[Closed] Anyone else crap at WFH?

Careful everyone I think this is a trap.

I'm way more disciplined at home than I am in the office.

I just stick the radio on and get on with it with far fewer distractions.

In the office there are always people interupting my flow.

Also, at home, my wife brings me coffee and biscuits and the dog periodically wanders in for a cuddle.

Also, at home, my wife brings me coffee and biscuits and the dog periodically wanders in for a cuddle.

If you ever need to streamline things, you're probably better off training the dog to bring coffee and biscuits.

Getting a dog to bring biscuits is easier said than done. Investment vs payoff, etc.

Depends what the W stands for.

Hate it. Bad at it for many reasons, but I like the riding in bit of my job more than any other aspect of it, so I'd rather be in the office.

Getting a dog to bring biscuits is easier said than done. Investment vs payoff, etc.

Much easier than trying to train the wife to give me a cuddle

Yep, I'm much less productive at home, just get distracted by stuff...

Insert Mitchell and Webb WFH video here...

I've been doing it for over a year now so it's business as usual for me. I prefer it, as PP says there's far fewer idiots distractions and it's hard to beat a ten-second commute of a morning.

I was ok at until it was forced upon me 5 days a week and nursery was closed. Trying to do it with a 1 and 3 year old and their stressed mum running around is a lot more tricky.

Usually work 3-4 days in the office and 1-2 days at home. Like WFH as no distractions and can get my head down and smash through work. But after two weeks I'm missing the social distractions. I feel like I'm more productive but I do miss my cycle commute, helps me delineate the day.

Being selfish our 1 piece of daily exercise is with the kids, normally a walk. But I need to go out on my bike soon or I'll go mental. May try and achieve the half marathon Strava challenge over the weekend, start nice and early. Furthest I've run so far is 9 miles/15k so that should be interesting.

I'm actually fairly proud of myself. My usual work load is 5% of what it was pre-lockdown so I'm doing a job I've never done before (remote IT support) and never been trained for. I'm doing it whilst looking after a 5 year old on my dining room table, in the worst possible time with half the tools we use (remote access software etc) crashing and working on people's home machines whilst trying to keep cyber security at least basic.

I'm not enjoying it though, I've been selling the idea of distance working to clients for years as a way to reduce office costs, commuting time and promoting environmental causes, but frankly I hate it.

I would say I'm a little less productive at home but due to saving two hours of commuting I still end up saving time, I'll also tend to spread my work out over more of the day. I don't mind working in the evening when I'd otherwise just be sat in front of rubbish TV. If I've been at work then I feel the commute drains me more and I definitely don't feel like doing additional work in the evening.

Getting kinda used to it; as a secondary school 'techie' teacher I'm used to being on my feet 80% of the time. Currently setting quizzes using MS Forms and Teams to pupils that, for the vast majority, won't even look at them - but it covers my arse when management ask what we're doing for them. Spending mornings largely WFH and then sliding into procrastination and finding distraction in garage where I have reasonably comprehensive woodturning and light fab facilties!

It took me two days to realise that my faculty principal (doesn't use a headset) has budgies in his dining room, from which he's working, and that the horrible electronic noise I was listening to was them... first thing I tell him to do is move them into another room!

I seem to be working longer hours and generally doing more work now that i'm at home.

Helps that I'm on my own most of the time.

I really miss the cycle to work as that wakes me up in the morning and gives a clear start of 'work time' and end etc when I cycle home. Having a computer up and running 24/7 on the Dining room table just doesn't work for me. Also a PITA I can't just wander over to someone to ask them something; instead emails vanish into the abyss and everyone is too busy with childcare to get back....

Never liked working from home, I like to get home and switch off, bringing work into my home I don't like. Even more weird is the fact it's my first week in a new senior management position. I can't contribute a lot but feel duty bound to respond quickly to what emails and calls I'm getting. It's also killing me it's still gorgeous outside and the weekend looks terrible.

Bad at it for many reasons, but I like the riding in bit of my job more than any other aspect of it, so I’d rather be in the office.

Try the circular commute at beginning and end of the day @DezB. You get your outdoor fix and adrenaline buzz dealing with the on-road muppets in rotboxes and a clear start/finish to the day.

I didn't like WFH when I was office based, I like the separation of work and life. Now I'm doing a physical job (walling, fencing, general labouring) it's not exactly practical to do so.

So far i've completed pornhub & eaten my weight in kitkats. Its fair to say i'm not getting as much done.

I’ve been doing it for over a year now so it’s business as usual for me. I prefer it, as PP says there’s far fewer idiots distractions and it’s hard to beat a ten-second commute of a morning.

I've been after WFH for years, for these reasons, plus the commute, even despite working on site regularly I am not trusted to WFH. I have been loving it. My cobbled together setup is better than my work setup.

Depends what the W stands for.

This. Chafing is the real concern now, coronavirus has taken a back seat.

So far i’ve completed pornhub & eaten my weight in kitkats. Its fair to say i’m not getting as much done.

Have you tried the sequel?

Me, it's also my normal workplace too. I'm so shit.

