HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

My only 2c is that the WFH vs office conversation often seems to pretend that there aren't a ton of businesses with desk workers where many of their colleagues can't feasibly work from home -- manufacturing for example. It's not even only the people physically building the products who obviously have to be there, but even mechanical engineers have a reason to.

My job is to build software to make the lives of the people building our product better. I'd prefer myself and my team to be there with them frequently, instead of considering ourselves to be part of some class of special people that have the luxury of working at home most of the time.

That said, I do appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home for house maintenance, deliveries, family stuff, etc.

Beyond all that, going into the office (or factory really) is energizing. Too much time at home and I get reminded of CGP Grey's "spaceship you" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

⬐ chii

> I'd prefer myself and my team to be there with them frequently, instead of considering ourselves to be part of some class of special people that have the luxury of working at home most of the time.

there's a balance. I would consider being on site as a special case; do it when needed. This means the workplace needs to plan it out, and know ahead of time when it is going to happen.

Tip: You don’t have to actually have a separate room, all you have to do is trick your brain into feeling like it’s another room. Design two completely different lighting schemes for work and off-work, and connect the lights to a switch to change between them. Use two different chairs. Switch to another keyboard and mouse. Reposition your monitor. If you have an height-adjustable desk, change it.

Idea courtesy of Vallejo B:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck&lc=Ugzl3DOl0s0oS...

⬐ doublerabbit

Not a viable means for myself. I can hide my laptop behind my bookcase, leave it outside in the courtyard. I don't have space for two different chairs. I have dual monitors, I even bought mounting poles for my monitors to make it a larger area. WFH just doesn't work for me.

⬐ nja

Living in my 350sqft studio during the pandemic, I personally have tried a lot of these "tips," but haven't found much success. It turns out the brain is pretty good at building contextual clues related to its surroundings. Even if I'm sitting at my "play" desk (different chair, different room corner, different computer with its own keyboard/mouse/monitor), playing a game, with the lighting scheme completely different, I'm still _physically_ in the same place. I've still got the same noise from upstairs neighbors, same surroundings, same deco, same food options, same _temperature_ even (remember complaining about offices being too cold?). It's not enough to kick my brain out of "work" mode, and as a consequence, I'm always thinking about work in the back of my mind.

This is of course all separate from whether you can actually physically go offline from work, too. If a Slack ping at any time causes you to reopen your work laptop, even if you have different surroundings, you can't really fully escape "work mode." If you always wake up immediately into dealing with work, your bed becomes a "work area" too...

I have found myself missing the work commute more and more. Granted, I had a pretty nice one (15min train, 10min walk; not spending hours in traffic), but the biggest benefit I'm retroactively realizing was the clear separation between work and home. Working on finishing up a commit? Too bad, gotta run to catch a train, and then I'm no longer in work mode. Thinking about that bug the next morning? Maybe, but can still allow some personal time in the morning because not really "at work" until the physical commute in.

Either dedicate a room to study and work or change the environment when you have to (like assigning a specific color with led lights). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

If that doesn't work, I would go out and study in a library or park.

True. But you also need empty space not to feel trapped in a cage or else you'll catch that cabin fever.

You can always go the park provided you got into that discipline, that you there is a park less than ten minutes away or that it's not too cold/raining/snowing: Not ideal. And it might a shitty square surrounded by cars.

Mentally, it is also very helpful to have separate spaces for different aspects of your life. When your room is also your office and your kitchen, it doesn't make for good sleep, good work or good cooking.

Relevant videos : https://youtu.be/LO1mTELoj6o https://youtu.be/snAhsXyO3Ck

Most times I've seen this question asked, I see a reference to "Spaceship You". So here's the obligatory link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

⬐ thimabi

That is a great video. I found it intuitive and useful to pass along to friends and family. Thank you for sharing it!

Yes, 100% this. When the virus isn't spiking in your area, I recommend meeting coworkers in coworking spaces. When it is spiking I've been going to parks to have beers with friends. A warm coat can help a lot.

