41–50 of 104 posts
- Working from home on my own projects is much more fulfilling than working on someone else's.
- No matter how much money you earn, most people assume that people working from are barely scraping by, or somehow non-ambitious.
I've worked from my home office for the past few years, and I've figured out it's the ideal solution for my work pattern. I have a good work ethic, and stay very productive (better than when I'm in a client's offices.) And IM is a life-saver with the teams I'm on. The biggest challenge to transitioning to WFH was not the kids. They respect my office as a workspace and really go out of their way not to interrupt me. N…
For me it's the opposite. Home life comes first, and work is a secondary thing. If my wife needs some help, or the kids want me to play with them on the wii, I usually do. If there's an 'emergency' at work, say a server has blown up or something, then sure, I lock myself away for a bit until it's fixed. Work will still be there when they're in bed. I'm not suggesting that either way is right, but just that those are…
I love being able to use my own equipment, being comfortable, not being interrupted by the constant office noises and being able to do whatever I want. Plus the time saved on not having to commute I can work overtime and make more money.
In the office I have to use their desk, their chair, their shitty monitor. At home I can use all my own equipment, everything is there and everything works. I can take breaks at my leisure and because I'm more productive I can play games, or watch some TV, or go out for a 20 minute walk.
I also save 4 hours a day on commuting while working from home. Time which can then be spent either working extra, for more money, doing things around my apartment, hanging out with my wife.
After 3 1/2 years of working from home my wife doesn't bother me, or at the very least, she knows when I can be bothered. It's about setting boundaries. I also work with a partner who's also working at home who I can talk to and get assistance from.
I'm sure it all depends on what kind of job you are doing, I provide tech support to customers all around the world. Somedays it can be really busy and some days it can be extremely slow.
Yay for the mention of the Pomodoro Method, it is quite effective and has gotten me through college. Your reasoning however for learning to be interrupted in our life, is something I am not necesarily sure about. Are humans just simply bad at long stretches of focus? I am not sure but i am and thats why I use the pomodoro.
How do you implement it? Paper+Timer or electronic?
#!/bin/bash
if [ -n "$1" ]; then
task="$@"
else
task_file=$(mktemp)
export task_file
rlwrap bash -c 'read -p "current task: " -r task; echo $task > $task_file'
task="$(> ~/.pomodoro
(
sleep 25m
messagebox 'Pop!'
) &
echo "25 minutes starting now"Sorry, I realize this doesn't really advance the discussion.
I've worked from home since 2003. I really enjoy it, especially now that I have a little girl. Unfortunately, the added focus you get from working in an office is lost to possibility of being able to do anything anytime. And what's bad about that, is that you tell yourself on certain tasks that "you can do it anytime, and I'll just post to HN now". An ordered todo list is the most important tool you have when working…
I have a dog, which is great. Dogs are pretty good company, and it forces you to go for walks every 4 hours or so.
I've also found that the small conversations with fellow dog-owners you meet on the walks can substitute a little for the water cooler interactions in a normal work place.
I have a dog, which is great. Dogs are pretty good company, and it forces you to go for walks every 4 hours or so.