I am a huge remote work enthusiast and want to share 5 reasons why I love being a remote software developer.

Being a remote software developer is something I always found alluring. You wake up and that’s it — you’re already at work. Time to get down to business and code!

How awesome is that?

It kind of brings back memories of the envy I always had for those few lucky kids that lived across the street from school.

Well, now I’m basically one of those kids!

Here’s 5 things I love about being a remote developer.

1. No Travel

When somebody talks about working remotely, this is probably the first thing that comes to mind. And yes, it’s as great as you think it would be.

Morning Rush ? Gone.

Crowded Trains ? Gone.

Bad Weather ? Who cares — you’re not going outside.

Not having to travel is simply awesome.

Using Your Own Setup

Being able to use my home computer set up for work is great. I don’t have to put in any equipment requests or worry about whether or not I’m going to have a comfy chair that can properly support my body.

At home I have all the tools I need to keep myself a well-oiled machine. I get to use my mechanical keyboard, dual monitors, sit in my nice chair, and not worry about being subject to a non-ergonomic setup or any of the typical nonsense.

3. You don’t have to use headphones

When I used to work in an office, my only escape from the noise was to slap on my headphones and put my head down. This is an OK solution, but wearing headphones all day has some serious downsides. One in particular is that it can cause “Listener fatigue.” No, I didn’t make that one up. You can view the Wikipedia entry on it here.

And in the first place, I only want to listen to music for fun and relaxation –not to drown out the sound of colleagues making a huge fuss over shooting a suction cup bow and arrow at a whiteboard (I know, that does sound like a blast — but it’s not fun at all when you aren’t the one participating).

When working from home, I don’t have to worry about the same type of distractions. If I want some music or I need to listen listen to a youtube video tutorial, I can just turn on speakers at a modest volume and proceed on my merry way.

4. Make your own lunch

When you work in an office, there’s always the temptation (especially when you work in a big city), to go out for lunch. This either gets really expensive, or you end up snacking down on salty chips or whatever other junk food you have in your office. And if you do pack a lunch, whatever your bring is always soggy and unappetizing by the time you actually do eat it.

When working from home, I’m able to go to my kitchen and make myself a nice fresh meal in no time. It’s cheap, keeps my midsection from getting round, and gives me a nice little break in the middle of the day.

If you are interested in what kind of foods I eat and how that has impacted my remote life, check out my article How Diet Made Me a Better Software Developer.

5. Feeling At Ease

On some level, when you’re in a public place, no matter how familiar you are there, you can never truly feel at ease. There is always some level of stress — at least that’s how I feel.

Maybe that feeling is particular to introverts? I’m not sure.

What I do know is that when I’m working remotely, I feel considerably more relaxed. I don’t have to worry about someone looking at my screen, nor do I have to feel guilty about taking a break to surf reddit.

In fact, it’s particularly this feeling of “being at ease” that allows me to fully focus on my work. Just being in a comfortable environment and knowing that I can easily takes breaks when I need to, makes me a better and more efficient worker.

That’s just a few of the things that I love about remote work. Now I’d like to hear from you. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think about remote work.

Also, if you are interested in reading more awesome articles about being a remote software developer, please consider subscribing to my mailing list.

Thank you for reading.

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