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Working from Bed

nytimes.com

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Re: Working from Bed

#81

Post by nickelcitymario »

gilbetron wrote: post #77
nickelcitymario wrote: post #35

I've wanted to work full-time from home for as long as I can remember. It took about a month in lockdown for me to realize I hated it. Turns out, my mental health is much better when I have an office to go to. 1h20 in commute (round-trip), no privacy, tons of distractions, and still I'm happier when I get to leave the house to go to work. I suspect it's mostly just a matter of getting out of the house. Those 4 walls…

Well, you aren't just WFH full time, but WFH full time in a pandemic. WFH is much different when you can set up lunches with friends, work from cafes/restaurants/parks from time to time, and actually have face-to-face connections with people easily.

You're absolutely right. I look forward to getting the chance to try it out under better circumstances.

Re: Working from Bed

#82

Post by lhorie »

I think it's worth noting that the examples in the article about people like Frida Kahlo involve a higher degree of creativity than most desk jobs demand, and one could reasonably attribute bursts of inspiration to come from the "unusual" aspect of working in a horizontal body position (similar to how people often say they think up ideas more clearly when going on walks)

But laying down for extended periods of time is known to cause health problems. In hospitals, bed sores are a well known problem associated with excessive in-bed time. Muscular atrophy is another.

It's kinda crazy how just a couple years ago there was a standing desk craze touting the miraculous benefits to muscular/skeletal health, and now we've got a 180 degree turn with a major publication putting out a claim that laying down for extensive amounts of time is somehow a good idea (never mind the whole "sitting is the new smoking" thing!)

Geez!

Re: Working from Bed

#83

Post by silicon2401 »

nickelcitymario wrote: post #35

I've wanted to work full-time from home for as long as I can remember. It took about a month in lockdown for me to realize I hated it. Turns out, my mental health is much better when I have an office to go to. 1h20 in commute (round-trip), no privacy, tons of distractions, and still I'm happier when I get to leave the house to go to work. I suspect it's mostly just a matter of getting out of the house. Those 4 walls…

Everybody's different. I've been wfh since the pandemic started, and it's been one of the best times of my life. Even in school I didn't have the bliss of never having to leave my home. My health, exercise routine, diet, sleep routine, work productivity, social life, personal productivity, quality of life in pretty much every aspect have basically all been perfect. Even outside, people keep a little more distance. Aside from the coronavirus danger itself, the past 10-ish months have been a dream for me.

Unfortunately there is no compromise that can please everyone if things return to how they were before, just finding an employer that caters to one's personal preference.

Re: Working from Bed

#84

Post by silicon2401 »

xwdv wrote: post #70
nickelcitymario wrote: post #35

I've wanted to work full-time from home for as long as I can remember. It took about a month in lockdown for me to realize I hated it. Turns out, my mental health is much better when I have an office to go to. 1h20 in commute (round-trip), no privacy, tons of distractions, and still I'm happier when I get to leave the house to go to work. I suspect it's mostly just a matter of getting out of the house. Those 4 walls…

I have noticed that most people that say this tend to just have shitty homes. Not every home is suitable for working from, you really need all sorts of amenities and plenty of space to walk around and refocus, and a good outdoor area. If you literally just have 600 sqft of bedroom, living room and kitchen then yea I can see why going to the office would be better.

Another thing I've noticed is that the people who are anti-wfh seem to do better with externally-imposed structure rather than internally-imposed. I can't relate at all to people who say their sleep schedule is ruined, their work and personal life blends together, etc. I wfh lately and my work day is a hard 9 to 5 unless something out of the ordinary's going on, I get 8 hours, work out most days, stick to my diet, etc. The less external constraints I have, the more I can create a routine that's perfectly suited to myself.

Re: Working from Bed

#85

Post by echlebek »

Raphmedia wrote: post #25

On the opposite, I'd say it's a great way to destroy your sleep routine and habits. As a rule of thumb, your bed should be dedicated to sleep and cuddles with your significant other. "This study indicates that the use of computers and mobile telephones in the bedroom are related to poor sleep habits" https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2869... "Computer use, TV viewing, and the presence of media i…

It's also a great way to destroy your neck and back. If you thought you had problems with ergonomics at your desk, it will be way worse typing away in a bed.

Re: Working from Bed

#86

Post by mrkstu »

aleksei wrote: post #64
nickelcitymario wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't consider that I was endorsing commuting. Point well taken. If I had a nice weather-protected path to walk to work (like the underground networks in some major cities), walking would be far preferable to driving. My argument, nay, my observation, is that some type of transition between work and home appears to be vital to my well-being. I suspect that the time component for that transition is just as importan…

Many people have had the same experience over the past year. There's three things that are usually suggested which might help you, that you've touched upon. First, you should have a dedicated work space. A room is preferable, but you can make do by erecting sight barriers to your desk for example. The main idea is to make it easy to leave your work 'at work' and not be reminded of it in your free time. Second, clothi…

Good tips. I'm lucky enough to have a great room available for an office.

I curtained the doorway off, to remind the rest of the family (and myself) that when it is closed, I'm at work. Put a standing desk in, to help maintain my health.

I still shower and show up 'at work' around the same times I did before. At first I was there around the same time I'd leave for work, but I found I was not able to concentrate productively for 12-13 hours a day, so I've cut it closer to an 8-6 schedule, with some breaks to eat with family or drop kids off where they may need to go.

Take advantage of the greater flexibility- take the good with the bad. Was listening to Phish on the surround sound speakers connected to my receiver via bluetooth to my Mac Mini the other day, while working on my desktop I'd brought home attached to a nice big bright 4k monitor that I have at home, and connected via SD-WAN to the corporate network. Was a pretty productive and glorious way to get a lot of work done.

Re: Working from Bed

#87

Post by brightball »

nickelcitymario wrote: post #35

I've wanted to work full-time from home for as long as I can remember. It took about a month in lockdown for me to realize I hated it. Turns out, my mental health is much better when I have an office to go to. 1h20 in commute (round-trip), no privacy, tons of distractions, and still I'm happier when I get to leave the house to go to work. I suspect it's mostly just a matter of getting out of the house. Those 4 walls…

It definitely takes getting used to. I've been exclusively WFH for 8 years now and it's hard to imagine going back at this point, but it took a while to develop that groove.

My first job out of college, my boss actually told me "Don't miss meetings, don't miss deadlines and I don't care when you're here." About 3 weeks in I was dying to go to the office and just stayed there all the time.

In order to make WFH work for me now a few things had to fall into place:

1. My wife got so busy with her business that she has no free time to deal with anything at the house during the day, so any random person that needs to come by (contractors, cable repair, etc) I'm already here for. Additionally, most days I can use my lunch break for any errands that need to be run without it interfering with my after work hours.

2. I have 2 dogs that keep me company.

3. I've found other friends of mine who work from home or are up for grabbing lunch in the area. I tend to meet somebody out for lunch at least once a week.

4. I keep a TV on in the background, out of sight (usually the weather channel). I don't know why, but it makes the house feel less empty all day.

5. Facebook and some relevant community message boards (Clemson sports, local programmers Slack). Just need some type of social outlet.

Re: Working from Bed

#90

Post by djohnston »

I did this right out of college as a young and struggling developer, and I had a lot of psychological issues with sleep and depression that haven't resurfaced during this recent extended work from home. There are a ton of differences in circumstance, but I think doing my work in my living room office vs lying on my bed is much better for my mind and my spine.
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