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I've had the opposite experience with working at home vs working in a shared space. I was much, much more productive working at home (having a 'home office', ak

I've had the opposite experience with working at home vs working in a shared space. I was much, much more productive working at home (having a 'home office', aka a room with a desk and no tv was key) but I am far happier working out of a shared space where I have other humans to bond with (and whom I have become close friends with). On balance, moving into a shared space has been a great decision but I do sometimes miss the ruthless productivity that came from having absolutely zero distractions.

sukuriant 14y ago
I came on here to say basically this. Some days, especially when I've had too much of the same atmosphere, I find that going home and working from there via remote desktop can increase my productivity, if it's maintained for a day or two. Then, when I return to my normal office, I'm similarly productive -- and both of these are more productive than the day before that I didn't work from home. The "work from home" is definitely a "your mileage may vary"
- vbtemp 14y ago
  Above all else, a commute to the office will suck all the creative juices straight from your cranium. Spending 30+ minutes schlepping through traffic each way makes the whole day a waste.
  - mattmanser 14y ago
    Don't drive yourself then? You chose where you live, if daily commute factored so low, well, that was your choice. I walk or get the bus depending on mood/weather. Great way to start the day.
    - karamazov 14y ago
      This comment is smug rather than constructive or helpful. It might be useful the next time the poster decides to move, but it's certainly not useful right now.
      - rwallace 14y ago
        But it might be useful to other people currently contemplating a move. People tend, when selecting a place to live, to underestimate how much a long daily drive will damage their quality of life.
      - rohansingh 14y ago
        I think that in a way, your comment actually proves the parent's point. As you said, "the next time the poster decides to move". The operative part there is that it is the poster's decision. I think most of us who have the resources to begin a startup or afford renting a coworking space also have the ability to be somewhat mobile within our local geographic area. Americans in particular are known for moving quite often. To conclude, I think that considering a walkable or bikeable commute or the availability of public transit is great advice for anyone who is planning on moving within the next five years — which is nearly 75% of the US population.
  - StavrosK 14y ago
    Really? I usually design parts of the architecture in my head while driving and then go and just write them out.
    - vbtemp 14y ago
      That's easy to do if it's a long way on the open highway. But driving through gridlocked traffic in cities or during rush hour that isn't possible... at least for my limited brainpower :)
      - abeh 14y ago
        You could try listening to podcasts - when I was 'commuting' (i was actually walking) to work, I'd listen to something informative and interesting, so I'd arrive at work inspired every day. For example, TED talks, or web tech stuff: http://5by5.tv/webahead http://5by5.tv/webahead
  - kylebrown 14y ago
    Living and working in your parents' basement (or other ways of bootstrapping) week after week, year after year will also wear on you. And knowing how projects can fork pivot and drag on, a change of scenery is a good way to start fresh (plenty of research on how habits bad and good are triggered by environmental cues). As for schlepping through traffic, that wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't trying to get to the office on a strict time schedule. Flexible office hours with work-from-home days sounds comparatively paradisal.
- Egregore 14y ago
  I've read that at Microsoft they promote changing working place (from one office to another), because it increases productivity.

sukuriant 14y ago

I came on here to say basically this. Some days, especially when I've had too much of the same atmosphere, I find that going home and working from there via remote desktop can increase my productivity, if it's maintained for a day or two. Then, when I return to my normal office, I'm similarly productive -- and both of these are more productive than the day before that I didn't work from home. The "work from home" is definitely a "your mileage may vary"

vbtemp 14y ago
Above all else, a commute to the office will suck all the creative juices straight from your cranium. Spending 30+ minutes schlepping through traffic each way makes the whole day a waste.
- mattmanser 14y ago
  Don't drive yourself then? You chose where you live, if daily commute factored so low, well, that was your choice. I walk or get the bus depending on mood/weather. Great way to start the day.
  - karamazov 14y ago
    This comment is smug rather than constructive or helpful. It might be useful the next time the poster decides to move, but it's certainly not useful right now.
    - rwallace 14y ago
      But it might be useful to other people currently contemplating a move. People tend, when selecting a place to live, to underestimate how much a long daily drive will damage their quality of life.
    - rohansingh 14y ago
      I think that in a way, your comment actually proves the parent's point. As you said, "the next time the poster decides to move". The operative part there is that it is the poster's decision. I think most of us who have the resources to begin a startup or afford renting a coworking space also have the ability to be somewhat mobile within our local geographic area. Americans in particular are known for moving quite often. To conclude, I think that considering a walkable or bikeable commute or the availability of public transit is great advice for anyone who is planning on moving within the next five years — which is nearly 75% of the US population.
- StavrosK 14y ago
  Really? I usually design parts of the architecture in my head while driving and then go and just write them out.
  - vbtemp 14y ago
    That's easy to do if it's a long way on the open highway. But driving through gridlocked traffic in cities or during rush hour that isn't possible... at least for my limited brainpower :)
    - abeh 14y ago
      You could try listening to podcasts - when I was 'commuting' (i was actually walking) to work, I'd listen to something informative and interesting, so I'd arrive at work inspired every day. For example, TED talks, or web tech stuff: http://5by5.tv/webahead http://5by5.tv/webahead
- kylebrown 14y ago
  Living and working in your parents' basement (or other ways of bootstrapping) week after week, year after year will also wear on you. And knowing how projects can fork pivot and drag on, a change of scenery is a good way to start fresh (plenty of research on how habits bad and good are triggered by environmental cues). As for schlepping through traffic, that wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't trying to get to the office on a strict time schedule. Flexible office hours with work-from-home days sounds comparatively paradisal.
Egregore 14y ago
I've read that at Microsoft they promote changing working place (from one office to another), because it increases productivity.