Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
sachinkamdar.com
Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
1–10 of 39 posts
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#2Tidal's dev team loves working from home! I agree that "work is modal" -- I even wrote a [post](http://burakkanber.com/blog/staying-productive-while-working...) at one point about it, and how important maintaining a workspace is.
We've also started using a version of the pomodoro technique. We take :55 - :05 of the hour off to do whatever (check emails, talk to each other, eat a sandwich, workout, etc), but what has increased productivity for us the most so far is scheduling out our day hour-by-hour the night before. Combining that with the rigid :55-:05 break schedule has really kept us on track (not a single dev delay since we started). I think it's the combined effect of having to plan out your tomorrow at night (forcing you to think about priorities, rather than guiding by gut), and the fact that when you're working during the day, you don't need to take any time to figure out what to do next--all you have to do is look at your calendar. We've been incredibly focused and on-target as a result, so if you're looking for another productivity hack I'd try that :)
Edit: another positive side effect of scheduling out your day is the fact that it forces you to get really, really good at setting personal expectations, and it helps you be more realistic about what you can accomplish in 50 minutes. No more are the days of mis-estimating how long a task will take
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#3I just want to say that I fondly remember Gramstand from around 2008-9. That was such a nice little cafe to work in.
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#4Great article - off topic and feel free to ignore (assuming the author is listening) - but I find your product, based on your website, very difficult to understand. Description on the homepage left me with questions. Finally went to the tour, and got an idea what it is, but not why I would use it, or how it actually integrates with whatever CMS I'm using.
All that being said, after I figured it out, it looks like a cool product.
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#5[deleted]
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#6The problem with working from home is not getting no work done because you're too busy drinking beer and playing xbox. It's sticking to an 8 hr work day instead of working all day around the clock. It's putting the mouse down and spending time with your family. It's stopping yourself from returning to work after dinner.
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#7The problem with working from home is not getting no work done because you're too busy drinking beer and playing xbox. It's sticking to an 8 hr work day instead of working all day around the clock. It's putting the mouse down and spending time with your family. It's stopping yourself from returning to work after dinner.
Yeah, I've basically had to institute a 'no working after dinner' rule for myself. If I have extra tasks to get done, I get up early - sometimes very early - but an early morning start feels far less intrusive on my family life than working in the evening. (It's an easier rule for me to keep than it would be for some, since I'm a morning person, and the evening is a low-productivity time for me.)
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#8The problem with working from home is not getting no work done because you're too busy drinking beer and playing xbox. It's sticking to an 8 hr work day instead of working all day around the clock. It's putting the mouse down and spending time with your family. It's stopping yourself from returning to work after dinner.
It's self-discipline in all aspects of life, which can be acquired gradually (I've been working 100% from home for the last 2 years without issues).
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#9The fact that working from home is still, relatively, rare in 2012 is baffling to me. When I think how many useful team interactions I have in a day vs. the amount of waste on meetings that either aren't necessary at all or could be more easily done via IM / e-mail it always surprises me. Of course this relies on self-managing, responsible individuals and a team with a good level of trust / communication, so perhaps that is where the fundamental difficulty lives. That and it does make it more apparent that some people aren't really required except to manage the overhead (bureaucracy) they themselves generate.
Re: Why I Decided to Spend More Time Working from Home
#10I posted this on the blog:
I worked remotely frequently at my last job (which I left a few months back, so the experiences are still pretty fresh). I discovered that being in the right environment is absolutely key…and absolutely non-static. I did some of my best work on the bus to the coffee shop (and in those same coffee shops as well). Conversely, I’ve hardly been able to work while at home because of the lack of noise (weird, I know.).
White noise and chatter helped me think, and fending off the distractions was pretty easy because I was in a zone where I was most productive.
Nice reference to the Pomodoro Technique; I’ve, unknowingly, done variations of this technique and it works really, really well. It’s exactly like exercising.