In my interview with Shoemoney, he shared a piece of advice that I thought was rather interesting when asked about the one thing he wish he knew at an earlier age.

Get an office outside the house if you do not have one already. That was really key for me.

Do you agree or disagree?

When trying to decide whether an office inside the home or outside the home is the best place to work, I am not so sure that there is a clear cut answer and it could be a situation where the grass is greener on the other side.

Many people that are not able to work from home likely long for the ability to work from a home office. Likewise, a good number of people that are working from home may desire an office away from all of the distractions often associated with working from home. In my situation, I am able to do a little bit of both and I typically prefer working from home.

However, a few readers seem to feel that Shoemoney is on to something.

30 Day Man mentions, “I have only just worked it out, and getting so much more done away from the homefront.”

TDave said, “I definitely agree with the part about getting an office away from the house…or at least detached from the house. If I am at the house my family just does not consider me at work….and I can’t get the time I need.”

Earlier I mentioned that I typically prefer to work from my home office.

Lately, I have really been enjoying my time at home because my sons are both in school most of the day and my wife is at work as well. The house is quiet all morning and afternoon which provides me with plenty of uninterrupted time to focus on my work. When my kids get home from school, I am there to greet them and take a break to help them with their homework – which is time that I really enjoy.

Another huge benefit for me is that my office is a considerable commute away from home and that is essentially lost time as opposed to walking down the stairs and being at work.

However, when my wife and kids are on vacation or throughout the summer, I find that being able to leave the home and work at an external office to be essential. Overall my family is outstanding about respecting the fact that I cannot be interrupted while working from home. But given the fact that I do not have an office that can be closed off from everyone, it can be difficult when the kids have friends over or they are running in and out of the house while playing.

If my office were closer to home, I think that I would agree that having an office outside of the house would be very attractive. For the time being I am enjoying my hybrid situation where I have the ability to work from home as needed but can also escape to an office outside of the home.

Do you prefer to work from home or at an office outside the home?