Ask HN: Recommendations for Working from Home?
I've worked from home occasionally, but only in short stretches where I could get some work done from my laptop at the kitchen table.
With the recent WFH-mandate for my company, my team is now entirely WFH. I've set up a designated space at home to work from with some proper ergonomics, and I'm interested in hearing general advice and recommendations about staying productive, striking the work/life balance, and keeping the casual/social in-person environment alive. Any specific recommendations?
90 comments
[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 156 ms ] thread- Make part of your home your office. This may sound obvious but do not work in any other part. Do not take your laptop upstairs to sit on the couch for a little. This will make sure that when you are relaxing later, you still don't feel like you are at work.
- Take breaks from time to time. Whether you need to make another cup of coffee or just stretch, don't sit or stand for too long. I always try to get outside and walk too. It's easy to forget to go out and get some fresh air.
- Remember to take time for lunch. I take an hour to eat and attend to any small chores I need to tackle.
- Buy a decent set of headphones to have some white noise or music on if there are distractions around the house.
I hope this helps!
I lived long in a single space studio and worked everywhere in the flat. After a few months I ended up hating just being at home and had to work at coffee places (noisy, productivity killer).
Now I have a slightly larger flat with a designated office corner. Not only it is more convenient, but when I saturate I go to the reading corner and switch off more effectively.
I also found buying a cheap monitor and an external keyboard to plug the laptop a huge productivity improvement.
2. Start your day with something that wakes you up, even if it means you have to get up earlier.
3. Don't ignore your hygiene just because you're home--that's a recipe for lethargy.
4. Avoid caffeine, if possible. When you're stuck at home, it's harder to get over that tired feeling when the caffeine wears off. Since you won't be as active as normal, it'll also be harder to sleep at night.
5. Keep a consistent schedule; don't let your bedtime drift.
6. If you live with other people, make it clear that you're still at work from X in the morning until Y at night, and they should do their best to avoid distracting you. Noise-cancelling headphones help. Chores can be a great way to get some movement in while you're stuck at home, but plan to do them at specific times for set durations, rather than arbitrarily.
7. If you don't have a designated office, try relocating occasionally. Spend some time working in different rooms. As long as you're comfortable with a touchpad, you can use a laptop just about anywhere. You can even get a small folding table and move it around.
8. Try to get as much natural light as possible during the day.
Standing desk (adjustable, with electric motor) is great for this. It will take some adjustment but a good headset with a good standing desk will do wonders for your posture, allowing you to pace while you think (I think better when I'm walking or pacing) or during conference calls/standups, look out the window, do a few pushups etc then drop the desk after an hour or 2 and sit for some keyboard/mouse/touchscreen action depending on your work.
Sitting all day is the absolute worst for the human body - lymph system gets listless, joints get stuck, blood doesn't flow as well to the brain and so on.
All disease is cell disease and if a cell can't get rid of its waste it becomes rebellious and cancerous. The lymphatic system is not circulatory and works best when the body is in motion or being massaged.
Oh yea, if you have the $ having a professional masseuse drop in for a 15-min neck and shoulder rub goes a long way, too.
Do not underestimate the long-term negative effects of a sedentary work day on your health, longevity and well-being.
Having a chill pet around like a slacker cat or quiet dog would probably be good for a lot of people, too.
Consider techniques like pomodoro, both to get you focused and to make sure you're taking necessary breaks. Have a way to exercise and walk around. Keep healthy food at home.
When I switched to working from home five years ago, the biggest thing I missed was random social interaction with other adults.
Sure I have my wife and kids, but my wife has heard all my stories and my kids aren't the right audience for most of them.
Your people need to be healthy to do work. That includes mental health.
As introverted as I am, the sudden and extreme social isolation hit me hard. Then I coped by just making myself get out of the house and being more receptive to random social interactions at stores and whatnot. Made myself pick an interesting meetup to attend every week or so.
Now, with the whole point being to isolate ourselves, I don't know what I'd do if I were still living alone. Group chats and videoconferencing really aren't a substitute for in-person human interaction.
https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1237773562322259970
When the work period is over, go for a walk in the opposite direction to "commute home".
Make an effort to say yes to social events (although with coronavirus maybe not so much).
If you live with a partner make sure they know that's it "work from home" not "do chores at home". Although doing a load of laundry is actually a pretty good use of time and a good way to get a quick break every hour for a few hours.
If at all possible, put a door between you and everyone else that is at your house during working hours.
