Wedding Woes

Working From Home?

On the makeup thread many of you said you work from home; I have a job where I have to be in my office a few days a week, but have the option to WFH as well. I never feel as productive when I'm home; the dog is there, I'm prone to playing on the internet more, getting things done around the house, pretty much anything other than working. 

Do do any of you have tips about being productive and staying focused while working from home? Thanks!

Re: Working From Home?

  • If you don't feel productive, what is your incentive from WFH? Just because you can and want to take advantage?

    I don't know why, but for me, silence is distracting. My office is very quiet (and hello, I'm on TK right now, haha). I find working with the TV on helps as background and that gets me through more boring tasks.  Also, I manage my time so that on my occasional WFH days I'll have certain projects set aside to complete rather than anything that requires me to interact with other people. 
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  • Ritalin.

    Kidding, sort of. I've WAH-ed for over 3 years now, and before that I worked/traveled for about 5 years. I haven't worked in an office in a long time. The only thing I can say is that you have to treat it like a job. I get up, get my kids ready for school and then I start between 8 and 9 am (depends on what I have on my schedule). I work until noon-ish, take lunch then sit and work until 2:30 pm. I pick my son up from school and come home and work until 4:30- 5 pm. After that, I'm done. A lot of days I do work early am (I was up at 5 am to do some things this morning) or late nights, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that I work with people in India or Europe.

    But yeah, during my day I just treat it like a job. I try to get dressed and do makeup (although some days I just put on clean pajamas and a bra after showering). My dogs get locked up once I start working and I let them out during my lunch break for a potty break. It's really tempting to do chores, but in general I don't do anything that takes more than 10 minutes to get done.

    Full disclosure- I do have ADHD. Working from home has definitely not helped- so there are lots of things out there (like pomodoro) for keeping people on track. I do take Adderall which has helped immensely because I can very easily get sidetracked into doing whatever. I'm reliant on my to do lists, and I schedule time in my work calendar for ensuring certain items get done every day.
  • I actually feel more productive at home when I do WFH.  I can wear my PJs or sweats, lounge on my couch with my computer and have the TV going in the background.  Since I am comfortable I just seem to get more done.  And instead of sitting at the office thinking about how I need to do X, Y and Z when I get home, I can actually get those things done and do my work at the same time.  This way my nights are freed up to actually enjoy.

    But if you don't feel like you can be productive at home and you don't have to work from home, then I would just go into the office.

  • I agree with PMeg, re: treating it like a job. 

    I've worked from home for almost 5 years.  I've struck the right balance of fucking around vs. getting shit done.   I take an hour for lunch, which gives me time to work out or do dishes or take a nap or whatever. I usually shower and put real clothes on during my lunch break.  I also have kids to get up and out the door, so that helps with the morning motivation.  I have no pets, so I don't need to worry about them.  

    I have a set schedule and work 7:30a-4:30p.  If am working OT at night, I make DH keeps the kids away from me/out of the office.  We're getting ready to hang french doors to help with closing me off and noise control. 

    It helps that I have dual monitors, so I can do work on one and have the internet or a TV show up on the other.   I have a productivity-based job (I have to do a certain # of e-mails per hour) and I do the hardest stuff first and save the easy stuff for last.  
  • I rarely work from home, but when I do, I feel like I can focus so much better.  At work, people are constantly popping in for things they are (justifiably) wondering about, but aren't urgent:  "Hey, did you ever hear back from  _____?"  "What day is that audit process meeting next week?"  If I'm home, people either find another resource to utilize (i.e. bug someone else), or email me, and then I get to their email in between other things. 

    However, if the kids are home (like on a snow day), all bets are off.  I don't really consider that WFH in my case, so much as logging on whenever I can and trying to deal with anything that can't wait until I'm back in the office.

    I wish I could WFH at least one day a week.
  • Heffa, when I work weekends...I am so much more productive.  There's not a frillion e-mails coming from management (or marketing) about this that and the other.  I don't have other co-workers hitting me up on IM with questions and crap.  I can sometimes be twice as productive on a Saturday as I am M-F. 
  • I'm looking into jobs where I could WFH, but haven't found one yet.  But my husband is a grad student and generally WFH in the evenings.  We've found he's more productive once we set up a separate space for him to work on.  I also made a sign for him that says "at work" and "Taking a break" so that I remember not to bug him too much.
  • Heffa, when I work weekends...I am so much more productive.  There's not a frillion e-mails coming from management (or marketing) about this that and the other.  I don't have other co-workers hitting me up on IM with questions and crap.  I can sometimes be twice as productive on a Saturday as I am M-F. 
    This is why I love working at night or early morning. In the past few weeks, I realized that by the time I log in (provided I'm not in early), I'm already approaching 100 new email. A handful are just company-wide things, but I'd say about 25-50% of the remaining ones are actionable by me. Any other time, I get none of that. No one pinging me on instant messenger, calling me, sending multiple emails. It doesn't seem to matter either if I put myself on "Do Not Disturb" or have my calendar blocked as "Busy", I get bugged.

