Instagram and influencers have created an aura and beautified image around working from home. It seems glamorous and easy and doesn’t seem to include much actual work. Doesn’t that sound glorious? And it can be, sometimes. But it can also be just plain old work—not glamorous, not fun, not fancy, and that’s OK.

In the last few months, many of us have experienced working from home at least in some capacity. Those of us who have made a career out of remote work though, we are the true experts at it. We know all the ins and outs of work from home life, and our contributor, Kaleigh Glaza, is here to debunk just some of the misconceptions that exist.

Let’s clear up a few things up…

1. Deadlines aren’t real: This is one of the things I hear most when I tell people I work from home full time: “Oh my gosh, I would never get anything done!” And while I understand the feelings behind this statement, it never quite made sense to me. Even when you work from home, you HAVE to get things done. There are still deadlines. You still have to give presentations. You still have check-ins with your boss. If you truly “never got anything done,” you would get fired. At a previous work-from-home job, I saw this happen with someone who was hired and fired within a few months because she tried to get away with not doing anything or not calling in for check-ins. Even in remote work situations, I promise you can and will get things done…because you’ll have to.
2. Everyone works from bed: With that in mind, work-from-home people still have to be productive, and thus have to create a workspace that yields productivity and inspiration. For some people, that might be staying in their pajamas all day and working from bed. But for most people I know, they have a desk or a designated spot in their kitchen or a work space that is decidedly NOT their bed. This helps separate work life from home life, gets you out of bed in the morning and increases productivity.
3. You never have to put on pants: You don’t always have to put on pants. Any remote person will acknowledge that, as there will be many days where no one sees your face. But, there will also be days full of video check-ins and team Zoom calls where it is necessary to at least look like a somewhat put-together person. And it’s actually not a bad thing! Sometimes putting on a pair of pants or a bit of makeup can perk you up and make your day.
4. Technology is your friend: Don’t get me wrong. I love technology. I thrive on my screen time, and 90 percent of the time it all works seamlessly. But sometimes, it just straight up doesn’t. And in order to avoid having a Carrie Bradshaw-level malfunction, you have to constantly back-up, update, re-save and make paper copies of everything just in case. Those things seem simple when you’re in an office with a tech team, but are even more important when you work remotely.
5. There are no hiccups: It seems like some people think that working from home just makes life easier. And in a lot of ways, it does. You have no commute and you can wear slippers almost any time you want. But sometimes your dog barks in the middle of an all-company phone call, or shelves on the wall behind you collapse during a video chat (this has happened to me). Mistakes happen even at home! And that’s OK. Maybe if you’re lucky, it will even go viral.
6. You can’t form connections: Just because you don’t see co-workers every day doesn’t mean you can form meaningful relationships and connections with those you work with. If you talk to someone and work with them daily, you will still find solace and happiness in those partnerships. At my last job, I didn’t meet my direct boss in person until eight months after I was hired. And you know what? She was just as awesome in person as she had been on the phone and over chat. You can still have work pals over Skype, I promise.
7. You’ll crave a coffee shop: Thanks to co-working spaces and cute coffee shops, there is a lot of pressure to work from home but actually work from other places. And you can totally do that, or you can totally not! If you don’t crave the coffee shop life and prefer to just stay home and grind it out, work where you feel best.
8. You work 24/7: Like in an office, it’s up to you to set your work hours. It’s important to set boundaries in any job, but it’s actually more important when you work from home. In order to not work 24/7, you need to set calendar limits, turn off email notifications and keep your boundaries firm except in cases of emergency. Find what boundaries are healthiest for you and stick to them.
9. It’s all or nothing: Work from home doesn’t have to be 9-to-5, 24/7. Many jobs are now offering work-from-home options part time, or several days a week. This is a great way to decide if you want to make the leap full time, and it also gives you flexibility in your schedule that can help make a lot of life easier.
10. Staying home is easy: Working from home is fun and wonderful in so many ways, but it can also be lonely and grungy and hard to manage. Especially in the last few weeks, when much of America has had to adjust to their own work-from-home life, more and more people have experienced just that fact firsthand. It’s not all inspiration boards and pretty white desks and fancy morning coffees made in a sun-soaked kitchen. It’s work, and it needs to be done. So, let’s get to work!

A lifelong Chicagoan, Kaleigh currently works in the Windy City’s food social media and marketing world, which is perfect for her cheese and chocolate-obsessed self. She is your go-to girl for recommendations on travel, champagne, the best Beyoncé songs to sing in the shower and the latest in thriller fiction reads. In addition to Glitter Guide, her work has also appeared in Refinery29, The EveryGirl, Lux and Concord, DiningOut Chicago Magazine, and others. Follow her on Instagram at @kaleighglaza and work with her on food, blogging, and social media at https://www.kaleighglaza.com/.