I like the suggestion about commuting by walking around the block, I'll add that.
Dedicate a time slot to go outside, for a walk, do not submit to pressure to keep working a day long.
Lift weights, helps you keep in shape. Invest in a backup internet line, etc.
Have water/bathroom/coffee/tea/snack breaks every 1 hour.
Unplug PS4, TV, Atari.
If you cannot suffer the silence search for a classic music/instrumental music (whatever soft "elevator" music you may tolerate/like) on Spotify/etc. Find something with 20h total duration, hit the random button, set it on 5-15% volume and let it play.
Edit: I LOVED the "walk around the block idea, I am making it happen!!
Also in the Edit: change clothes, don't wear suit and tie, but don't stay with pyjamas (especially when walking around the block). Wear proper clothes, or at least tracksuit, something other than sleepwear.
Also in the Edit: make sure you check what your camera "sees" in the background, and clean that up.. wall=OK, pile of laundry 3 weeks old= NOT ok
I can only assume that's why Teams has the "blur background" option.
Leave the house, stretch your legs: Without disregard to government recommendations and instruction and provided that you keep safe from gatherings and other groups, going for a walk to get some sun will help make you happier and clear your mind;
Walking 1:1s: We all love walking 1:1s, and this is a great opportunity to keep doing them, but instead of walking side by side with your teammate, you can do it over a phone call;
Work-life balance: Working at home can make you more productive, but do not forget to set limits for yourself. Know when to finish work and start enjoying your day, even if you do not leave the same physical space.
Home office: Set up a small office at home, preferably in a place where you usually do not use to relax and use it just to work. This way you can have a clear distinction between your workspace and mindset, and your own time.
Virtual coffees: Even if you don’t have a random coffee planned for today or this week, try to connect with your teammates outside of work topics. We are social creatures who need social interactions to be happy. Take this as an opportunity to engage with people you usually wouldn’t.
Do not overuse pyjama days: Although it feels great to work in your pyjamas sometimes, using normal clothes as if you were going to the office, helps to change the mindset from being at home chilling to work mode.
Communicate proactively: We won’t be able to engage with each other on our work interactions in person, so regardless of the tool we use to communicate make sure you keep doing that, proactively, remotely. Be part of what glues us as a company.
1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nEnE1OYPULy8x0ng5hcuLjoY...
The team at Notion also did a good compilation: https://www.notion.so/Remote-work-wiki-1b21ef5501714fffa9f5c...
One thing I used to do was have regularly scheduled office hours when I would keep a persistent VC up and people could drop in and ask me any questions they had or discuss something with me in "person".
For that, there is obviously RescueTime (I use it with Custom New Tab URL Chrome plugin so that with each new tab I have an overview of the last hours), Qbserve (if you have macOS and prefer more privacy), and for open-source: https://activitywatch.net/.
At the same - book some hours without Slack or anything similar (unless you commit these hours to Slack, not deep work).
(I am a freelancer. I mostly work from home. Sometimes I work from an office, and there is a stark difference of the pros and cons of both places.)
- my office is separate room that I visit just when I am at work. Kids were born into this situation and understand that this room is off limits.
- Good external monitor, mouse and ergonomic keyboard + good chair. I also like to use headphones when working even when nobody is around.
- I do keep regular schedule: work day starts at 8:00 with 15 minutes walk as my commute to clear my head from life stuff. lunch is at 12:00, I eat it with my wife and kid at the kitchen or we might go out to one of our local bistros just outside our house. I am not required to work like that, but it is just easy to keep in rhythm.
- no video games, no movies, no distraction when working. I might leave for bathroom or to make some green tea, but no procrastinating on my way, no playing with child or talking to my wife is allowed.
- when the day is over, I stand up, go for 15 minutes walk in nearby park (my commute to clean my head after work) and then I am back home.
- when I am done I am done. I might check Slack or emails, but the office is closed and no work is allowed.
It might seen strict, but working this way is actually best for me and my family. Years ago I was not that disciplined, worked a bit here and there, maybe watch a movie mid day and then work till 10pm. Now I just know when I am working and when I am allowed to just turn off.
They might be tiny, but they do require some structure and habits. I dont know how they do that, but there is going to be some serious door banging at 16:02 by our 16 months old signaling my allotted office time is over.
When working from home, my first impulse 10 years ago was to make it "more comfy": working naked, no fixed time table, available for a chat if needed, etc.
It was a mistake.