    Sorry, random rant over. But I agree, I'm way more productive at other times.
  • Sorry- one other thing to add is your environment. I have my office set-up in a dedicated office. Very rarely I'll unplug from my that and take my laptop and sit in front of the TV. But for me, it really helps being able to close the door at the end of the day. I don't really spend time in the office unless I'm working. I do listen to music or watch shows on my iPad/iPhone while I work, but I find it best if I go in, sit and just do work in a separate space. I think when I sit anywhere else, I tend to see everything else that I could be doing.
  • I have a desktop and so my workspace cannot be moved.  It definitely helps.  I cannot wait to have doors.  I am toying with having DH mount a TV in the corner across from my desk, but between podcasts and streaming (hulu, netflix, HBOnow)...I have more than enough to watch or listen to.  
  • I work for a guy out of NOLA.   When my DH took a new job in a different state my boss said "here is a laptop, desk phone (web based) and printer.  You are not going to quit."  Ha.     I had only been at the job 6 months so I thought it was a good deal to stick with him so I didn't have look for a new job.  (small place owned by 1 guy).

    The first year sucked.   We lived in a one bedroom.  My office was the dining room table.  

    Then DH took another job in another state.  This place had a bonus room I use as my office.   I like it now.   I have a real office.   Nice desk. TV to drown out the bulldog's snoring.  

    Since it's separate space I feel like I'm going to work.  Then when I'm finished, I can go back upstairs to the main level leaving work behind.     Back when we were in the one bedroom the "office" stuff sat out.  It was always there, looking at me as to say "you still have some stuff to do".  

    I do fall into times were I'm less productive (hello, I'm on TK right now). However, I'm still productive overall.  

    My boss is really cool.  I'm way more productive than his son who works in the office.  He doesn't care that I take breaks and walk the dogs.  Nor does he care if I swap out a load of laundry.   He only cares if the phones and emails are answered and rooms are booked.  All things I'm on top of.  

    Which BTW are all things his son can't seem to get done while sitting in the main office.  Seriously, sonny-boy will transfer all the extensions to me before picking up a ringing phone sitting in front of him.  Basically, I look like a superstar compared to him.  

    I have never worked in my PJs.  Yoga pants sometimes is as casual as I get.  Normally I'm in jeans and top or sweater.    I do not do my hair or makeup, but I'm showered and look presentable. 

    Twice a year I fly to NOLA to show face and do the billing.   Honestly, I sometimes feel less productive down there.  So much going on.  So many people interrupting you.   Although I still bang out billing much faster than those who work in the office full time. That is why boss man flies me down.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I like working from home, but am less productive than at work. At work I have 3 monitors, full keyboard, mouse, etc. At home I have my tiny 13" laptop. I also usually watch tv and relax. I don't get dressed or put on makeup when I wfh. I do it because I work pretty far, and this helps save on gas. Most days I wfh I get my shit done, but I don't get anything extra done. Whereas at the office (when not on tk/other internetz) I can do more, help other people, get ahead, etc.

    That being said, I also have productive waves. Some days are incredibly unproductive/slow and I don't do much. Other days I'm working 10 hours and stressed out. What you do for work will dictate how that goes. So, for example I wouldn't wfh during month end when I'm pulling out my hair. But on a regular day where it is quite slow, no problem.

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  • For me it's all about the time of day. I am most productive, at home or elsewhere, in the morning. Its worth it to me to wake up early (5 or 6) so I can get most of the difficult work done by early afternoon. After dinner, I will work a bit, but my focus for demanding brainwork is shot by that point. It's a better time to answer emails or design notes or charts, ect. 
                        


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  • I work out of the office most of the time, but I am allowed to WFH if needed. (e.g. if my kid is sick, if i'm sick, if i have a contractor out, etc.) I will usually take early calls from the house (anything before 8am) and then come in afterwards.

    There is some work that I do better at home, and other work that I do better in my office (because of my dual monitor setup) - I could do the same thing at home, but it would be a pain in the ass to hook up another monitor and I couldn't sit in bed or on the couch. 

    I'm more comfortable at home and I have less interruptions. A lot of my projects are remote so I need to telecon anyways - does it make a big difference if I'm calling from my house or office? not really. when i'm in the office, accessibility to the local team can have a negative impact on productivity when I have people stopping by with questions or pulling me in to an impromptu meeting.