I also found this video to be helpful https://youtu.be/snAhsXyO3Ck

[edit] Oh, and remote pairing over teamviewer turns a terrible isolated work day into a casual conversation with a friend about code. I find that 2 developers actually getting 1 job done is better than both being isolated and just scrolling reddit.

⬐ flurdy

Remote pairing with VS Code Live Share + Slack/Zoom call has been a blessing. Great for focussing on work as always, but now also general conversation about random things that you can no longer physically do when in a lockdown.

⬐ voodootrucker

Compile time is great "getting to know you" time.

⬐ graeme

I just came here to post that video. It seriously helped me improve my working from home. And I’d been working from home for years.

⬐ dalu

When ever I read job ads and it says pair programming I click next.

I would hate to do that. Idk how you can. I have this imagination of the partner either being a super need Hipster smartassing over everything or a real Dumbo. In both cases they would drive me blood pressure up.

⬐ jfk13

Personally, I've had some great experiences pair-programming on a specific project; but it's only ever been for a few days of intensive sprint, at intervals of 6-12 months. I wouldn't want it to be my regular mode of work, certainly.

⬐ voodootrucker

It's a skill and an art like anything else. I had to teach it before I was really well versed in it myself. I was skeptical , but now swear by it.

Not like religiously... my pair for today wanted to break early to develop a deeper understanding of the code on his own, so we split up, but I do have to say I came into today pretty low, and left our session pretty high, and look forward to see what his results were and how he wants to go about refactoring tomorrow.

As your stereotypical autistic basement dwelling programmer type, who studied talking to humans like any other field of study, I have to say it really is just that, and it's also worth the effort. IMO.

⬐ ballenf

The video is from CGP Grey and is called Lockdown Productivity: Spaceship You. It's about separating physically spaces at home to help your brain. It's incredible.

For anyone who hates clicking on YT links without knowing where they lead.

> As a rule of thumb, your bed should be dedicated to sleep

CGP Grey had a pretty good video about living in the lockdown titled "Spaceship you".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

I'd say that a lot of work that isn't really work can be done from bed, but it does mess up your training for "bed == sleep".

I used to work from bed before 2020, but the lockdown has made the "walk downstairs to work, grab a coffee along the way" into a natural thing rather than putting a number of other high attention activities (shaving, driving) between being awake-enough to sitting at my desk.

⬐ st1x7

This is also #1 in Grey's "7 Ways to Maximize Misery" Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o

⬐ f69281c

I've been institutionalized for suicidal depression a few times and aside from endorsing that video, I wanted to hijack your position in the comment hierarchy to express that a scary thing about the linked article is that a lot of people aren't going to get any counter-information; they're just going to get nudged into a lifestyle that they'll probably contemplate sweet release from at some point.

Every once in a while I see an article from a major publication that makes me recoil. And I don't know how to express it but the fact that someone's gonna kill themself (long) after following the article's advice isn't the worst part of it at all.

Most people don't actually kill themselves, they just desperately want out of a situation they can't convey to anyone, can't fix on their own, and makes no sense. It's like if someone's house got robbed and they got beaten into a hospital bed on every prime-numbered day of the month, but no one told them those rules and no one believed them when they talked about it. The day that poor bastard got fed up, burned their house down, and just started walking would be better than the thirty days before that, even excluding prime-numbered ones.

Anyway I'll be holding my breath for an apology article from the new york times so I guess I'll see you on the other side

⬐ f69281c

Another CGP Grey video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o

Making your bedroom the place where you work AND sleep AND eat AND entertain yourself is a shortcut to depression. Nothing ever changes, you never meet anyone new, nothing you do is fun any more... slowly a dark miserable inescapable boredom/loneliness/helplessness creeps in and holds you down. You won't get up for years and you'll probably spend a few of them telling yourself this is your fault. There's not gonna be an apology article from the new york times when you wake up and realize you've wasted a colossal swath of your life.

Source: been in a couple of "inpatient mental healthcare facilities" for suicidal depression.

⬐ dumbfoundded

Solution: two beds. A work bed and a sleep bed.

⬐ ineedasername

Or pull a George Castanza and put a small mattress under your desk.