GlennQuagmire
Member
Depends what the W stands for.

This. Chafing is the real concern now, coronavirus has taken a back seat.

username checks out

Had a three month headstart on everyone as Sciatica had me working from the floor anyway! Had just gone back to full time in the office and enjoying my commuting again when lockdown happened.

Early morning 1hr circular is great, opportunity to explore more local stuff again (stuff I'd usually bypass to explore stuff further afield).

I get less done, but what I do get done is much better quality as I'm doing it sans distractions, which is useful as a major client has chosen now to impose a much tighter deadline on a big piece of work, something my wife isn't too happy about as she's working her notice anyway so it sort of seems fair that she bear the brunt of the childcare...

I've not been impressed with my week and a half of working from home so far. I know I have concentration issues and being in the office at least narrows down the number of available distractions. I don't know when to stop as my guilt about being distracted gets into a fight with my laziness and so I usually end up having this long working-but-not-productive period at the end of the afternoon.
Plus cycling to and from work meant that exercise was nicely baked into my daily routine, now that's not necessary I find it harder to keep in the habit of being active daily.

I’ve not been impressed with my week and a half of working from home so far. I know I have concentration issues and being in the office at least narrows down the number of available distractions. I don’t know when to stop as my guilt about being distracted gets into a fight with my laziness and so I usually end up having this long working-but-not-productive period at the end of the afternoon.
Plus cycling to and from work meant that exercise was nicely baked into my daily routine, now that’s not necessary I find it harder to keep in the habit of being active daily.

it me

I don’t know when to stop as my guilt about being distracted gets into a fight with my laziness and so I usually end up having this long working-but-not-productive period at the end of the afternoon.

That's me all day, every day.

I'm at the point of giving up. Getting my head around a design with a plot next to me and two screens is one thing, doing it at the dinning room table with just a laptop and a light version of the mapping software is something else.

Hope they don't actually expect us to dig in the right place.

I'm eating too many biscuits - the kitchen is my main distraction. The work's going OK, but I have to run IT support for the wife and kids on the side...

Enjoying the one form of exercise though - 14yr old boy who can't ride with his mates now has to ride with dad! I show him the local trails he's missed, he shows me the jump-spot he's built. Not sure when he got so fast though.

I'm terrible WFH, my only office space is in my living room - where all the distractions of Netflix etc. are to.

I finally have my full WFH solution sorted now so in theory will be WFH from next week and unfortunately project work is crazy busy with the client showing no signs of postponing anything despite the current circumstances so I can't afford to be slacking

I was never that great at WAW (working at work) to be fair, but at least now I don't have to try to look busy.

I'm a person of routine and although I'm out of my comfort zone, making a tick off list and giving the day a structure really helps. Keep to the working hours you usually do, give yourself a reward now and then, and leave distractions to the weekend. Difficult, but better for your mind.

been working from home for 6 years now, commuting daily to the south of Germany would have been hard. Really does not bother me. My office also houses my bikes so during some boring meetings i can service the bikes.

Well I'm doing what I can of my job from home this week despite being on hoilday!
Next week I start a rota that I've worked out for my team including me that covers the plant between 7am & 8pm with no more than 1 on site at a time unless its a full on emergency + 1 person on call & its me next week 🙁

We had a bit of an emergency last Sunday when we found out our apprentice's grandfather died with CV-19 and he had been with him in hospital the previous Saturday. So the whole engineering team have been off site for the week with 2 regular contractors doing what they can.

Despite spending hours working it all out you still get some moaning about having to stay till 8pm despite the fact they are getting paid for 37.5 hours but are only being asked to do 19.5 hours tops 😮

Oh and its a big flour mill so kind of vital

I have to say since buying a proper desk/chair/screen I've been working better, having a routine of getting breakfast, brushing teeth and getting dressed also helps

First thing you need to do is set up a proper office environment. Laptop on dining room table won’t do.
Then establish rules - if you’re in ‘the office’ then you’re ‘at work’ and not to be disturbed except for emergencies - just as if you were in the real office.
After that it gets easy

Been a challenging week. Organising new rules of what work we can do, what precautions we are asking staff to take when seeing clients, constantly changing advice, supporting teams where the key people are self isolating/ill.

Furloughing the at risk and those with at risk at home and childcare problems, working out which sites we can keep open and still function as an emergency service. Clients being abusive because they can't walk in and pick up their routine flea and worm treatment for Fluffy.

Thank goodness for Disney+ this week. As per the teacher up there it was at least Thursday before I even got my kids schoolwork looked at.

I'm happy to be in lockdown as it has at least brought some stability to the situation.

Really enjoying it, finding myself a whole lot more efficient too.

Mostly due to not being dragged into a ridiculous amount of meeting every week, and all the other office daily disturbances.

Our CEO has always been into presenteeism which makes arguing for it really tough, now it’s been forced and guess what, the business still functions. I’ve always done a few days a week in previous roles, so know the deal, adjusting back to every day in an office, for that sake of it, has been a real pain.

I’ll be using this as a case to be 4 days a week WFH when this blows over.