4 ms·

I found the first part, about the difficulties of attaining flow at home, pretty interesting. I have much the same problems while at the office (and while avoi

I found the first part, about the difficulties of attaining flow at home, pretty interesting. I have much the same problems while at the office (and while avoiding open-plan areas helps, all offices seem to be distraction factories to some extent). Different environments for different people, I guess. Although that doesn't fit well with a culture that says management is about fitting people into standardised processes.

spraak 9y ago
This is a perfectly succinct rebuttal to the article. Especially this part: > I have much the same problems while at the office (and while avoiding open-plan areas helps, all offices seem to be distraction factories to some extent). > Different environments for different people, I guess.
jaymzcampbell 9y ago
>Different environments for different people, I guess Absolutely! I seem to get the most work done and the best "flow" when I'm sat on a train (the Metropolitan underground line in particular). I believe this is partly down to the complete lack of distractions and inability to do much else but sit and work. Alan Shreve summed it up perfectly for me: https://inconshreveable.com/10-17-2013/code-at-30000-feet/ https://inconshreveable.com/10-17-2013/code-at-30000-feet/ If it was feasible I would spend the entire working day going back and forward along the length of the line.
- usrusr 9y ago
  Switching from a beefy i7 desktop to an ancient core2 laptop occasionally did that for me. I'm pretty sure however, that if I tried to use that as a permanent productivity trick my ability for distraction would quickly adapt.
dsr_ 9y ago
Yup. If I need to write a long document, I had better do it at home. If I need collaboration from a bunch of people, I should do that in the office. If I want to research a problem without interruption, home. If I want to be available to people casually (they don't feel it merits a ticket, which often means I will write one up for them) I need to be in the office. Different requirements, different environments.
kayoone 9y ago
I worked at home for 5 years and had more problems getting into the flow than i have in an office. But i also did not have a real office and was usually not alone at home, which makes things worse. However i know a lot of people that say they would not wfh because they feel more productive in an office environment, so i believe the point is valid. Personally i now prefer to have the option to wfh on some days (i don't use it often) but in general i enjoy working at an office. My communte is also just 20min by bike though.
JimDabell 9y ago
> Different environments for different people, I guess. One of the best things about remote work is that it puts the responsibility for the working environment on the individual rather than the organisation. Different people thrive in different environments, and forcing everybody into the same environment isn't going to get the best out of everybody. But people tend to know which environments they work best in, and remote work lets them work in the environment that suits them best. Do you need to lock yourself away in silence to concentrate? You can do that. Do you need human contact to stay sane? Go to a co-working space or coffee shop.
- dasmoth 9y ago
  One of the best things about remote work is that it puts the responsibility for the working environment on the individual rather than the organisation. Agreed. But there are some surprisingly paternalistic views out there about employer-employee relationships. You'll definitely find employees who believe it's the employer's responsibility to create a very structured environment where work happens, and managers who are very happy to go along with this.

spraak 9y ago

This is a perfectly succinct rebuttal to the article. Especially this part: > I have much the same problems while at the office (and while avoiding open-plan areas helps, all offices seem to be distraction factories to some extent). > Different environments for different people, I guess.

jaymzcampbell 9y ago

>Different environments for different people, I guess Absolutely! I seem to get the most work done and the best "flow" when I'm sat on a train (the Metropolitan underground line in particular). I believe this is partly down to the complete lack of distractions and inability to do much else but sit and work. Alan Shreve summed it up perfectly for me: https://inconshreveable.com/10-17-2013/code-at-30000-feet/ https://inconshreveable.com/10-17-2013/code-at-30000-feet/ If it was feasible I would spend the entire working day going back and forward along the length of the line.

usrusr 9y ago
Switching from a beefy i7 desktop to an ancient core2 laptop occasionally did that for me. I'm pretty sure however, that if I tried to use that as a permanent productivity trick my ability for distraction would quickly adapt.

dsr_ 9y ago

Yup. If I need to write a long document, I had better do it at home. If I need collaboration from a bunch of people, I should do that in the office. If I want to research a problem without interruption, home. If I want to be available to people casually (they don't feel it merits a ticket, which often means I will write one up for them) I need to be in the office. Different requirements, different environments.

kayoone 9y ago

I worked at home for 5 years and had more problems getting into the flow than i have in an office. But i also did not have a real office and was usually not alone at home, which makes things worse. However i know a lot of people that say they would not wfh because they feel more productive in an office environment, so i believe the point is valid. Personally i now prefer to have the option to wfh on some days (i don't use it often) but in general i enjoy working at an office. My communte is also just 20min by bike though.

JimDabell 9y ago

> Different environments for different people, I guess. One of the best things about remote work is that it puts the responsibility for the working environment on the individual rather than the organisation. Different people thrive in different environments, and forcing everybody into the same environment isn't going to get the best out of everybody. But people tend to know which environments they work best in, and remote work lets them work in the environment that suits them best. Do you need to lock yourself away in silence to concentrate? You can do that. Do you need human contact to stay sane? Go to a co-working space or coffee shop.

dasmoth 9y ago
One of the best things about remote work is that it puts the responsibility for the working environment on the individual rather than the organisation. Agreed. But there are some surprisingly paternalistic views out there about employer-employee relationships. You'll definitely find employees who believe it's the employer's responsibility to create a very structured environment where work happens, and managers who are very happy to go along with this.