4 ms·

For me, it is not the hours, but the context switch between work, side project, and family that is difficult .

• Jtsummers 3y ago
  The context switching, for me, is made easier by separating the contexts in space and time (NB: No kids yet). For space, I mean parts of the home or going to an office (I telework occasionally, but have lab work that cannot be moved or done from home). My home office is upstairs, I don't spend much time in that area unless I'm working on a computer. The sitting room (my reading space a lot of the time, future kid play area) is separate from the kitchen and living (TV) room. The home gym (such as it is, yoga mat and rowing machine) is in the basement (living in CO has a perk, nearly every house has a basement which is useful for storage, exercise space, and hobby space). Even virtual spaces. My home office has, if I brought it home, two computers: My personal PC and my work laptop. They are not the same, I cannot access work stuff from my personal system. The only work app I have on my phone is Duo for MFA. When my telework day ends, I shove that laptop back into its bag and don't open it again until the next day. So if I'm working on a side project or even just gaming, I cannot easily go back to work. For time, I find intermediating activities to separate contexts if needed (mostly work and home life). The commute is this, but when teleworking I'd go for a walk, do yard work, or exercise (often all three, no kids so that part of my day is still pretty much mine). Once I'm done with the physical activities or commute, I'm in a new context and have cleared my head from work. This works even if they're in the same space. Going back to virtual spaces, switching from work to hobby programming is easier if I've left the office for a bit.