I live in a European city with excellent public transport and lots of inner-city housing. The metro goes every 2-3 minutes in rush hour, but you still feel like

I live in a European city with excellent public transport and lots of inner-city housing. The metro goes every 2-3 minutes in rush hour, but you still feel like packed sardines at 8-9 AM. Then there's the issue of noise. I used to work in a very nice office, rooms of 10-15 people. However, before 10 AM you have the cleaners going through, at 11 the overly loud chatter starts about what we are going to eat for lunch that day, which doesn't subside until 2-3 PM, etc. I have never worked in an office one could focus in. I'm very happy to have worked from home for the last 3 years in the outskirts "in the green". I'm much more productive, can make my own food in my own kitchen, and have less stress and more free time. I can go pick up the kid if I so chose when school is out and do the homework with them, working late that day. If I can help it, I will never go back to an office and it's not due to the lack of transport or living opportunities.