In some ways, working from home can be an absolute dream. It requires discipline, to be sure. However, if you can manage it, you can reap numerous benefits by working from home. This includes reduced commute time, less toxic stress and the ability to do work in your pajamas. Indeed, one of the under-discussed benefits of working from home is that it gives you a chance to make real improvements to your career.

Productivity Benefits

Working from home can often remove many distractions. There is no more temptation to stop and talk about sports or television with your coworkers, no more office drama or gossip about who is dating who. This, in turn, increases your ability to concentrate on the thing that matters the most: Your work. As such, working from home can force you to concentrate better on the work at hand and increase your productivity.

Less Stressful

Working from home can dramatically reduce your stress. You can work as you want, when you want, in the clothing of your choosing, listening to whatever music you please. You have all the creature comforts of home and the ability to step outside whenever you want. Working from home can also remove one of the biggest sources of stress of your day: Your commute to and from the office. The morning commute to the office can have lots of risks that may add more stress to your day. If you work from home, the worst traffic you will hit will involve walking around your dog while you get a cup of coffee.

Relationships of Your Choosing

One of the most stressful aspects of working in an office is toxic relationships with your coworkers. Working from home cannot eliminate all of these challenges, but it can make it much harder for you to be forced to form negative relationships with people you do not like. Furthermore, there is a myth that working from home can somehow negatively impact your social skills. There’s good news here: Research shows that this isn’t true. You might have to work a little harder to maintain good relationships with people you do like, to be sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Working from home can remove numerous negatives to your performance and productivity. This, in turn, means that you have enhanced opportunities to benefit your career. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true: Working from home can have a positive impact on your career.

Here’s another article you might like: Work/Life Balance—How to Achieve it Today