⬐ Groxx

There are a fair number of under-standing-desk hammocks out there: https://www.upliftdesk.com/under-desk-hammock-uplift-desk/

The fantastic educational YouTuber CGP Grey did a video detailing why working from bed is a terrible idea

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

Checked out the video- really great! Thank you for the recommendation and here's the link for anyone else curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

I think this is what he's talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

Even if it isn't - this is a must watch video!

⬐ sixdimensional

Thanks for sharing, that's a great video, really found it helpful.

Give CGPGrey's "Lockdown Productivity: Spaceship You" a watch -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

In large majority it's about making dedicated spaces, which can be hard in a small space. But you can at least make dedicate mindsets spaces. Ex: I do these 5 things to prepare my desk for work at the start of the day, and I do these 5 things to clean up my desk at the end of the work day. These can be routines or physical things you do (Ex: get out work laptop, work notebook, etc).

I'd strongly believe in coming up with a schedule that works for you and your needs. Then try and stick to that schedule. In my case, I (San Francisco Bay Area) have calls with Europe starting at 7am every morning. So I get up at 6:30, take a shower (always, never skip, even if I slept late), put my shoes on, have calls for at least 2 hours. At about 9am I take an hour to make breakfast (and eat) for my wife and I.

Also, if you have trouble "disconnecting" yourself at the end of the day, turn off notifications from work apps on your phone. If you're someone who say has your work email and slack on your phone. Tell people that if it's urgent they can text/call you.

⬐ IceDane

Why do you put shoes on when working at home? Do you wear shoes in the house while you work?

⬐ alistairSH

Why? It's a mental trick to help separate work from home. Work = shoes; home = slippers (or barefoot).

Obv doesn't work if you're a "no shoes in the house" person (we are, I go barefoot or slippered at home). But, putting on "dress" clothes, or your work badge, or other things can do the same thing.

⬐ kroltan

Regarding the phone:

If you use Android (no experience if there is an iOS equivalent), most distributions have some sort of "multi-user" (generic Android) or "second space" (Xiaomi terminology) feature, where you can install separate sets of apps and compartmentalize files and notifications.

This works wonders for having your work e-mail and Slack logged into the second space, and you only open it at work. It also prevents intrusive work apps from having access to your personal space's data, which if you care about it, is very good too.

Very relevant CGP Grey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

Hi! Fellow ADHDer here. Inattentive subtype.

I'd need to know your specific brain better. What I really _should_ do is listen to you and really dive deep into the habit patterns you get into. (As I'm trying to get my brain to shut up about, thats what real engineering is.) But it is hard to do that over an internet forum and I lack the time. So instead I'm just going to barf solutions at you.

0. Top priority is to fix the sleep and exercise schedule. Everything else flows from that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

1. See if you can get a standing desk and a stationary bike. I took the handlebars off mine so it could fit underneath the desk. It lets me cycle while programming which makes it easier to be tired at night.

If your brain hates shopping, then just go with these links:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/skarsta-desk-sit-stand-white-s5... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasport-Trainer-Sensors-Backrest...

2. Double down on automated testing. Write scaffolding tests even if the company wouldn't need them and you delete them before pushing. You are worth it.

3. Buy the actual book on the Pomodoro technique and take notes on it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pomodoro-Technique-Acclaimed-Time-M...

4. Get some dotted paper and nice mechanical pencils to take notes: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005IAZXUO/ref=ppx_yo_dt...

5. ADHDers need external words. Find a podcast you can use to replace the narrative that plays in your head. (Hell, if you find yourself getting into thought spirals of being really hard on yourself and unable to forgive yourself for distraction, you may want to go full Matthew 4:4)

6. Create a calendar event called "silent coding" at work and invite people to join. Humans need camaraderie.

7. Read this: https://medium.com/@josebrowne/on-coding-ego-and-attention-3...

What's your physical routine? Do you exercise regularly?

Regardless of the pandemic, there's still truths here to learn about the connection between your body and mind. CGP Grey is great. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

Do you have a boredom routine? I find as a creative it's important for me to force myself to be away from the productivity grind for a little bit each week so I can get hungry to get back to it.

