7 ms·

Nah, I just work from home, you don't need a lot of space. The smallest room we have (about 2m x 3m), which has a desk (couple of monitors, desktop, etc), a vi

Nah, I just work from home, you don't need a lot of space. The smallest room we have (about 2m x 3m), which has a desk (couple of monitors, desktop, etc), a view, a door, a small rack (nothing particularly noisy), couple of cupboards, printer, and a pull down single bed for when mother-in-law stays the night. So much more productive than if I go into an office and try to work, or try to work from a cafe or train. About the only time I come close to the level of productivity at home is when I have a specific task to do, and I'm on a plane with a decent amount of space and power, on a day flight (say an 11AM flight from Europe to the U.S, or a 9AM flight from India to Europe, with the window up) An old friend has an even smaller setup, he put up a plywood wall at the end of his utility room, about 1.5m by 2m, and it's great. He has a whiteboard and stuff in view of the webcam for group design sessions. Before we had kids, working from the kitchen table was fine too -- but I agree if you've got kids running around having a dedicated room does the trick. I've seen a couple of people saying something along the lines of: people tend to treat you as if you are "at home" rather than "at work". This is simply a failure on behalf of the person working to just say no. Nobody treats me as if I'm "at home".

dfsegoat 8y ago
>> This is simply a failure on behalf of the person working to just say no. Nobody treats me as if I'm "at home". Yeah. Worked from home for ~2 years for a company and not once did I ever feel like I was being treated differently.
- foldor 8y ago
  I believe the grandparent comment was in regards to people in your home treating you as if you were "at home". This means your kids/spouse would ask you to do something for them that they wouldn't do if you were "at work". I can agree with him though, that if you're working from home, you need to be able to tell people that no, you can't unload the dishwasher, you're "at work".
  - krageon 8y ago
    One of my parents did this for years, so going purely from experience it's a matter of good communication: When I'm in my study, I am at work. Do not go in there or disturb me unless the house is on fire. Problem solved. I don't really get why a lot of people feel this is an insurmountable obstacle. Surely being able to outline your boundaries and people keeping to them is a core component of a healthy relationship?
    - undecisive 8y ago
      Yeah, from personal experience, I spent two years working remotely from home, then a year in a co-working space with colleagues. It wasn't until I then went back to remote working that my wife finally started to 'get' these boundaries - mostly when I started musing about renting a co-working space! I'm not a very assertive person. She is a very assertive person. That really doesn't help. Some people think boundaries are for everyone else. (It didn't help that her mum has always worked from home, and rarely enforced any boundaries.) And at the time, the only desk space was in the middle of a main thoroughfare in the flat. But yes, totally agree. Those years where there were no boundaries were some of the most stressful of my life. The usual inferiority complex, coupled with thinking "I would get so much more done if I wasn't constantly interrupted" is enough to send you crazy or end relationships. We survived though. It still isn't always plain sailing, but mostly it's better. I have my own little office space, away from the day-to-day world. And mostly I can keep my door open, and know I'm unlikely to be disturbed.
      - isostatic 8y ago
        > "I would get so much more done if I wasn't constantly interrupted" This is exactly what I get if I try to work in an office. That said, I do visit an office every few weeks to interrupt people -- it's amazing how much information you can get through occasionally doorstepping people you don't work directly with on a regular basis.