    I have another component to my job that requires a lot of analysis - that's easier with the dual monitors - and even then, I often could use a 3rd or 4th screen. 


  • Thanks everyone, sorry to post and run yesterday. 

    It it sounds like the key is having a dedicated space and still getting up and following the same morning routine that you do when you go into the office (shower, makeup, change clothes)? 

    @thisismynickname the main reason I want to work from home is like @Heffalump and @PMeg819 said people are always dropping by my office, knocking even when my door is closed, etc when drives me crazy. I'm also leaving this job at the end of the semester so there are often meetings about the new hire and decisions I'm no longer a part of so on those days I'd prefer to be home. 
  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
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    edited February 2016
    Thanks everyone, sorry to post and run yesterday. 

    It it sounds like the key is having a dedicated space and still getting up and following the same morning routine that you do when you go into the office (shower, makeup, change clothes)? 

    @thisismynickname the main reason I want to work from home is like @Heffalump and @PMeg819 said people are always dropping by my office, knocking even when my door is closed, etc when drives me crazy. I'm also leaving this job at the end of the semester so there are often meetings about the new hire and decisions I'm no longer a part of so on those days I'd prefer to be home. 
    That is works for me.     We lived in a townhouse. Bedrooms top floor.  Main floor is the 2nd floor. My office is on the ground floor.   I get dressed and kiss DH.   Almost everyday he says "I hope traffic isn't too bad for your today".   I stop on the main floor get some water and a snack, then head down to my office.      Now I'm at work.  Unfortunately, the only bathrooms are on the top floor.    So I do go upstairs a few times a day.  Bathroom, lunch, maybe swap out the laundry while I'm up there.   Then I'm right back down.  I generally even eat my lunch at my desk.

    At the end of the day, I turn off everything and head back up upstairs.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • If you are using Chrome, there are a few extensions you can get that will also block specified websites according to parameters you set up.  I like Strict Workflow, b/c it's 25 minutes blocked, 5 minutes unblocked, repeated until I end my work day.  I actually get quite a lot accomplished and the 5 minute break is really perfect.  I can't remember the technique it's based off of.  
  • VarunaTT said:
    If you are using Chrome, there are a few extensions you can get that will also block specified websites according to parameters you set up.  I like Strict Workflow, b/c it's 25 minutes blocked, 5 minutes unblocked, repeated until I end my work day.  I actually get quite a lot accomplished and the 5 minute break is really perfect.  I can't remember the technique it's based off of.  
    That's genius, thanks!
  • Thanks everyone, sorry to post and run yesterday. 

    It it sounds like the key is having a dedicated space and still getting up and following the same morning routine that you do when you go into the office (shower, makeup, change clothes)? 

    @thisismynickname the main reason I want to work from home is like @Heffalump and @PMeg819 said people are always dropping by my office, knocking even when my door is closed, etc when drives me crazy. I'm also leaving this job at the end of the semester so there are often meetings about the new hire and decisions I'm no longer a part of so on those days I'd prefer to be home. 
    Yes, this definitely helps. For my job, I don't have a regular WFH day, but I can do it when I need to or, with my new manager, really whenever. My company is global, so while most of the people I work with are in this office (in Manhattan), my new manager is actually located in the Minnesota office, and I've worked with people who work there and also WFH in their various states (situations like @lyndausvi, where people moved but took their job with them).

    The flexibility is awesome - just this week I had a migraine and couldn't make it in, but I was able to WFH (I have a really effective migraine medicine, but it also tends to make me super tired, so the opportunity to avoid the one hour commute each way and use my lunch time for a nap makes it doable).

    I do tend to be slightly less productive and I also get lonely, but we do have a second bedroom that is our office/foster cat room, and I have the same two monitor setup I have at work, which really does help. It's a dedicated desk and it has the things I need. I've tried to do work on the couch when it's more mindless type stuff, but then I'm like oh look, netflix is so close to me, or maybe I'll just briefly lay down... You get the idea.

    I'm also kind of a freak and can never do anything before I shower in the morning. I have oily hair and I just cannot do anything before I wash it. So that doesn't change on WFH days, which likely helps me get up and started.

    Hope some of that helped!
  • I have worked from home for about 21 years now, and love it.  I used to work a lot more and was strict to keep home/work separated, not so much now though.  I took my daughter to daycare everyday, but now that I really only do a few hours of work a day I keep my grandkids.  I still have a dedicated room, and I don't really leave my desk, I even eat at it for lunch, but just spend more time on the internet than I used to.  I always get up and get dressed before starting, thats always been a big deal to me.  
  • edited February 2016
    Working from home is terrible. I hate it. I'd rather the 2hr schlep to work than working from home any day... seriously.
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