There is a great cgp grey video about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

TLDW: create areas with boundaries inside your home and make sure you follow these boundaries.

take a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck i found the above inked CGP Grey video to be helpful i watch it once a week to keep things in perspective. hope this helps others too

"Spaceship You" by CGP Grey has been a really powerful re-calibration tool for me whenever I feel unbalanced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

I'm doing well. Ironically I think I'm doing better now than I would have been if the pandemic didn't happen; but still not in a particularly good position. Optimistic, though!

If you're struggling, it's probably because the systems that you put in place at the start of the pandemic have broken down. (Kinda like how we eventually forget/give up on New Years Resolutions...)

I'd recommend these[1] two[2] videos from CGP Grey to help. The first talks about the kind of things that you might be doing that are making you miserable, and the second about specific ways in which we can cope with the pandemic (and specifically a lockdown, if you are still in one).

Brief notes:

Avoid doing any of these things:

* Staying still, avoiding exercise

* Having an irregular sleep schedule

* Maximizing screen time; going to sleep looking at your phone, and using it as soon as you wake up

* Encouraging negative emotions, eg: by looking at the news

* Setting unmeasurable or unachievable goals. Waiting for motivation to strike.

* Obsessing over trying to be happy.

* Following your self-destructive impulses

Partition your house/space into the following spaces, and try to obey these rules about the spaces:

* A space for exercise. If you don't have equipment, you can do body weight exercises. If you have access to safe outdoor spaces, make sure to use that too. Make sure you set a minimum amount of time, and stick to it.

* A space for sleep. Do not use your phone here. Do not eat here. Do not linger here. It's just for sleep. If you're failing to sleep, leave and try again later. Setting an alarm to wake up is important to maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. It doesn't matter when you wake up - so long as the time is consistent.

* A recreation zone. Go here to do activities that you actually enjoy. Only do these activities if you intend to give them your full attention. Keep an eye on the quality of the recreation, and make sure you set a maximum time limit.

* A creation zone. Somewhere to work, study, or develop skills. Crafts, coding, cooking. Make sure this space is dedicated; so do not consume entertainment here, do not eat here.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

⬐ randomsearch

If you have room for all those spaces in your house, you’re extremely luck. I work, sleep, and exercise in the same room. I’m not unusual in that respect.

⬐ Jetroid

Hence why I said house/space. I currently live in a single (small) room, too.

Every room has four walls.

My room is dedicated like this:

Northern wall: Desk with laptop. Go here for work/creativity.

Southern wall: My bed is here. Sleep only.

Eastern wall: My worktop is here for cooking.

Western wall: I drag my chair over here when I want to read or watch something.

Floor in the middle: Exercises.

You don't need to have a lot of space to make dedicated spaces. It's more of a mental thing.

⬐ randomsearch

Wow that's pretty crazy but an interesting take!

⬐ kieckerjan

If you have only one desk that you use for work and recreation, here is a little hack: switch chairs. I have a work chair and a "lazy" chair. Same desk, different feeling. Works for me.

CGP Grey did a video about the importance of having different spaces for different activities¹, and in one of the comments for the video², one Vallejo B. said that they have handled the lack of physical space by using tricks to fool the mind into thinking it is a different space, using different lighting, sounds, tastes for different modes. Like stage set design, a simple difference goes a long way, and as long your own brain is fooled, it works.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck&lc=Ugzl3DOl0s0oS...

> It feels like we are on a space ship, drifting through time, but basking in peace and solitude.

This comment reminded me of this video by CGP Grey which I think you may enjoy if you haven't yet seen it.

https://youtu.be/snAhsXyO3Ck

⬐ marzell

Thanks for sharing this.

If you can setup a dedicated work area, even if it's temporary, do it and restrict work to that space. That means you only use that space for work, and don't use the rest of your home.

Your sofa is for relaxing, don't let work ruin a perfectly good sofa.

CCP Grey [^1] has an excellent video on this.

[^1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAhsXyO3Ck (Video warning)

⬐ Operyl

I literally cannot stress how important this is. It's all fun and games until you're working from your bed, and then find that you can not stop thinking in bed and then never fall asleep.

~ Signed, someone working from home full time for the past 6 years.