I can imagine the Onion article - "Man Leaves Dark Building During Day, Is Surprised He Likes Sunshine"
Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
51–60 of 108 posts
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#52I'm surprised he doesn't mention what I think is the #1 reason for going out for lunch: spending time with your coworkers that is not necessarily work focused.
All the reasons he gives seem pretty weak: if you need a break, you can step outside the office for a walk or a coffee or even go read on a bench for 20mn without the activity being necessarily lunch.
Eating lunch at your desk has benefits, such as allowing you to go home sooner or doing things at your computer that are not work related but which you enjoy doing (e.g. reading HN).
The moral here is not "Always eat at your desk" or "Always eat outside" but "Don't always do the same thing".
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#53How about a look into how much more money you spend by going out to lunch everyday?
Eating lunch out every day can definitely get expensive, and people don't realize that. Of course, you don't have to buy your lunch in order to not eat at your desk. Assuming you have a place you can go (in this guy's example, a park), you can always bring something from home. Or, if you need something more exciting than what you can make at home, do like this guy:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/02/liberate_you...
...and then bring it somewhere other than your desk to eat.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't want to hear you crunching into carrots or biting and slurping an apple. I don't want to smell your leftovers from yesterday. I don't want to hear the rustle of your take-out bags. Please find another place to eat. Why is that so difficult?
If the sound of a bag rustling sends you into such a tailspin what does an overheard conversation do? At some point you simply have to develop the power of concentration. Try focusing intently on your work rather than focusing intently on your surroundings.
I don't take personal calls at my desk. My phone is on silent at all times when at the office. If I need to make a call, I step out.
I would like others to do the same.
Edit: Even my desk phone is on silent. It sounds a single beep when the phone rings.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#55I'm surprised he doesn't mention what I think is the #1 reason for going out for lunch: spending time with your coworkers that is not necessarily work focused. All the reasons he gives seem pretty weak: if you need a break, you can step outside the office for a walk or a coffee or even go read on a bench for 20mn without the activity being necessarily lunch. Eating lunch at your desk has benefits, such as allowing yo…
I decided to have zero "out of work focused" conversations with my co-workers at my new job. It's the best decision I made.
Office politics was always against me because I was speaking with my co-workers about things I do outside of work.
I learned that co-workers are no my friends. They are sometimes enemies
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#56I'm from Brazil, where we have lunch on restaurants every day. Very very few people have lunch at the office and even fewer at their desks.
When I first went to the US I was appalled by people eating at their desks, today I live in the UK and it's common for people to have lunch at their desks, may it be sandwiches or salads they brought from home. I still can't do it.
Reason being I have to breath fresh air, disconnect from the office and have my own personal meal time to sit down and enjoy a meal leisurely. I usually invite people to have lunch with me and I can see that they look almost uncomfortable sometimes.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#57Sometimes I like to eat lunch at my desk, other times I eat in the dining area with co-workers, and other times I eat out. Why does it need to be an all or nothing proposition? There are days when I'm very busy on a problem and I don't want the distraction of taking lunch so I'll either eat it at my desk or eat something low impact like a protein bar/shake. Alternatively when I get stuck on a problem I'll take a long…
Agreed depending on the day and my workload I may sit at my desk. Other days I may need to get out of the office and I will go out to eat by myself.
>Alternatively when I get stuck on a problem I'll take a longer lunch and get away from my computer for a while.
Exactly sometimes problems are solved by taking time away from them to reflect.
My lunch varies by my mood and workday but I dont choose to stick with one scenario or another. I adapt to what my needs are.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#58There's a forest near my office, and I like to drive up there during lunch and walk for 30 minutes.
During lunch I drive up to a park with a wooded area and read or go for a jog. Enjoying the scenery and having some alone time is refreshing.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
If the sound of a bag rustling sends you into such a tailspin what does an overheard conversation do? At some point you simply have to develop the power of concentration. Try focusing intently on your work rather than focusing intently on your surroundings.
I don't take personal calls at my desk. My phone is on silent at all times when at the office. If I need to make a call, I step out. I would like others to do the same. Edit: Even my desk phone is on silent. It sounds a single beep when the phone rings.
I'd like to share an office with someone as considerate as you.
Re: Never Going Back - A Week of Not Eating Lunch at My Desk
#60I'm surprised he doesn't mention what I think is the #1 reason for going out for lunch: spending time with your coworkers that is not necessarily work focused. All the reasons he gives seem pretty weak: if you need a break, you can step outside the office for a walk or a coffee or even go read on a bench for 20mn without the activity being necessarily lunch. Eating lunch at your desk has benefits, such as allowing yo…
I decided to have zero "out of work focused" conversations with my co-workers at my new job. It's the best decision I made. Office politics was always against me because I was speaking with my co-workers about things I do outside of work. I learned that co-workers are no my friends. They are sometimes enemies
Wow... I have always done the opposite. Lunch conversation with coworkers is always exclusively about non-work-related things. This way we actually get to know each other as people, and enjoy each other's company as human beings. It's a measure of human respect, in a way.
Your coworkers might not be true "friends", in the sense that you're not going to hang out with them outside of work, but there's no reason to restrict getting to know them as people.
I've never once had problems with 'office politics' resulting from getting to know people in a more genuine way. Of course, we all have private things that might be best for anyone but your closest friends not to know, I'm not saying share everything about your life, but I would be very sad if I worked at a place where I felt I couldn't just casually chat with the people I'm spending half my waking hours with.