WFH - Tips? Advice?

[Hayabusa Rider]

Make sure you get up and stretch every so often, at least a couple minutes per hour.

Unlike being tied to a desk?

 

[Exterous]

I've been tasked with trying to figure out how to let the public submit applications and make payments electronically as quickly as possible since we closed tot he public Monday. Because of this, I've been going non-stop between emails, calls and IMs from staff and our different departments. Been so busy it's hard to get into a routine right now. I've got a plan in place and we're implementing it as of last night so we'll see how it goes.

Yeah and the constantly changing laws and rules that are no longer consistent across the state. Things valid yesterday are no longer valid today. So many meetings and chats

 

[nakedfrog]

Unlike being tied to a desk?

Well, a lot of people tend to get up and move around more when they're at the office for various reasons (going to meetings, socializing, coffee machine, etc), and may find this doesn't occur naturally as much when WFH.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Well, a lot of people tend to get up and move around more when they're at the office for various reasons (going to meetings, socializing, coffee machine, etc), and may find this doesn't occur naturally as much when WFH.

This is definitely true for me. I'm at my desk about 50% of the time I'm at my office. I'm constantly walking between our departments talking with the other managers about various projects, workflows and permits. If I sniff out any of those things can get political, I try to work with the other departments to mitigate that before it gets to our 3rd floor. Our County still runs on the "good ol' boy" system which we're trying to stomp out. At home, I'm still getting calls from our County Supervisors or CEO about something, but it's less frequent.

 

[ItsFlybye]

I have been working from home for 20+ years. Really your drive to actually work and not paying attention to other things in the house is greatly dependent on how much you like your job since it is immensely easy to get distracted at home. Feeling like you are not in a dungeon is also critical.

Technical wise:
Have your modem/router on a backup battery. It sucks to lose work and/or get disconnected from a client if your power flickers. Same with the rest of the hardware. Make sure you have a good comfy chair. Most people end up using whatever home desk chair they have. Well guess what. Now you are using that chair for 8+ hours of work AND when you are using your personal PC for whatever. It is easy to get 10-12+ hours a day now out of the same chair. Best chair upgrade I ever got was a mesh type office chair. It lets your body breath and there is no wood in it that could eventually crack from movements. I saved about $100 a month in electricity when I switched from a leather chair to mesh and got a ceiling fan installed. I had no reason to have the ac on so much anymore. Like many have mentioned, try to keep your work OS separate from your play OS. I have both my home PC and work PC near the same desk, but I have my keyboard and mouse connected to a USB selector switch which helps with clutter. Monitors with dual inputs helps immensely with clutter, too.

Health wise:
It is time to stock up on healthy goodies. Having your home fridge there makes it far too easy to get a snack. Small walk and you know all your personal and family goodies are there. It is too easy to spiral out of control. I have plenty of gum that helps with that. And hey no more gross plastic bottles. You can use your home glass cups with fresh water. I feel that lighting is critical. It is tempting to feel nice and cozy with the blinds closed, but lets get real. You are at home. Feeling cozy well make your brain want to go to the couch or bed and take a nap. Just like how when sitting on the bed triggers your brain into thinking "yay sleepy time!" Exercise is all on you. I used to walk/run for about 2 miles during lunch. I had plenty of time to shower and get ready for the next shift. Some prefer to just do weights in the house, but walking/running for lunch at least gets you outside for some fresh air.

 

[JulesMaximus]

And be sure to aim away from the keyboard! Could be tough getting a replacement at the moment!

Best Buy is doing curbside pickup for online orders.

 

[clamum]

I gotta make sure to get up and stretch more. At the office I'm going to the kitchen for food or coffee which requires a short walk, but at home it's just a few feet. I also don't take my normal two smoke/vape breaks since I can do it at my desk, lol.

I actually find I'm less distracted at home cause it's just me here. I don't turn on any music or anything cause I'd just ignore it anyway since I'm focusing on work (like to have TV on in background would be pointless).

I def like the office better but I do love the extra 1.5 hours sleep.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Best Buy is doing curbside pickup for online orders.

BB will bend of the back of the sofa if they think they can get an email address on you to data mine.

 

[Captante]

I gotta make sure to get up and stretch more

Walked downstairs to the mailbox yesterday & my calves were so tight I nearly pulled a muscle!

 

[nakedfrog]

I'm getting ready to go on a mile walk while the oven warms up to bake leftover pizza for lunch.

 

[Captante]

I'm getting ready to go on a mile walk while the oven warms up to bake leftover pizza for lunch.

Got a rare (lately) few rays of sunshine here in CT so I'm about to do the same ... hopefully will raise spirits a little!

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Ars Technica has a write up about how lousy the security is on Zoom. Just an FYI.