You do need a schedule. That doesn't mean you can't break it if you need to, that's the perk, but it should be exceptional.
You do need to shower, dress up and be on time. Yeah you can have a few productive days without it. But you'll notice that after a while, the days you get back to the social conventions, you have more focus.
You do need to keep up your habitual defenses against distractions (for me, disabling all notifications and putting a lock on the door as my SO cannot integrate the concept of WFH).
Because humans are creatures of habit. Anything that is an habit is easy to keep up. Everything that is not is an effort. Everything that goes against an habit is a fight.
So working from home means less commute. A more cozy environment. The possibility of going off schedule from time to time.
But that's it.
Work should still look like work.
At least for me if I want to get things done.
I basically had to give up WFH because of this. My family just did not understand at all. And putting a lock on the door is not socially acceptable. If you have a family, especially one of the age to be at home during the workday, it is very difficult to WFH unless they really understand it. A nearby office would have been so much better if I could have managed that.
I get up, work out or go for a run, take a shower/get dressed and then make breakfast. Shower and getting dressed like I'm going to work is a really important part. Also I have a rule that I never, ever eat at my desk unless it's absolutely necessary. I sit at the table and read or scroll on my phone.
I try and take a 10 minute break every hour or so to get up, maybe put away dishes, throw in some laundry, something to clear my head up a little bit. I like to make a list of things I want to get done in the morning and chip away at that here and there throughout the day.
When I'm done for the day, I'm done. I get up and go have a beer, take a walk, run to the store, anything to get me out for a bit.
I've found that to be a pretty successful way to manage both time and sanity. You don't want to get in a rut where all the sudden it's Thursday and you haven't showered or left your house.
This is a bigger issue than the non WFH crowd will ever know!
- Freedom or similar Internet-off software, if you're the kind of person who is susceptible to such challenges. http://www.paulgraham.com/distraction.html
If your mind wanders while working, quickly write down the smaller tasks you need to do, no matter how small. Keeps focus.
2. Have a designated working area (to the extent possible) and designated working hours. When that clock hits 5pm, stop working and put away the working area.
3. Take your lunch and any snacks away from your working area, just like you would in the office
4. Outside of working hours, turn off your work apps and any notifications for them (in Android, leverage your Work profile)
5. Limit non-work tasks during work hours. Avoid watching Netflix or starting that home repair project. At the same time, don't guilt yourself if you put in a load of laundry - in the same way you don't guilt yourself if you go to the coffee shop down the street. There's a balance, find it.
6. Use a good chair. If you don't have a fancy office chair, a regular hardback dining room chair is actually a decent replacement for most people.
Assuming you use Slack (or similar) create your own personal (but public) “rubber ducking” channel. Use it to you talk to yourself about everything you’re doing. This helps keeps you accountable to yourself and others, and keeps others in the loop, and provides excellent context for anything you might need to discuss in depth.
Had WFH at least one day per week for close to two years at Amazon and full time since October at my own company.
Funny thing is, I switch workplaces. From the dedicated desk to the dinner table to the living room and back at no particular intervals. Seems to be an outlier, so.
Now I just switch between standing and sitting and having a blast.
He'd worked in an office for 20+ years, and switched to remote. At work he wore a shirt and tie every day for those 20+ years. That was his uniform. Everyone will have a different ritual that switches them from home mode to work mode, but find yours. It will make a major difference for you.
- Have a dedicated work space that can be closed off from the rest of the family / roommates / distractions. Bedrooms / kitchens can only work for so long. A dedicated office at home works best.
- Headphones can act like a chain (in a good way) and keep you productive at your desk.
- Keep strict work hours, 8-5 or whatever. No work communications outside of those times.
- Do not set up your work email or messaging on your phone to further enforce strict work hours and differentiate "work" from "life".
- I found no good way of keeping the casual / social in-person environment alive. The reality is that working from home is often lonely and you lose the casual office chit chat. I have filled that newfound spare time with side projects.
- focus on what you need to get done for the day, and don't feel bad if you finish early
- assess if your bandwidth at home is sufficient for big uploads, video conferencing, etc.
- get a good router that can handle the load of multiple clients during times your family comes home (e.g. my wifi upload speed went from 20Mbps to 200Mbps when I ditched the cheapest router for a good gaming router)
- schedule out of the house activities, even if it's just going for a short walk
- if you have big downloads to do, kick then off at night so they'll be ready for you in the morning
- check in with your boss to see what core office hours should be online