I have been doing this for almost 3 years now and I surely agree that work from home is at the same time the best and worst in the world.
Its very nice because, as you said, you control everything.
However it is also very bad because you do not have enough contact with other humans.
And I'm not saying this because there no one to chit-chat, but because there is no one to talk about work. As a developer, getting input from others, even if they tell you that what you are doing sucks or does not worth it, is very important because a) In case they say bad things it can help you improve it and b) If they are wrong, it reassures you of what you are doing, giving you confidence. When you do not have anyone to share work with, you can get stuck for hours even if you are writing the best code of your life.
Regarding interruptions I think I learned how to deal with them. I try not to fight myself so if I want to go watch some series or do some other stuff, I just do it. When I need to deliver something my brain naturally does not make me want do other stuff than work so I gave up trying to control this. Instead I use the energy that I get from not fighting my body in work when I really need to do it.
Well stated. I tend to look at it in a similar way, but phrased differently: When you decide to work from home vs. in an office, neither is better or worse, you're simply trading one set of problems for another.
For example, you brought up lack of human contact, and I sympathize. Team interaction was huge for me when I worked in an office, and I didn't realize how much I took it for granted until I started working from home. When you trade that for the solitude and separation that comes with working from home, things get lonely
fast. However, when I really need to get work done, the solitude is a huge net positive.
I've experienced many other this-for-that trade offs, but the social loss is one that I identify with the most. I think software developers have a stereotype of sitting in front of a computer and writing code all day, mostly in isolation. That may be true to a varying degree, but I think the social aspects of software development are underrated, and working from home has helped me realize that.
I think this is the key. I tried almost all work models (partially remote, full remote, office work and so on) and found that each of then has pros and cons and the secret is to find which one offers you the most pain solvers and which offers the problems you can live with.
Personally I find much more value in not being disturbed all the time and avoid the harassment that work in an office can bring to your life. On the other side, even if it´s harder to do tech work on my own I think I prefer this to having to waste time commuting and get caught in middle of unproductive conversations all the time.
Its very nice because, as you said, you control everything. However it is also very bad because you do not have enough contact with other humans.
And I'm not saying this because there no one to chit-chat, but because there is no one to talk about work. As a developer, getting input from others, even if they tell you that what you are doing sucks or does not worth it, is very important because a) In case they say bad things it can help you improve it and b) If they are wrong, it reassures you of what you are doing, giving you confidence. When you do not have anyone to share work with, you can get stuck for hours even if you are writing the best code of your life.
Regarding interruptions I think I learned how to deal with them. I try not to fight myself so if I want to go watch some series or do some other stuff, I just do it. When I need to deliver something my brain naturally does not make me want do other stuff than work so I gave up trying to control this. Instead I use the energy that I get from not fighting my body in work when I really need to do it.