My general attitude in life is to enjoy every minute of every day. - Richard Branson

In recent months, article upon published article has talked about the successes and pitfalls of working from home. No matter where you stand in this debate, the truth of the matter is, working from home is here to stay. 

For a lot of people who lost jobs in the corporate world, freelancing and working from home became the key to survival. The need for workers ready for remote work has steadily grown over the past year and it doesn’t look like the growth will slow down. 

With this though, traditional office workers transitioning to working from home might find themselves burnt-out, weary and depressed. Do not fret though, for there is joy to be found in working from home. Here are some delights and tips we’ve found to make your work from home a joyful experience.

Have you ever bought an overpriced cup of coffee because the swill masquerading as coffee from your pantry ain’t just gonna cut it? Well, worry no more. You can make the perfect cup of coffee (or tea) in the comfort of your own home for a quarter of the cost. Want it iced? Piping hot? With more milk than actual coffee? The world is your oyster.


We’ve been told that Music is life itself (Louis Armstrong). In fact, research tells us that 71% of employees are more productive with music on. And while 29% of the populace may not agree, a lot of us still have work playlists just waiting to be played on our phones. Working from home allows you to keep the music playing while you dazzle your boss with your pristine work.


We’ve all been there: your mind debating whether it’s safer to keep it in or brave the office toilet. Now, you don’t have to choose between the possibility of developing a UTI or the very real fear of having no toilet paper in the toilet. At home, you are the king of your own throne.


Think. How many pens or pencils have you lost over the course of your stay in the office? If you’re like the majority of the populace, you won’t even know the answer to that question. An office, especially an open-plan office, always has a black hole that sucks all unattended pens and sticky notes. Working in the safety of your house means, more or less, you know where everything is and if you do happen to lose your favorite pen, well, you’ll have the freedom to solve the mystery of the missing pen.


In Ingrid Fetell Lee’s article that actually spawned this write-up in the first place, she writes how it’s important to make your workspace your own. The oatmeal-colored walls and dirty blue carpet, the temp that’s either sweltering heat or frigid cold, the uncomfortable chair, all those are gone. At home, you can paint the wall that outrageous orange you’ve always wanted. That cactus you’ve wanted to bring to the office but was always afraid you’d lose to the office black hole? Feel free to park it right next to your ice-cold coffee. That musty smell that seems to permeate the office? No more. Turn on your diffuser and fill your home with the scent that keeps you going. Create that “sensory landscape” that would make your workday joyful.


It’s true, working from home, especially when you’re just starting, can’t be easy. That’s just how it is: birth pains. But when you allow yourself a moment to see the beauty of working from home, it truly outweighs the difficulty you might be facing now. In any area of your life, it pays to stop and find joy. As Fr. Henri Nouwen says, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”