[Linus]

I also work from home but I'm not self-employed. My company allows for me to work from home as I'm a remote employee and I also teach at customer sites (which is where most of my travel comes from). I love being able to set my own hours (unless I'm teaching online -- then it becomes a downside since it means being up early since classes are often in CST timezone while I live in the PST timezone). Since I can set my own hours I can get up early and finish early (HA!) if I want to. I do find the challenge is that I tend to be nearly 24/7 with my job. Since we've gone hourly (and I have no limit on OT, Double OT, etc.) that means every little thing I do I can charge for. It's too easy, however, to not do that because of all the little breaks I can now and again (to check out here or do things for here).

My biggest downside is the lack of interaction with others. When I used to work at our offices in Canada, we'd have discussions and fun stuff. I kind of miss that. And I miss -- somewhat -- the commute. I don't miss biking in the winter but I do miss biking to and from work. To help ensure that the sofa doesn't meld too much to my butt (I tend to sit in the living room with the pugs when I'm working), I've booked a personal trainer and scheduled "personal meetings/out of office" during those times. I need to do the same for cycling as well -- ideally earlier than later.

My biggest plus is being able to work outside (having a cigar and a coffee or something stronger) while it's sunny and watching the pugs run amok.