The real working from home opportunities

No, I’m not talking about those so-called working from home opportunities you see plastered all over the internet whenever the phrase ‘work from home’ is typed in. The invitations to earn $1000 a week working part-time, or that persistent ‘mom’ who pops up claiming to earn unheard-of amounts in her spare time.

What I have in mind are the real working from home opportunities, the many opportunities you have, not being stuck in a workplace all day, to do all sorts of useful things that office-dwelling folk have to leave till after work or the weekends.

I’m thinking of the little jobs that a home worker can weave into their day alongside and between work, making the most of quiet times when the kids are at school and the shops are empty. The kind of things that make commuters look all wistful when you describe your home working day.

For example today I took my car in for a service before starting work and picked it up later, after popping into the supermarket to top up on a few essentials. Yesterday we checked out the M&S food shop at the time staff were marking down the bargains.

Working from home opportunities

Appointments with the doctor, dentist, hospital, vet.
Haircut, massage, beauty treatment.
Food shopping.
Clothes shopping.
PO – no queues!
Go out for coffee.
See family or friends, spend time with children.
Home worker’s date.
Volunteering.
Washing, ironing, cleaning.
Cooking.
Gardening.
DIY.
Exercise, sport.
Adult education classes.
Take dog for a walk.
Take in parcels.
Wait for gasman.
Let in workmen to work on the house.

This is the way I work anyway, but that’s because I’m what Plantronics call an Integrator, someone who switches from work to domestic mode easily throughout the day. If you’re a Boundary Keeper, on the other hand, you prefer to keep work and personal commitments separate and are less likely to pop out on an errand during ‘work‘ hours. There’s more on blurring versus balancing on the WorkSnug blog.

Which are you? What do you consider your best working from home opportunities? What have I missed off the list?