Episode: 49-working-from-home-isn’t-new

Is working from home really so new? History shows that it’s actually the oldest model of human productivity. Stay tuned.

Ep 49 show:

Hello, and welcome – you’re in the Perna Syndicate! I’m your host, Mark Perna. Last March, my intense travel schedule ground to a complete halt, and I found myself doing something completely new: working entirely from home. Thanks to the coronavirus, millions of Americans just like me were thrust into working remotely—many for the first time. 

It was a tough transition for a lot of people, but now, almost seven months later, we’re all adapting to the new norm. And one reason we’ve been able to make this adjustment so quickly is that working from home is actually what our ancestors did. 

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most people didn’t leave their home to go to work. For centuries, agricultural workers and craftsmen had practiced their trade within the confines of their own land or residence. The idea of a commute was literally unheard of. Your home was also your workplace. 

While many people today think of working from home as a modern innovation to promote worker autonomy and flexibility, there’s a different perspective. Maybe America’s rigid 9-to-5 schedule was just an outdated legacy of the Industrial Revolution. Maybe it needlessly restricted productivity and personal freedom. And maybe, remote work is not so bad after all. 

While there’s certainly a case to be made for the value of face-to-face interactions on the job, working from home is actually the oldest model of human productivity. Funny how the pendulum swings, isn’t it?

Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up the week with a few tips to make your work-from-home life that much better. We’ll see you then!