Thursday, May 22, 2008

Forbidden topic

Work is consuming my consciousness from morning into the dark hours of the night; it's not yet invading my dreams but it's only a matter of time. We're struggling with an issue right now that is taking a long time to figure out and an even longer time to fix.

Working from home is wonderful on many levels, but honestly it's not optimal. Without the social interactions and water-cooler BS, I find myself glued to my chair for 8 to 10 hours straight (or more), save a few 10-foot trips to the bathroom and kitchen. I think most will agree that this doesn't usually happen at the office, where coworkers' stories about their kids, birthday donuts and farewell lunches, and even the occasional fire drill provide – at the very least – relief from computer eye-strain. Some might argue that chatting it up with a coworker in the hallway on the way to the office kitchen or the washroom (shout out to Chicago!) sucks up valuable work time.... my jury's still out on that one. I am definitely more productive hour per hour at home than in the office, but those mini-breaks just might increase my ability to focus while seated at my desk.

Perhaps I need to plan to take more time to step away from my desk while working at home. But how do I hire the stand-in coworkers?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the long run, this is less productive, in my opinion. Trading immediate productivity for burnout is not good for anybody in the long run.

Unknown said...

Yeah, I'm all for the get-up-and-walk-around approach to getting stuff done. My brain needs time to let ideas marinade and get worked over by the ol' subconsciousness.

Hmmm... maybe integrate regular pilgrimages to your local library / Starbucks / etc into your work day, to break things up a bit? The travel time alone might be the most important part...

Anonymous said...

I'm with Dan on the getting out. What if you plan to spend 3-4 hours a day in a cafe? I have a friend who has come up with some good solutions to this problem. I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you. xo