It's always fun to observe people's reactions when I tell them I work from home.

Pity is not uncommon ("How lonely!"). Occasionally it's jealousy ("Man, that would be nice!"). Often it's bewilderment ("How did you pull that off?").

The most common reactions, though, are avowals from people who say in various ways they couldn't possibly work from home in a million years.

"Could never do it. I need people."

"Too many distractions. I just, er—No, I just couldn't do it."

"How do you get anything done?"

Though entertaining, these responses are a bit strange because remote work is so common today. According to a recent FlexJobs analysis, remote work has grown by 91 percent over the last decade. A 2016 Gallup survey found that nearly one-third of US employees worked remotely at least 80 percent of time. Government statistics put the full-time figure a little lower, 29 percent.