| I got an office so I can work from home |
[Feb. 8th, 2022|03:18 am]
Barnaby Huxtable
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I thought about writing a Medium article about this. And maybe I will. But, for now, I'm choosing LiveJournal.
I have been working from home for the past 13 years at a few different companies, working as a software engineer. It definitely seemed novel when I started doing it 13 years ago, but by now seems normal.
Over these years, I have been blessed with a family that has grown, and sometimes, especially the younger ones, can make it particularly difficult to concentrate. It is not so much that my children distract me, but more that I feel drawn and compelled to answer their needs, even when my wife is there to take care of them. If I hear a baby cry, I cannot think or work, so I will get up and go to the baby. Similarly, if I go to the kitchen quickly, mid-working-on-something, and a child asks for something, that "quick trip to the kitchen" can become a lengthy session of taking care of various needs. I am blessed to have such oppurtunties, but have noticed that it has put me into some unhealthy habits.
Of course, this is not unique to me. For anybody reading this who is not aware, there has been a pandemic for the past two years and working from home amid all sorts of distraction has been the norm for many. It's just that I've been doing it for much longer and it has mostly been working for me. Or so I have thought.
I have figured, I will just spend the distracted daytime work hours attending various meetings, updating notes, and planning what I'm going to do. And then, at night, when everybody is asleep, I can get real work done, concentrating on solving the deep problems of whatever particular thing I am building. And then I'll sleep at some point. That's healthy, right?
In the past, such a cycle would often be broken, as I would make a trip out to whatever office of whatever job I was working at every month or so, and even somtimes stay for a couple days. And so, it never really got to be that bad, to the point that I noticed it affecting me in any way. But, over these past two years, two things have changed. First, the pandemic has closed schools. This was supposed to only last a few weeks, then a few months, then a whole school year, and now it's every other week that someone in a class has a positive COVID test and some or all kids are home for five days. And secondly, the company that I now work for is located approximately 3,000 miles away. And this has been going on now for two years.
Whatever bad habit that I had over "just finishing work at night" has been amplified into a feeling of constantly being behind (personally feeling this way anyway) and wondering if the kids will have school and if I will get any sleep and when will be the next chance to get to focus on some really important thing for work, and do the kids need to be tested for COVID before going back to school, and every other "normal" stress compounded with no breaks for two years.
And so, I tried to do various things about it. I have noise-cancelling headphones, but I would feel guilty about putting them on if my baby is crying, even if I already have tended to her, or if my wife is in the process of doing so. Plus, they are not perfect and sound leaks through.
I have tried working from the local Starbucks, but some time in December of last year, they drastically changed their hours, closing very early. It no longer felt like a reliable place to get work done.
I tried going to other places, like a local Barnes and Noble, but it just felt out of the way and there would be other distractions.
Thoughout all of this and trying to find solutions, my wife suggested that I get an office outside of the house. I would respond how ridiculous that seems because we have a house with a perfectly good room that I use as an office.
It was just a month ago when I had some time off from work, and all of these stresses seemed to have come to the top. I was literally grinding my teeth and in general, feeling anxious. Again, my wife suggested that I "just get an office". And so, I decided to give her suggestion a try.
Apparently a small room with a window is extrememly affordable. I had no idea! I checked out a couple places and found one place, an old warehouse that was converted into office space that I've actually been to before. There are recording studios and even an MMA dojo of sorts in the building. There are lots of various creative things going on in the building including a photo studio. And there is even a barber shop!
The building is a brick structure with huge wooden beams and windy halls and staircases all around it. There is a river that runs through the back. It's all industrial looking, yet beautiful on the inside and out. And now, I am happy to say that I have a small room with a window looking out at that river in that very building!
And it has been great. The past four weeks have involved our minivan ceasing to function and needing to get a new one, otherwise trying to shop for and set up furniture for the new office space, get internet for it, and various other things. For the past two weeks (I think) there has been at least one kid home from regularly scheduled school because somebody in a class tested positive for COVID. And there have been various changes going on at work and therefore more meetings than usual. And while it is has still felt quite difficult to balance it all, it has been amazing to know that when I need to focus, I can just head over to this office space and focus.
In the past month, I have finished setting it up mostly, putting some lights and making it feel almost like a dorm room. It is a really nice space, and in addition to using it for work, I have also meditated with my Muse headset - something that I rarely can do at home because I always feel on call. And even my wife has gone there to get some quiet time to work on writing, while I _mindfully_ tend to the children.
There still are many things that I am getting used to with this, and it can still feel frustrating to try to balance everything, but by having a space that feels protected from certain responsibilities, I feel like I can come home and put more of my attention to home life, instead of feeling constantly divided where mindful moments would feel more and more fleeting.
And already, I am feeling more productive at work, and more present at home.
Who would have thought to separate work and home life? What an awesome idea! |
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