As a writer and editor, I’m fortunate to have a vocation that I can pursue from anywhere.

As an in-house writer and editor, I’m fortunate to have a job where I get to work remotely on Fridays every summer.

I think what I love most about working from home is saving time.

Last night I had a more unhurried evening than other weeknights. This morning I felt more refreshed than other week mornings. Today I saved 40 minutes total on a relatively short but nevertheless ordinarily existent commute.

I feel more tranquil.

But working remotely is not all about ease. You still have to work. And often you work more.

Like today, I put in an extra half an hour because I forgot to take a lunch.

But here’s the best part about today:

During a 10-minute break toward the end of the day, I got a jump on dinner by tossing wild Alaskan cod in a cast iron skillet with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.

When the workday was over, I took 10 minutes to make mayonnaise with dill and walnut oil. I chopped some radicchio, grated some carrots, grated some beets, and by 5:12 I was savoring a succulent dinner that I would never have the energy to make on an officenight.

Now it’s 5:56 and instead of driving home and falling down dead of exhaustion after a long week, I’m experimenting with tequila and blueberries, actually doing personal writing, and full of energy for the weekend.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m lucky enough to love my office too. I have fantastic coworkers who I enjoy “facetime” (good thing, but loathsome word) with. We have a walking trail for lunch walks. And while we have email, phone calls we can take from anywhere, and tools like Yammer, Jabber, Office 365, Trello, Wrike, and web cams, sometimes it’s helpful to have in-person meetings.

But man, the joy and utility of using your web tools in your jammie clothes.

I love and don’t love living in the 21st century. In some ways I think it’s the best time to be alive: The time and place I live in offers some of the most freedom, choice, and opportunity in history, as far as I know.

On the other hand, I think a lot of things are more fucked than ever.

On a third hand, I imagine that life has always been good and bad for most people in all places in all times.

But I think one thing is certain: If you have the kind of job that can be done from anywhere, especially if it’s web-based, now is an incredible time to achieve the nearly mythical and long-sought work-life balance.