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I Only Work Remotely

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111–120 of 222 posts

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#111
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Books, exercise, instruments, writing, drawing...

Three of your five examples are screen-related, though?

Which three? If they're the ones I think you mean - then you've forgotten about the old tech called "dead tree" and "graphite" (or whatever your preferred medium)...

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#112
post #92
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, as I'm a morning person, when do you get non-work stuff done? I start work at 8 and stop at 5. From 5 to 8/8:30 I'm doing chores like cleaning up the house, running errands, making dinner, washing dishes. I get an hour or two of relaxation in watching a movie or reading a book and then I go to bed. When do night people fit in the time for that sort of stuff? I would imagine that you could do that sort o…

as a night person, Ive worked in 2 slightly different optimal modes 1 - I wake up at 8 and get repetitive stuff done from 8-9 before I leave for work. this wakes me up and gets my day started. anything remaining gets done after work 2 - a simple couple/few hour shift from your paradigm. at work from 10-whenever. get stuff done for a couple hours after i get home. we're getting up later but we're also going to bed lat…

Yeah, if it's only a couple of hours shift then there's not a huge difference, you just do chores a little later than morning people.

I'm thinking more in terms of the true night people, those like in the grandparent comment who don't really start working until noon and stop at 9:30 or 10.

There's real practical blockers to just doing chores on a time shift there. You can't do a lot of errands at 10:30 at night, most places are closed. You can do some stuff, like pick up groceries, but most businesses are closed by 9pm.

My admittedly biased perception is that night people tend to be younger and have fewer responsibilities that need their time. Instead of making dinner they just eat out most of the time.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#113

The "I cannot trust employers" statement struck me. I agree with it strongly, but react differently. Rather than dictate my working environment to people I do not trust to take care of me, I just say no. If I do not trust an employer, I am fortunate enough to have enough savings in the bank to be able to say no to the job offers and walk away until I find someone I can trust. It works well... It makes job changes tak…

> If I do not trust an employer, I am fortunate enough to have enough savings in the bank to be able to say no to the job offers and walk away until I find someone I can trust.

I call it "FU Money" - because when you want to walk away, you can tell 'em and leave. It's a great position to be in.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#114

So to provide another point of view... I worked exclusively from home for two years. The cabin fever was so bad I couldn't take it anymore. I may be in the minority for programmers but I need other people around and I need the energy of an office. From a management standpoint. A good whiteboard session goes a long way to kill communication issues on projects that are creative or not 100% straightforward. Although, of…

I prefer an office with a good team of colleagues. Some past jobs had this, some didn't. But reality is that I can't find a comparable job close to home, and commuting for 2 x 2 hours is not preferable to being in an office. So I work from home, second job now, about 7 years in total.

I have a bunch of friends on IRC that work in unrelated (though usually IT) fields. I don't ever feel lonely. I don't think I would last without IRC, though.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#115
post #76
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was your experience?

It is a sad life when you end up in a town where the only social connection you have is your work. When all your friends and family are hours away, odds are you'll end up spending your evenings and weekends on the couch, either working too much or watching movies.

To offer an alternative viewpoint, I moved away to a place where I knew nobody and had no existing connections. There's nothing wrong with having social connections with your work colleagues (you spent all day with people in school/university only to want to spend more time with the outside those situations, why is the workplace any different?), and there's plenty of other ways to meet people. meetup.com, sports clubs, pub quizzes, coffee shops, gym. Sure, it's not as simple as just picking up where you left off with friends before you moved, but it's possible, and can be rewarding!

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#116
post #112
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as a night person, Ive worked in 2 slightly different optimal modes 1 - I wake up at 8 and get repetitive stuff done from 8-9 before I leave for work. this wakes me up and gets my day started. anything remaining gets done after work 2 - a simple couple/few hour shift from your paradigm. at work from 10-whenever. get stuff done for a couple hours after i get home. we're getting up later but we're also going to bed lat…

Yeah, if it's only a couple of hours shift then there's not a huge difference, you just do chores a little later than morning people. I'm thinking more in terms of the true night people, those like in the grandparent comment who don't really start working until noon and stop at 9:30 or 10. There's real practical blockers to just doing chores on a time shift there. You can't do a lot of errands at 10:30 at night, most…

You need to do the groceries in the morning, shortly after shops open. There's usually less long waiting lines than at 6pm, too.

The main problem, in my experience, is making appointments.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#118
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a sad life when you end up in a town where the only social connection you have is your work. When all your friends and family are hours away, odds are you'll end up spending your evenings and weekends on the couch, either working too much or watching movies.

To offer an alternative viewpoint, I moved away to a place where I knew nobody and had no existing connections. There's nothing wrong with having social connections with your work colleagues (you spent all day with people in school/university only to want to spend more time with the outside those situations, why is the workplace any different?), and there's plenty of other ways to meet people. meetup.com, sports club…

That kind of dropping into a new environment was fun in my 20s when I went to university. Now I'm entering my 40s, and with a wife and family it's a very different situation.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#119
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think "but everything alters your chemical makeup" is a sufficient rebuttal, you're mistaken for the outlined reasons above. There's simply no more to say about it and I'm not going to get drawn into a pointless debate over mind altering substances as a recreational outlet or how it "enhances your mind" when all it's proven is otherwise.

>If you think "but everything alters your chemical makeup" is a sufficient rebuttal Considering that the original claim had no depth to it what so ever other than attempting to grandstand, it is odd you feel to have two completely different standards here. You have to point out why it isn't a sufficient rebuttal other than saying it doesn't. Time for some intellectual honesty. Or you can just blanket label people tha…

Do any amount of research on it in reputable scientific papers and studies on the subject will get you an answer in short order.

Re: I Only Work Remotely

#120
post #9

I smoke weed to get creative, drink a lot of coffee and do a lot of online meetings, have some crazy hours, but I also get my work done before(better?) everyone else. I would never fit in any workplace (tried a few but none fit), I have a big chair, 3 big monitors and a bong, also can talk with my team fellows every time I want, but we really don't need to talk too much, if you understand your product, understand you…

You may be a wonderfully creative developer. But if youre addled with inability to focus or maintain a sharp memory then there are certain tasks where you should not be trusted such as administering a production environment. Also driving.
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