contel3 Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Hi guys! I am currently working from home, which is kind of a new experience for me. I am having trouble staying alert and on track, so I really haven't been too productive…. Feeling a bit tired and sluggish from being inside. Do any of you have experience with working at home and what worked for you? Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Look, you're saving all that time of commuting, so you have a little extra time built in. Your metabolism may be dropping if you're moving around less. I am old and arthritic, so I have to get up about every hour or I won't ever be able to! Get up and put a load of laundry in or something. Grab a snack. Splash cold water on your face. Go outside for a minute and breathe the fresh air and get some sun. Pet the dog. And then get back to work. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 I worked from home for years (love it!) and learned many techniques over the years to get good at it. One of the best was this: If you're struggling to focus, set a timer for however long you feel confident you can focus. This may be 20 minutes or it may be 5. Commit to truly focusing until the timer goes off. Start the timer, then get to work. What you'll usually find is that this forces you to get into the groove, and then once you're there, the timer goes off and by then you're in the flow, so you just keep working for hours. This was one of the best ways to trick my brain into focusing and staying focused. I used it often. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 On 3/7/2020 at 2:02 PM, contel3 said: Hi guys! I am currently working from home, which is kind of a new experience for me. I am having trouble staying alert and on track, so I really haven't been too productive…. Feeling a bit tired and sluggish from being inside. Do any of you have experience with working at home and what worked for you? Have a dedicated workspace or workstation where all you have in front of you is work. Spend most if not all the commute time saved doing work, particularly at first or during crunch periods. Keep regular hours. Shower, shave, dress and so on "for work". It doesn't have to be the same clothes you'd wear to the office, but the key is to have a routine where you transition to work mode every morning. Realise that if you don't make it work, you'll lose the opportunity. I work from home 100% - it's a blessing and a curse but overall I like it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Realitysux Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 On 3/7/2020 at 5:02 PM, contel3 said: Hi guys! I am currently working from home, which is kind of a new experience for me. I am having trouble staying alert and on track, so I really haven't been too productive…. Feeling a bit tired and sluggish from being inside. Do any of you have experience with working at home and what worked for you? Where are you working at home? Is there a space at home where you could focus the most? Could you focus for a bit then take a break then focus to achieve more in a day? Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 You can google "POMODORO" for one old time management method. Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 2 hours ago, sothereiwas said: Shower, shave, dress and so on "for work". It doesn't have to be the same clothes you'd wear to the office, but the key is to have a routine where you transition to work mode every morning. Respectfully, this tip never did anything for me. One of the biggest perks is being able to roll out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down to work in my yoga pants / PJs / whatever. What I'd usually do is work for 1-3 hours on the most pressing stuff, often answering time-sensitive emails, then take a break to jump in the shower and get ready for the rest of the day. Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said: Respectfully, this tip never did anything for me. One of the biggest perks is being able to roll out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down to work in my yoga pants / PJs / whatever. What I'd usually do is work for 1-3 hours on the most pressing stuff, often answering time-sensitive emails, then take a break to jump in the shower and get ready for the rest of the day. I do that too. The point is I don't spend the entire workday in PJs. I roll out around 5:30am to start work and I get dressed for work around 7:30am, typically. Also, teleconferences - always use a camera. It helps co-workers see you as a real person. Edited March 9, 2020 by sothereiwas Link to post Share on other sites
Els Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) I work remotely, have done so for years now. Honestly, there's almost nothing that I DON'T enjoy about it - having to wake up at 7am and put on office clothes and socialize all day is my biggest nightmare. Do you find your actual work to be stimulating? It could help to make sure that your workstation is distraction-free, if that's a problem for you. For instance, I have a separate browser that's just for work, and I also turn off all non-work messaging platforms for a few hours at a time. I actually have the opposite problem though, in that I have difficulty switching work "off" - I always feel tempted to check my work email or do "one last thing" when I'm winding down for bed, lol. Edited March 9, 2020 by Elswyth Link to post Share on other sites
2BGoodAgain Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 i will NEVER EVER work from home again. i spent 6 months doing that... and 99% was in my boxers most of the time... and i had to tele conference execs all the time. lol. at any rate, it'll help if you dress up... it helps set the mind into the proper mode... Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 7 minutes ago, Elswyth said: having to wake up at 7am and put on office clothes and socialize all day is my biggest nightmare The more prized you are for your skills, the less BS you have to do. I roll in at 9:30 and unwind in my beautiful corner office, avoiding idle chit chat as much as possible Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 8 minutes ago, 2BGoodAgain said: at any rate, it'll help if you dress up... it helps set the mind into the proper mode... I tried this a time or two. All it did was make me uncomfortable and wonder why in the hell I'm not in my comfy yoga pants. I lasted about 10 minutes before changing back to the comfies. The only time I consent to video calls is if I'm being paid a premium for it. Otherwise you can call me on the phone. Link to post Share on other sites
2BGoodAgain Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 8 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said: I tried this a time or two. All it did was make me uncomfortable and wonder why in the hell I'm not in my comfy yoga pants. I lasted about 10 minutes before changing back to the comfies. The only time I consent to video calls is if I'm being paid a premium for it. Otherwise you can call me on the phone. yeah, it was the nature of my job, at the time... it worked for me, but it may not be for everyone... the point is... being relaxed, was the enemy for me. Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Interesting. I do my best work when relaxed and worry-free, more in the moment. Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 10, 2020 Share Posted March 10, 2020 22 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said: Interesting. I do my best work when relaxed and worry-free, more in the moment. As an engineer, my go to the office for work clothes are quite relaxed and 100% worry free. Link to post Share on other sites
Author contel3 Posted March 10, 2020 Author Share Posted March 10, 2020 Clothing wise I haven't really figured out what works best, but I think changing into other clothes (be it yoga pants or pants) helps me feel like "I started my day". I also have a dedicated work space but its pretty close to my bed and I have found I work better in a room not dedicated to sleeping - which is kinda hard because I live with other people and they are in those other rooms. I will try the 20 minutes thing! Something that is also bothering me is that I usually end up working at night. Somehow I just focus better, but then I'm feeling like s*** the next day. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author contel3 Posted March 10, 2020 Author Share Posted March 10, 2020 I do find my work stimulating, I find its more of the lack of movement that gets to me. I tried what preraph said and just move around a bit every hour (youtube 10 minute tutorials) and for now it seems like its helping. Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 I got a standing desk a while back and it helps a lot in several ways. Link to post Share on other sites
Ruby Slippers Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 2 hours ago, sothereiwas said: I got a standing desk a while back and it helps a lot in several ways. I have one at the office, too. Standing up to work for just 10 or 15 minutes now and then makes a big difference. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 22 hours ago, contel3 said: Something that is also bothering me is that I usually end up working at night. That's the curse of WFH. You don't go in to work, and you never leave work. Link to post Share on other sites
sothereiwas Posted March 11, 2020 Share Posted March 11, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said: I have one at the office, too. Standing up to work for just 10 or 15 minutes now and then makes a big difference. Yeah, I don't use it as much as I thought I would, but those times when I use it it is REALLY nice to have. Also makes it easy to clean under - lol. Edited March 11, 2020 by sothereiwas Link to post Share on other sites
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