7x why working from home on Monday is a great idea

Of course working from home, you must be thinking now, or not, because 'of course' is quite an old Dutch word. The KNMI is throwing around all sorts of colors and codes and Rijkswaterstaat wants us to keep windows and doors closed today. So your Amayzers are being good too. We work from our condos instead of joining the line to Amsterdam or diving head first off the bike onto a slippery bike path.

That's why especially for you, if you can do exactly the same at home as in the office garden, why working from home on Monday is an extraordinary idea. Just let your boss read this.

1.

The KNMI is throwing colors and codes, but I already said that, right? Still, the math is easy. Either you stand for hours with your jacket zipped up to your nose on a drafty platform or you sit warm at the kitchen table. Or you waste your time in the car listening to your favorite station and waiting in line on the highway or you sit warm at the kitchen table. I mean: you are immediately an asset to the economy. Just calculate all those delays for the management.

2.

Your productivity goes through the roof. It's actually just a shame that no one sees it. But because you skip the chit-chat quarter at the coffee machine and no one is constantly bothering you at your desk, you stay in that flow and tick off one task after another. Home workers are more efficient and get more done in the same time, research shows. Look, a pretty good start to Monday, I thought.

3.

Don't tell anyone, but I'm wearing slippers, gray thermal socks with white dots, that same pair of jeans that I might wear a bit too often, a sweater that doesn't really match that ensemble and zero makeup on my face. My hair is in a messy bun and how nice it is. And if your nail polish starts to chip, you can let it chip for a day. No one will see it.

4.

You can receive your packages yourself, you also see the postman who comes to your doorstep every day. And that neighbor will surely be much friendlier. Win-win, but do try to keep her outside if she starts talking about a cup of tea. Otherwise, you'll be five chit-chat quarters further in no time.

5.

The coffee. Now I am a blessed person, because May values a good coffee bean just as much as I do... But there are institutions that actually deserve a corrective slap on the wrist. With that nasty, slightly too strong tea of theirs, which they conveniently call coffee. Good grief. Home is where your coffee is exactly how you want it. I could almost get all home-is-where-the-heart-is about it. Almost.

6.

No one sees it if you've stretched the weekend just a bit too long and consumed a bottle of wine on Sunday. Or two. Of course, I didn't do that. But just imagine, then no one sees that your eyebrows are hanging quite heavily on your forehead.

7.

The roof of the car doesn't need to be cleared of snow (or the saddle of your bike), the ice scraper just stays in the compartment behind the seat and your fingertips don't tingle. The neighbor doesn't get angry because you secretly start the car ten minutes early. Voilà, it remains a peaceful Monday morning.

And if that Monday happens to fall between December 6 and January 2, then you have a whole day longer to marvel at that cozy Christmas tree in your living room. What is a shame then? I miss the buzz and the (sometimes a bit) craziness of the editorial team, just like those chit-chat quarters at our coffee machine. And Monday always brings juicy stories. Best colleagues, shall we pretend it's Monday tomorrow? Sounds particularly cozy to me. I'll paint my nails and wear something nice, I promise.

P.S.: By the way, here are some tips for how to report yourself sick properly.