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I agree with this post 100%. Working from home mostly leads to working longer and less productive hours. You need to separate your work place from your living s

I agree with this post 100%. Working from home mostly leads to working longer and less productive hours. You need to separate your work place from your living space. Does it not seem like a conflict of interest to anyone else that 37signals preaches the work-from-home lifestyle while selling remote collaboration tools?

odonnell 17y ago
How does that constitute a conflict of interest? They make software that they find useful.
- jfornear 17y ago
  It's not a conflict of interest per se. I think I just consciously try to ignore their blog because I feel like its purpose is to sucker you into buying their stuff.
  - euroclydon 17y ago
    If you find one that's not, let me know!
aasarava 17y ago
It depends on the individual. I've worked from home for the past three years and have never been more productive. When I was in an office, the constant interruptions by coworkers, the uncomfortable lighting, the uncomfortable seating, the false privacy of a cubicle, the endless meeting requests, the cooing over someone's new baby, the barking of someone's dog, the constant pressure to attend someone's birthday celebration in the kitchen or going-away party in the lobby or baby shower in the meeting room -- all of it kept me from doing my best work. My living space and work space are the same. But on most days, I'm out the bedroom door at 6pm and in talking to my wife and playing with my son in the kitchen at 6:01pm. Happiness and productivity are very tightly linked.
- pxlpshr 17y ago
  That's because you had a terrible work environment and you're honey mooning, not because working from an office is evil. Separating life and work is generally a very good thing, particularly if you're an entrepreneur because it forces you to unwind. Way to many people don't understand how toxic living and breathing your work can actually be. I speak from experience having worked from a "home office" for 7-8 years. I recently went back to a separate office, it's been a freaking blessing. And don't get me wrong, I was very productive at home -- I'm just more productive in the right ways now. Working at an office generally gives you more focus on what's really important.
  - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
    > That's because you had a terrible work environment That's the average work environment, in my experience :) > Working at an office generally gives you more focus on what's really important. I do work from home but with a specific (and very small) area as my office - I'm far more productive here than in the cubicles I used to work.
    - pxlpshr 17y ago
      The average work environment is all relative. Maybe you should be a web developer for advertising agencies -- after all, print is dying. :)
      - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
        You're right in that I'm not a web developer for advertising agencies anymore :) I did a quick experience for a small one, and surely I won't do that again.
_delirium 17y ago
I guess I don't see where it reduces the distractions. 90%+ of my distractions at home and at work are the same, involving the internet, getting up to make tea/coffee, getting lunch, etc. The office even adds new ones, like coworkers making smalltalk.
cheald 17y ago
I'm not sure I agree. I'm far more productive working at home than I was in an office, but I've also thrown the whole idea of a work schedule out the window. I have my to-do lists and my deadlines, but I work when my mind is sharp, and don't when it isn't. Sometimes this means I work for 45 minutes, sometimes this means I work for 16 hours. Having the freedom to stop working and go do something else when I hit a mental wall means that every minute I am working is far more productive. I can collapse a tremendous amount of work into far less calendar time, just because I don't have the 2-hours "shake off the rust" time in the morning, the 3 PM "Only 2 more hours to go, and boy do I need a nap" lull, and the "I've got 17 other things going on which ensure that I'm going to get nothing done today, but I'm going to be in this chair for 8 hours anyway" days. I've found that I actually work hours than I used to, at a higher productivity level than I used to. I am very motivated and passionate about what I do, which helps an awful lot. I don't think that everyone could do it, and I don't think it's the best possible solution, but it works better than anything else I've tried yet.

odonnell 17y ago

How does that constitute a conflict of interest? They make software that they find useful.

jfornear 17y ago
It's not a conflict of interest per se. I think I just consciously try to ignore their blog because I feel like its purpose is to sucker you into buying their stuff.
- euroclydon 17y ago
  If you find one that's not, let me know!

aasarava 17y ago

It depends on the individual. I've worked from home for the past three years and have never been more productive. When I was in an office, the constant interruptions by coworkers, the uncomfortable lighting, the uncomfortable seating, the false privacy of a cubicle, the endless meeting requests, the cooing over someone's new baby, the barking of someone's dog, the constant pressure to attend someone's birthday celebration in the kitchen or going-away party in the lobby or baby shower in the meeting room -- all of it kept me from doing my best work. My living space and work space are the same. But on most days, I'm out the bedroom door at 6pm and in talking to my wife and playing with my son in the kitchen at 6:01pm. Happiness and productivity are very tightly linked.

pxlpshr 17y ago
That's because you had a terrible work environment and you're honey mooning, not because working from an office is evil. Separating life and work is generally a very good thing, particularly if you're an entrepreneur because it forces you to unwind. Way to many people don't understand how toxic living and breathing your work can actually be. I speak from experience having worked from a "home office" for 7-8 years. I recently went back to a separate office, it's been a freaking blessing. And don't get me wrong, I was very productive at home -- I'm just more productive in the right ways now. Working at an office generally gives you more focus on what's really important.
- thibaut_barrere 17y ago
  > That's because you had a terrible work environment That's the average work environment, in my experience :) > Working at an office generally gives you more focus on what's really important. I do work from home but with a specific (and very small) area as my office - I'm far more productive here than in the cubicles I used to work.
  - pxlpshr 17y ago
    The average work environment is all relative. Maybe you should be a web developer for advertising agencies -- after all, print is dying. :)
    - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
      You're right in that I'm not a web developer for advertising agencies anymore :) I did a quick experience for a small one, and surely I won't do that again.

_delirium 17y ago

I guess I don't see where it reduces the distractions. 90%+ of my distractions at home and at work are the same, involving the internet, getting up to make tea/coffee, getting lunch, etc. The office even adds new ones, like coworkers making smalltalk.

cheald 17y ago

I'm not sure I agree. I'm far more productive working at home than I was in an office, but I've also thrown the whole idea of a work schedule out the window. I have my to-do lists and my deadlines, but I work when my mind is sharp, and don't when it isn't. Sometimes this means I work for 45 minutes, sometimes this means I work for 16 hours. Having the freedom to stop working and go do something else when I hit a mental wall means that every minute I am working is far more productive. I can collapse a tremendous amount of work into far less calendar time, just because I don't have the 2-hours "shake off the rust" time in the morning, the 3 PM "Only 2 more hours to go, and boy do I need a nap" lull, and the "I've got 17 other things going on which ensure that I'm going to get nothing done today, but I'm going to be in this chair for 8 hours anyway" days. I've found that I actually work hours than I used to, at a higher productivity level than I used to. I am very motivated and passionate about what I do, which helps an awful lot. I don't think that everyone could do it, and I don't think it's the best possible solution, but it works better than anything else I've tried yet.