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Working from Bed

nytimes.com

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Re: Working from Bed

#91

Post by user_501238901 »

neom wrote: post #30

I'm a 35 year old who internetted/"worked" from bed all the time in my teens and 20s, I really believe doing this: - Removed the sanctity of bed. The bed is a great place to train yourself to decompress and unwind. - Absolutely destroyed my back. I'd build pillow forts around myself to compensate for increasing weak muscles. - Hindered the ability to notice shifts in my mood/difficulties in my routine. Eg: I struggle…

Idk how you can destroy your back working from your bed, unless you do some idiotic posture. Just lay down, face up, back to the bed, computer on top of your stomach.

Know a person with an actual destroyed back who can't even drive a car, but is able to work from bed.

Re: Working from Bed

#92

Post by kashyapc »

You can kiss goodbye to your quality of life if you "work from bed". As Matthew Walker, of "Why We Sleep"[+], reminds: you want your brain to associate your bed with sleeping.

A related point is that if you're not feeling sleepy, don't lay around in the bed waiting for sleep (go to a different area of the room, if possible)—just as how we don't (?) sit around at the dinner table waiting for hunger to arrive.

[+] With warts and all, like any book. Don't let the so-called "egregious errors" pointed out by some guy online distract from the main points made in the book.

Re: Working from Bed

#93

Post by npsimons »

stetrain wrote: post #63
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 think this is definitely exacerbated by the general lockdown situation on top of just working from home. Previously I worked from home a couple of days per week. I augmented those days by walking to a nearby coffee place in the morning to get out of the house and get some movement in. I'd also try to meet someone for lunch when schedules worked out. This year many of us combined working from home with a restriction…

> I think this is definitely exacerbated by the general lockdown situation on top of just working from home.

Yeah, people need to realize, this is not normal. Even I, as a highly distractable/sensitive introvert have had trouble coping. And I won't lie, the bicycle commute to work was great for waking me up and energizing me.

That said, I would prefer 100% WFH for the remainder of my career, no contest. There's just no getting around the level of control I have over everything from noise, to light, temperature, etc. It helps that I live alone and have a dedicated separate home office. And I can always go for a run, walk, or bicycle ride in place of the commute.

Re: Working from Bed

#94

Post by phreack »

kashyapc wrote: post #92

You can kiss goodbye to your quality of life if you "work from bed". As Matthew Walker, of "Why We Sleep"[+], reminds: you want your brain to associate your bed with sleeping . A related point is that if you're not feeling sleepy, don't lay around in the bed waiting for sleep (go to a different area of the room, if possible)—just as how we don't (?) sit around at the dinner table waiting for hunger to arrive. [+] Wit…

Going a bit further, if at all possible, my tip from many years of remote work is don't even have a computer in the room you sleep in. It's amazing how much the brain correlates rooms with tasks, and if you work in your bedroom you will have a worse quality of sleep.

Re: Working from Bed

#95

Post by rubyn00bie »

I don't recommend working from bed, but for a pretty simple reason. If you're laying down, for the majority of your day, after about six months your back will be incredibly weak. It will then be painful to sit in a chair for an equal amount of time; and no chair will fix it. You'll have to regain your back, shoulder, neck strength to alleviate the pain which takes months.

Re: Working from Bed

#96

Post by Raphmedia »

kaybe wrote: post #47
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…

Oohh look at these people with more than one room! (Ok it's valid for those.. but I'm still feeling a bit salty.)

I believe that even working on a small desk next to your bed would be better than working directly from the bed.

Re: Working from Bed

#97

Post by kashyapc »

phreack wrote: post #94
kashyapc wrote: post #92

You can kiss goodbye to your quality of life if you "work from bed". As Matthew Walker, of "Why We Sleep"[+], reminds: you want your brain to associate your bed with sleeping . A related point is that if you're not feeling sleepy, don't lay around in the bed waiting for sleep (go to a different area of the room, if possible)—just as how we don't (?) sit around at the dinner table waiting for hunger to arrive. [+] Wit…

Going a bit further, if at all possible, my tip from many years of remote work is don't even have a computer in the room you sleep in. It's amazing how much the brain correlates rooms with tasks, and if you work in your bedroom you will have a worse quality of sleep.

Going to a different room may not be possible for everyone. We have to consider those who live in studio apartments and other kinds of smaller places. But your broader point stands—a decent enough separation between bed and work is critical.

And take advantage of human nature: we're creatures of habit; build solid routines for compounding benefits.

Re: Working from Bed

#98

Post by ghaff »

brightball wrote: post #87
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 fo…

>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.

I think the world is split into people who really need a background soundtrack of some sort and those who hate it.

Back when I sometimes had a roommate on group (non-work) trips, one of the things that drove me craziest was someone who just had to turn on the TV as soon as they walked into a room.

The funny thing is that I'm pretty much fine with ambient people sound. I just don't like background TV and, for the most part, I don't even turn on music when I'm working.

Re: Working from Bed

#99

Post by colmvp »

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…

> cuddles with your significant other

Not all of us, especially those living in endless lockdowns, have the privilege of having an SO lol

Re: Working from Bed

#100

Post by JimBlackwood »

user_501238901 wrote: post #91
neom wrote: post #30

I'm a 35 year old who internetted/"worked" from bed all the time in my teens and 20s, I really believe doing this: - Removed the sanctity of bed. The bed is a great place to train yourself to decompress and unwind. - Absolutely destroyed my back. I'd build pillow forts around myself to compensate for increasing weak muscles. - Hindered the ability to notice shifts in my mood/difficulties in my routine. Eg: I struggle…

Idk how you can destroy your back working from your bed, unless you do some idiotic posture. Just lay down, face up, back to the bed, computer on top of your stomach. Know a person with an actual destroyed back who can't even drive a car, but is able to work from bed.

Muscle atrophy will do that for you. Things get harder and you do it less. It’ll be a challenge to get your muscles back to where they were.
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