Working from home

I think theoatmeal.com’s Why working from home is both awesome and HORRIBLE sum’s up a lot of the social considerations to keep in mind. I’ll breakdown my opinion of these things and how to combat them and add a few below.

Degradation of social skills

• Work from co-working spaces.
• Be an extrovert on evenings and weekends (e.g. go to Meetups or other social gatherings.)

Distractions

• Close Reddit/Facebook/Twitch/etc.
• Don’t play games.

Stress on relationships

• Have a honest conversation about this with your significant other to clear this up. If they don’t get it, go to a co-working space on days they’ll be home, or send them away.
• Working from home can sometimes give the impression you have time to do things you shouldn’t do;
  • fold laundry
  • rotate laundry
  • do dishes
  • clean the floors

Loss of regimen

• It’s crucial to have a set of hours you’re working and then stick to it.
• This tells you when you need to get up and when you need to get out.

Lack of employee banter

• The only thing I can suggest here is physical interactions with people.
• They don’t have to be co-workers, but anyone.
• Go to a co-working space.
• Your cat/dog cannot provide this.

Stay active

• Go for a walk on break, get away from your office when you do.

Don’t skimp on equipment

• Here’s the things I’d suggest having;
  1. Computer Chair (you’ll be logging hundreds, if not thousands of hours in this thing, get one that’s comfortable)
  2. Active Noise Cancelling headset
  3. Webcam (sometimes you just need to see someone’s face, sometimes someone needs to see yours)
  4. Mouse and Keyboard (again you’ll be spending a lot of time with these devices, make sure they are great for yourself to use)

Other things I can’t fit in

• Change into a “work” outfit.
• Always be ready/able to mute yourself.
• Live by the phrase, “Two is one, one is none.”