Telecommuting losing it's appeal?

This article in eWeek is timely; this is exactly what is going on with me. While I love having the flexibility to work from home, it can be isolating. Sometimes you need to be around people. So I am more frequently dropping into the office for just that reason.

It's easy for me; I live 3 miles from the office (and now I've got the scooter....zoom! beep beep!). So a change of scenery is not a big deal. As for the work/life balance issue, I think I have gotten to more of a place where work and life exist together in harmony and it doesn't have to do with specific business hours. If I want to put in a couple hours on the weekend, so what? If I want to go to the gym during the week, so what? Is the job getting done? Yes, it is.

I have to admit that now I have gotten into the habit of leaving myself logged on at home. This means that sometimes, mostly in the AM, I can hear my e-mail go "bong!". I can really only hear it if I am already awake, so we can't blame the insomnia on that.

I guess that for me, it's mostly about evaluating what I need at that moment to be most productive and happiest. At different times, it's different things. I had my first 8 AM Monday morning meeting in a very long while this morning (who does that?) and while I felt a little put upon rolling out of bed, I knew I didn't have a right to, because most people were doing exactly the same thing, only every day. And once I got up and going, it felt kind of good to be up and about. So I guess what I am saying is that I like the variety and I like being able to tell myself "self, you need to get out today. How about lunch on campus".

I've gotten accustomed to the telecommuting lifestyle. I can understand where some people operate/perform better under specific rules. I've just gotten to the point where my style has adjusted in a way that gives me so much flexibility. Have to say that I am really liking it right now.

So as much as the article might give the impression that telecommuting is falling out of favor, I still think that for a certain type of employee (a self-regulating one perhaps?), it's a great option.