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3) Working utterly and completely from home eventually leads to a sense of isolation and depression. I did that for about three months straight and I agree wit

by Osiris 14y ago

3) Working utterly and completely from home eventually leads to a sense of isolation and depression. I did that for about three months straight and I agree with the assessment. At my new job I work 3-4 days a week in the office and 1-2 days at home. I find a mix of office and home to be a good balance, though I do find the commute an utter waste of time.

stock_toaster 14y ago
I work remote most of the time. I have a family, which I think has insulated me from the sense of isolation to a large extent. It is good to head into the office on occasion though (once every two or three weeks or so).
EvanKelly 14y ago
Is this the case with an active social life as well? I don't find that most of my socializing and interaction comes from my co-workers (who are significantly out of my age range). I've never worked from home, but I'd really like to. I like to think as long as I still socialized after work (happy hour type stuff, kickball league, etc.) I wouldn't feel the isolation and depression.
- pault 14y ago
  You underestimate how much of your social interaction comes from your coworkers. I've been remote for 3 years now, and my social network has atrophied to nothing, with the exception of some superficial interactions on facebook with people I used to see every day. To be fair, I have been traveling pretty consistently since I started this arrangement, and nobody wants to be friends with a transient. I mostly cope by working out several hours per day, but I'm at the end of my rope and all I really want is to settle down (as soon as I find a mid-sized city with year-round perfect weather, cheap cost of living, and a thriving community of creative technical professionals ;) edit: That being said, I'm not sure I would be able to return to regular office work and all the social posturing that comes along with it.
  - EvanKelly 14y ago
    I certainly interact with my co-workers at work and talk about the normal stuff (sports, news, politics, etc.), but outside of work I see my co-workers 0% of the time, unless I coincidentally run into them. My outside of work socializing is simply people I've either met on my own or through the 2-3 people I knew in the city befor I moved here 2 years ago. I would recommend Honolulu for your relocation, but cost of living is a little steep (but manageable...and worth it) and our tech community is definitely in the development stage (though it is existent and fairly active). EDIT: I want to clarify that I probably do underestimate the benefit of my work interactions. The reason I go out and socialize so much is that I find myself feeling isolated and lonely on nights/weekends where I choose to stay in.
deleted 14y ago
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yeureka 14y ago
Agreed. I have been working from home for more than a year now and I do feel isolated. When I am working on something interesting this doesn't affect me much, but when I am stuck in a problem it is easy to feel a bit anxious and depressed. To cope with it I exercise and try to see my friends as much as I can. Running and weights seem to be more effective against isolation induced anxiety. Swimming helps me relax when I feel frustrated with a specific problem. Reading HN helps as well. I am much more productive working at home, but as soon as I finish my current project I am going to try to get contract work that involves some office time before I loose my sanity.

by Osiris 14y ago

stock_toaster 14y ago

I work remote most of the time. I have a family, which I think has insulated me from the sense of isolation to a large extent. It is good to head into the office on occasion though (once every two or three weeks or so).

EvanKelly 14y ago

Is this the case with an active social life as well? I don't find that most of my socializing and interaction comes from my co-workers (who are significantly out of my age range). I've never worked from home, but I'd really like to. I like to think as long as I still socialized after work (happy hour type stuff, kickball league, etc.) I wouldn't feel the isolation and depression.

pault 14y ago
You underestimate how much of your social interaction comes from your coworkers. I've been remote for 3 years now, and my social network has atrophied to nothing, with the exception of some superficial interactions on facebook with people I used to see every day. To be fair, I have been traveling pretty consistently since I started this arrangement, and nobody wants to be friends with a transient. I mostly cope by working out several hours per day, but I'm at the end of my rope and all I really want is to settle down (as soon as I find a mid-sized city with year-round perfect weather, cheap cost of living, and a thriving community of creative technical professionals ;) edit: That being said, I'm not sure I would be able to return to regular office work and all the social posturing that comes along with it.
- EvanKelly 14y ago
  I certainly interact with my co-workers at work and talk about the normal stuff (sports, news, politics, etc.), but outside of work I see my co-workers 0% of the time, unless I coincidentally run into them. My outside of work socializing is simply people I've either met on my own or through the 2-3 people I knew in the city befor I moved here 2 years ago. I would recommend Honolulu for your relocation, but cost of living is a little steep (but manageable...and worth it) and our tech community is definitely in the development stage (though it is existent and fairly active). EDIT: I want to clarify that I probably do underestimate the benefit of my work interactions. The reason I go out and socialize so much is that I find myself feeling isolated and lonely on nights/weekends where I choose to stay in.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

yeureka 14y ago

Agreed. I have been working from home for more than a year now and I do feel isolated. When I am working on something interesting this doesn't affect me much, but when I am stuck in a problem it is easy to feel a bit anxious and depressed. To cope with it I exercise and try to see my friends as much as I can. Running and weights seem to be more effective against isolation induced anxiety. Swimming helps me relax when I feel frustrated with a specific problem. Reading HN helps as well. I am much more productive working at home, but as soon as I finish my current project I am going to try to get contract work that involves some office time before I loose my sanity.