    - michaelt 8y ago
      I don't really get why a lot of people feel this is an insurmountable obstacle. Simple enough: 1. You start with a bright line demarcation "I work X am to Y pm in the office with no disturbances" 2. You make a change that is totally reasonable, but removes the bright line. "As long as I get my Z hours a week done, of course I can accept occasional interruptions during the day" After all, why not help your partner with the kids, or get some exercise during the daylight? Everyone is OK with that! 3. Now nobody knows whether it's OK to interrupt you or not.
mrfusion 8y ago
That sounds mega depressing and lonely though.
- basilgohar 8y ago
  Then it might not be for you, and that's fine. We're all different. And you may manage it differently to make it not as negative for you.
  - mrfusion 8y ago
    Very true. I didn’t mean to sound negative. I tried it for a while and it really wasn’t for me.
bendotero 8y ago
I've worked from home for 11 years. Wife and I established from the beginning that we cannot treat it as if I'm "at home". I now have 7 children. Occasionally there are some disruptions, but generally speaking, if you layout the ground rules early, it doesn't have to be a problem. Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case.
- sudosteph 8y ago
  Yep, my Mom worked from home fairly often when my sister and I were growing up, and it was actually a really positive experience overall. We learned early on how to respect her boundaries (ie, keep noise levels reasonable, pass notes if we need something when she's on the phone and wait patiently for her to write back) and she communicated to us frequently, ie - letting us know when she was going to have a particularly long call or when she was planning on finishing up so we could help her get ready for dinner. We weren't home schooled though, so it was just typically afternoons after the bus dropped us off (3PM - 6PM) or during the summer / school holidays, so that probably made it more bearable. I actually think in some ways, the time I spent overhearing her interact with coworkers - especially on conference calls where she often used speakerphone, was really helpful to my professional development. I learned all about setting a professional tone, call-muting etiquette, getting people's attention, and voicing disagreements in a professional setting long before I ever stepped into an office.
- scruple 8y ago
  > Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case. Doesn't that sort of betray your point that you're "at work" and not "at home?" I'm asking earnestly. I'm about to have twins and I work full-time from home, for the past 3 years and with no intention of going back to an office or to a co-working space. I am trying now to get all of these sorts of ground rules decided on, and listed out, so that they can be established shortly after the children arrive. My wife and most of my family already understand the "at work" vs. "at home" distinction and do their best to respect it on the rare occasions that they're around the house during a work day.
rblion 8y ago
I like working from home too. When I absolutely need some fresh air and a change of scenery, I walk to the library through a wooded park behind my neighborhood. Sometimes, I use a thing called a 'car' and drive to a coffee shop to work. That's only if I am really feeling frisky though and want to get a nice dinner before or after. The things that really help me: - Quality wireless headphones - Putting phone on airplane mode - A moleskin, Sharpie pens, post-its - Deleting Facebook, not posting Stories anywhere. - Only going on Reddit, HN, Twitter for breaks/stuck. - Drinks lot of water and herbal tea, one cup of coffee. - Meditate. Write. Breathe. Laugh. Nothing is that serious. - Take time away for relationships. They are important. lol. - Not eating too much food, drinking a few times a month, not smoking at all.

