most radical form of self-care for women who build, create, and lead from home is simply stepping out of the house.
