2010 was a significant year in my life. It was when I discovered that I have a major potential to make money online and work from the comforts of my home. I worked as a freelance writer, graphics designer  and web administrator. Fast forward to 2012, I am now a Social Media Manager for a US-based company and I can’t be more thankful. I believe I am where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I was destined for.

Working online has many perks, but I had to go through a couple of hurdles along the way because I’m used to working with a team that I meet up face to face. Good thing that we’re pretty much independent on what we’d like to do, so there’s not much need for face time. Plus, there are a ton of tools out there that make working online at home and dealing with a team that are miles away from you a whole lot easier and manageable. There’s also Skype if we do need that face-to-face meetings with our boss who’s based in New York. The possibilities are endless! 🙂

I have friends who envy me for being able to work at home. I mean, what’s not to love? Let me share with you some of the reasons I feel so lucky and blessed to be given this opportunity to work at home.

No more hours of getting stuck in traffic and spending too much time on the road. Living in a place where the nearest office I can possibly work in is at least one hour and a half away does suck. I spend a total of at least three (3) hours per day to get to and from work. Now, I wake up at least an hour before my work schedule, I  take a bath and put on my regular clothes, and voila! I’m ready for my 8-hour shift! 🙂 This has enabled me to spend more time with my family. I don’t get off work feeling very tired enough to not even be able to carry a decent 15-minute conversation with my family. 🙂

Less distractions, less temptations. I know, this might sound funny, but in my case, I can focus more when I have in a controlled environment. I’m a control freak like that. 😀 I don’t have a colleague around me who’ll ask me to go on a quick smoke (good for my health too! I stopped smoking again and it’s been months since my last one). I can focus on what needs to get done while still being able to coordinate with my team who are at their own homes through Skype. In a way, it makes me more efficient. 🙂

Less expenses on transportation and food. When I used to work in Cubao, which was the closest office I’ve ever worked in for the past decade, I spend Php 100-200 for transportation everyday when I was taking the bus. I spend about Php 50-100 on my meals or food at work. I had no time to cook and prepare food, so I spend Php 150-300 per day. When I got promoted, I chose to take a cab to and from work, which increased my expenses to Php 300-500 per day. I was earning Php 1,000+ on a daily. Imagine how much money I’m losing. Now, though my salary is a fraction of what I used to receive, it’s manageable since I have less expenses. (But, of course, I wish I am earning more. 😉 )

Being in charge of what goes on in your ‘office’ makes it less stressful. If I need to take a quick break to stretch, eat a snack or just to rest my eye for spending hours in front of the computer, I can do so without worrying about my boss breathing down my neck the whole time. Being in control makes me more efficient because I feel less stressed and pressured. However, I feel like I’m just lucky to be working for a company who trusts that I’m doing my job well, and I believe I have showed them my dedication through how I take ownership. 🙂

Those are just the main perks of working online. I’d be sharing the other side of working online on my next post about what I hate about working online. And, of course, more reasons I love working online and at home.

If you’re an online worker like I am, please share your thoughts or whatever perks you’re currently enjoying other than the ones I listed here. 🙂