dfsegoat 8y ago

>> This is simply a failure on behalf of the person working to just say no. Nobody treats me as if I'm "at home". Yeah. Worked from home for ~2 years for a company and not once did I ever feel like I was being treated differently.

foldor 8y ago
I believe the grandparent comment was in regards to people in your home treating you as if you were "at home". This means your kids/spouse would ask you to do something for them that they wouldn't do if you were "at work". I can agree with him though, that if you're working from home, you need to be able to tell people that no, you can't unload the dishwasher, you're "at work".
- krageon 8y ago
  One of my parents did this for years, so going purely from experience it's a matter of good communication: When I'm in my study, I am at work. Do not go in there or disturb me unless the house is on fire. Problem solved. I don't really get why a lot of people feel this is an insurmountable obstacle. Surely being able to outline your boundaries and people keeping to them is a core component of a healthy relationship?
  - undecisive 8y ago
    Yeah, from personal experience, I spent two years working remotely from home, then a year in a co-working space with colleagues. It wasn't until I then went back to remote working that my wife finally started to 'get' these boundaries - mostly when I started musing about renting a co-working space! I'm not a very assertive person. She is a very assertive person. That really doesn't help. Some people think boundaries are for everyone else. (It didn't help that her mum has always worked from home, and rarely enforced any boundaries.) And at the time, the only desk space was in the middle of a main thoroughfare in the flat. But yes, totally agree. Those years where there were no boundaries were some of the most stressful of my life. The usual inferiority complex, coupled with thinking "I would get so much more done if I wasn't constantly interrupted" is enough to send you crazy or end relationships. We survived though. It still isn't always plain sailing, but mostly it's better. I have my own little office space, away from the day-to-day world. And mostly I can keep my door open, and know I'm unlikely to be disturbed.
    - isostatic 8y ago
      > "I would get so much more done if I wasn't constantly interrupted" This is exactly what I get if I try to work in an office. That said, I do visit an office every few weeks to interrupt people -- it's amazing how much information you can get through occasionally doorstepping people you don't work directly with on a regular basis.
  - michaelt 8y ago
    I don't really get why a lot of people feel this is an insurmountable obstacle. Simple enough: 1. You start with a bright line demarcation "I work X am to Y pm in the office with no disturbances" 2. You make a change that is totally reasonable, but removes the bright line. "As long as I get my Z hours a week done, of course I can accept occasional interruptions during the day" After all, why not help your partner with the kids, or get some exercise during the daylight? Everyone is OK with that! 3. Now nobody knows whether it's OK to interrupt you or not.

mrfusion 8y ago

That sounds mega depressing and lonely though.

basilgohar 8y ago
Then it might not be for you, and that's fine. We're all different. And you may manage it differently to make it not as negative for you.
- mrfusion 8y ago
  Very true. I didn’t mean to sound negative. I tried it for a while and it really wasn’t for me.

bendotero 8y ago

I've worked from home for 11 years. Wife and I established from the beginning that we cannot treat it as if I'm "at home". I now have 7 children. Occasionally there are some disruptions, but generally speaking, if you layout the ground rules early, it doesn't have to be a problem. Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case.

sudosteph 8y ago
Yep, my Mom worked from home fairly often when my sister and I were growing up, and it was actually a really positive experience overall. We learned early on how to respect her boundaries (ie, keep noise levels reasonable, pass notes if we need something when she's on the phone and wait patiently for her to write back) and she communicated to us frequently, ie - letting us know when she was going to have a particularly long call or when she was planning on finishing up so we could help her get ready for dinner. We weren't home schooled though, so it was just typically afternoons after the bus dropped us off (3PM - 6PM) or during the summer / school holidays, so that probably made it more bearable. I actually think in some ways, the time I spent overhearing her interact with coworkers - especially on conference calls where she often used speakerphone, was really helpful to my professional development. I learned all about setting a professional tone, call-muting etiquette, getting people's attention, and voicing disagreements in a professional setting long before I ever stepped into an office.
scruple 8y ago
> Routine trips to the grocery store, helping with the homeschooling, and brief tickle sessions help to not be isolated in my case. Doesn't that sort of betray your point that you're "at work" and not "at home?" I'm asking earnestly. I'm about to have twins and I work full-time from home, for the past 3 years and with no intention of going back to an office or to a co-working space. I am trying now to get all of these sorts of ground rules decided on, and listed out, so that they can be established shortly after the children arrive. My wife and most of my family already understand the "at work" vs. "at home" distinction and do their best to respect it on the rare occasions that they're around the house during a work day.

rblion 8y ago

I like working from home too. When I absolutely need some fresh air and a change of scenery, I walk to the library through a wooded park behind my neighborhood. Sometimes, I use a thing called a 'car' and drive to a coffee shop to work. That's only if I am really feeling frisky though and want to get a nice dinner before or after. The things that really help me: - Quality wireless headphones - Putting phone on airplane mode - A moleskin, Sharpie pens, post-its - Deleting Facebook, not posting Stories anywhere. - Only going on Reddit, HN, Twitter for breaks/stuck. - Drinks lot of water and herbal tea, one cup of coffee. - Meditate. Write. Breathe. Laugh. Nothing is that serious. - Take time away for relationships. They are important. lol. - Not eating too much food, drinking a few times a month, not smoking at all.