Imagine living in a world where you are your own boss, set own work hours, no bossy supervisor, no nagging coworkers to deal with, commuting to work is just three seconds away, and you can even work from bed if you want to.
Since this year began, the idea working of closing my office and start working from home has been lingering my mind. After several careful considerations, I have finally decided to set up a fully working workstation in my bedroom.
From a freelancer’s perspective, working at home makes a lot of sense. To me it means I will have to save all the money I have been wasting on renting an office space, paying office bills, tax, transport, meals and so much more.
Also read; The Insider Guide To Starting An Online Business In Uganda
7 Reasons Why Have Decided To Work At Home In 2023
If you have been wondering about the benefits of working at home, below are the reasons I have decided to work remotely from the comfort of my bedroom.
1. Food expenses
I realized I was spending too much money on buying food while at work. For example in the area where my office is located, you need to have about UGX 3,000/- to have a decent breakfast and UGX 10,000/- to get a decent meal that can get you satisfied.
I have been working 6 days a week ie from Monday to Saturday and there’s no single day I have ever gone minus having breakfast and lunch. This means I have been spending UGX 78,000/- per week and UGX 312,000/- per month on breakfast and lunch.
If I start staying home and make my own meals conservatively, I would spend not more than UGX 2,000/- on breakfast and only UGX 3,000 on lunch per day. This means I would be spending only UGX 150,000/- for 30 days saving UGX 162,000/- that I would have spent on feeding at my workplace.
2. Transport expenses
I live in Kawempe Division, a Kampala suburb that is located approximately 6.4km to Kampala city center where my office is located. Many times, It can be too frustrating to move to work in the early morning due to much traffic jam. Most times I’m forced to take a public commuter motorbike (Safe Boda) so I can quickly get to work in time and serve my clients.
On average, I spend UGX 4,000/- on Safe Boda from Kawempe to Kampala and UGX 2,000/- in a taxi back to home. This translates to UGX 6,000/- a day and UGX 180,000/- a month. If I were to work from home, I would save all this money 100%.
3. Tax benefits
When I choose to work from home, I will not have to pay those exorbitant and exploitative taxes by Uganda Revenue Authority [URA]. URA will not come to my bedroom to collect taxes from me. The only taxes I’m expected to pay while I work at home are my annual server fees and premium subscriptions to different online services I use in my work. Please note that I’m not in any way encouraging tax evasion. As a responsible and patriotic citizen, you are expected to pay taxes for the good of your country. But who doesn’t like evading tax anyway?
4. Control over my work attire
While at my city workplace, I’m expected to look corporate wearing all those fancy gentleman office attires. Working at home will mean no more pressure of putting on blazers, suits, neckties and tuck-in shirts. I can wear whatever I want in my home office. I can even choose to do my work on bed while just wearing my cheap checkered boxers.
5. No boss
I’m this kind of guy who doesn’t want to be told what do. I love doing my work at my own pace without any pressure or getting any bossy instructions from some human being. I always want to do my work in a way I feel is the best. If i have no boss, I won’t have the guilt for showing up late for work. Even when I don’t feel like working, i will just chill in my bed. I won’t have to ask for permission from anyone or explain why I haven’t made it to work on a certain day.
6. Greater Levels of Satisfaction
Working at home gives a direct link between personal satisfaction and happiness. When one does what they love, they are destined to have a happier life. The web is in my DNA. Working on the web in my comfort zone will definitely give me more happiness than ever before. Remember people who live a happy live longer.
7. Living a healthy Work Life
Humans weren’t designed to sit all day long like what most Ugandan companies ask their employees to do. In Uganda, one can work for 12 hours straight or more without resting. Working at home will give me an opportunity to take rest whenever I feel like I’m so exhausted without having the worry of being given a dismissal letter soon. I can also move around freely something that would make my body more active and healthier.
Stay at home jobs you can do in Uganda
- Web design and development
- Forex and Cryptocurrency
- Affiliate marketing
- Blogging
- Vlogging
- Digital marketing
- Content writing and development
- Social media management
- Search Engine Optimization
- Online IT Consultancy
- Remote IT Support
- Online training/coaching Services
Personally I do offer all the above services coupled with my other private web based businesses such as e-commerce stores (online seller) and other premium subscription based services.
Related;
- How To Start A Blog In Uganda And Make Money
- 15 Proven Ways To Make Money Blogging In Uganda
- 5 Lucrative E-commerce Business Ideas That Work In Uganda
- How To Start An Online Boutique In Uganda
Wrapping up!
I understand we all have different situations and some of you can’t work the same way I do because of your different professions and skills. Most work at home jobs will require one to have extensive computer skills and also have a good understanding of internet technologies.
However, working at home isn’t ideal for jobs like petty cashier, administrator, supervisor, front desk officer or any other job that requires your physical appearance at workplace.
If you have great work-at-home job skills, it is time to sack your bossy boss before he sacks you!
What are your thoughts on my reasons why i have decided to work from home? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
