Best wishes,
Ben Gran

Now that I work 100% from home, I really love it, and I’ve almost built my income back up to what I was making in a traditional work environment. All the sacrifices have been 1000% worth it.

Again, great article and congrats on your win!

I totally relate to that “I can’t do that” filter idea. After all, who decides who succeeds? No one is going to come to your house, knock on your door, and tell you, “You have my permission to succeed. Now, go forth!” The most successful people in the world don’t wait for someone else to give them permission. They just go out and start doing the work.

@(another)Bob – Those “reasons”, as the other Scott said, are just excuses. I think a major obstacle, one that I’ve run into myself, is that many people see the world through an “I can’t do that” filter rather than a “What do I need to do to accomplish that?” filter. People living the unencumbered life will always be happier than those living the “I can’t” life.

I agree – there are so many components of productivity in the knowledge economy that have nothing to do with “desk time.” There are too many managers who still act as if they’re managing a factory. But in the knowledge economy, the workplace is not a factory, it’s a cafe.

“the most important factor driving productivity is not the sheer amount of time spent at our desks.”

I’d go further. In some cases time spent walking down the corridor to the print room can be just as productive as time sitting at a desk. In fact, moving to different surroundings often stimulates the brain.

And should you happen to bump into a colleague in the printer room and have an informal conversation, you might get more done than in a hour of desktop. Of course, you might just as easily discuss something totally unconnected – for example the weekend’s football. But even this can help those cogs go around and stimulate thought.

I’m deeply concerned that any sensible manager thinks time-at-desk = productive time.