Working From Home? Here's an Extra Shot of Focus

https://techblog.livingsocial.com/blog/2014/04/02/working-from-home-heres-an-extra-shot-of-focus/

by tvalent2 • 12 years ago

133 50 12 years ago

techblog.livingsocial.com

derwiki4• 12 years ago

Is "work from home on a team" different than "work from home bootstrapping by yourself"? The article mentions "While working from the office, it’s hard to get quality work done every day. Doing it from home is even harder" and at least for me, it's much easier to get quality work done at home. Maybe I'm lucky and have built a distraction free home (no kids, wife, or goats).

The other tips don't seem to be "work from home" specific.

As a side note, I think it's really funny how much importance people put on their coffee ritual. I'm a tea drinker, which must mean I'm just a plebeian ;-)

bazzargh2• 12 years ago

Working from home on a team feels different. My work hours are more constrained, to align with the office-bound team. I'm on video calls with the team several times a day, and need to be available for that.

I think the morning ritual is to an extent wfh specific. It's obvious that you get yourself together when you're heading into the office, but at home it's so easy just to open up the laptop and stay in bed. It's so easy to blur the line between work time and home time this way, and lose your balance one way or the other.

I have the vpn token on a lanyard; I find this helps as a mental signal that I'm on company time. I also try to do my morning session in a cafe - this forces me to be up and out with the world, and introduces a cutoff point when 'home' ends.

derwiki4• 12 years ago

I want to like working in Cafes. I focus easier, the energy is invigorating, less loneliness.. but invariably every coffee shop visit is accompanied by flaky connection issues. I usually lose 30 min of productivity messing with it and then give up and go home to good internet.

lukasm• 12 years ago

If I really enjoy the task working from home improves my output, but when it's boring I do almost nothing.

I'm a tea drinker as well, but I think it's other way around.

jknightco• 12 years ago

Since the advent of third-wave coffee houses, I think coffee has reclaimed the high-brow market. But this may just because I'm a coffee drinker and I want to feel superior to you in this moment we share over the internet :P

andyl• 12 years ago

Headphones block noise. Headphones are a social signal: "don't interrupt me". Headphones are 'in-the-zone' muscle memory. Headphones are amazing!

jnettome• 12 years ago

When your company's culture respect that!

Really, headphones are amazing :)

wengzilla• 12 years ago

do you really have a pet goat?!

caffo• 12 years ago

author here. sadly, I don't, but I always wanted one.

wglb• 12 years ago

These are all good points. Except for the goat.

When I was working at home and the kids were still young, I had a door to the office that was closed when I was "at work". Family could knock if they needed something.

potomak• 12 years ago

I'd also suggest* using tools such Tomatoes[1] that help you stay focused and manage your working time.

Another suggestion is to try to not work from home at all, find a nice coworking space or a shared office.

[1] http://tomato.es

* I'm the author a proud user of this tool

gms7777• 12 years ago

I've used tomato.es for a while now and its a great tool, so thank you. I'd highly recommend it to others.

I use the login with github and my one peeve with it is that if I forget to login and start and finish an interval, it tells me to login in order to keep track of things. But if I then proceed to log in, that one interval is lost.

snarfy• 12 years ago

I worked from home for about three years. At one point I had an entirely separate desk and computer for work, adjacent to my personal computer and desk. This is legally required for tax purposes, but it's also the best work/life balance I could find and still maintain focus. If I'm in the work chair on the work computer, I'm working.

derwiki4• 12 years ago

That's another thing -- having a chair makes a huge difference. I'd been sitting on a water jug at my desk for the last few months and recently got a chair -- what a difference! (I wish I was joking/trolling)

muriithi• 12 years ago

Is procrastination as common in other fields like engineering, accounting, marketing etc when compared to programming?

pdevr• 12 years ago

What I have learnt is that as long as the work involves non-deterministic processes, it will cause mental drain. So, there is more chance of procrastination.

Along with this, if the task is large, there is a higher risk of procrastination.

rjfarley• 12 years ago

As someone who worked in business strategy / analytics, I can say that procrastination does occur, but it's probably a bit harder to get away with.

You generally have to give frequent updates, with a predefined deliverable. It's often a series of sprints, vs deliver this in 2 weeks. If you don't deliver something - which happens all the time for unforseen reasons - you generally make everyone aware of the delay and what caused it. So, you can only procrastinate so much before you run out of excuses.

hhsnopek• 12 years ago

Does anyone have a script that is close to his, except for linux?

hawkharris• 12 years ago

Nice, succinct advice, especially the bit about multi-tasking.

I've always said that multi-tasking is like fixing a flat tire. It's a valuable skill to have, but you should avoid putting yourself in situations that require it.

gabemart3• 12 years ago

In case people aren't yet sick of me plugging the ambient noise generator I built, here are some sites that block out background noise as a supplement to a good pair of headphones for distraction-free work:

http://coffitivity.com

http://noisli.com

http://asoftmurmur.com

I like working with music on, but I find it very hard to find music that allows me to truly focus, and when I do I quickly get tired of listening to the same tracks over and over. I like ambient noise because it blocks out the world without stealing focus.

I also like this Buddhist chant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG_lNuNUVd4

josh-wrale2• 12 years ago

I'm a fan of ambient noise and the likes of Brian Eno. I'm somewhat fearful of using the same tones for _very_ long periods of time. The inner ear doesn't tolerate these well (especially white noise), nor does the brain. In moderation however, bring it on. Thanks for the links.

gabemart3• 12 years ago

That's interesting. Do you know where I can read more about this please?

dublinben• 12 years ago

Playnoise.com is an HTML5 noise generator that supports Brown noise (as well as pink and white). I find it much less harsh than white noise for any period of time.

thinkr• 12 years ago

I also like working with music but can become unfocused. What seems to work for me is to listen to music in a foreign language because that way I can focus on my work and not the lyrics.

rhizome• 12 years ago

Your brain is still going to try to pattern-match on the human voice.

dayjah• 12 years ago

I've been using, and highly recommend, SimplyRain: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simplyrain/id635166382

chime• 12 years ago

I use this when it's noisy outside: http://www.rainymood.com/

gavinpc• 12 years ago

Notwithstanding the fact that I'm diverted right now... thanks, these are great. I've been using a local copy of the SimplyNoise SWF since I am offline a lot (which is itself very helpful).

ehsanu1• 12 years ago

I felt the same way about working with music on, until I found http://musicforprogramming.net/

lunarcave• 12 years ago

You know what stuck with me? The Star Trek TNG Ambient Engine Noise.

See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqCoUvz_nwI

headShrinker• 12 years ago

This is surprisingly comforting. Really great ambiance. I don't know if this is because I love TNG so much or because it sounds very womb like.

fit2rule• 12 years ago

Tried http://musicforprogramming.net yet? I've found it to be a great source of background music that doesn't interfere with the foreground thoughts I need to have in order to do my job ..

mherrmann• 12 years ago

Great article. I have been working from home with one remote colleague for two years now. I also use head phones to immerse myself 'in the zone'. I find my mind often wanders when I have to wait for something. Already a 6 sec build often makes me briefly check HN, Facebook or my mail. Another big distraction is my girlfriend. It's not always easy to get her to understand that I'm busy despite being at home. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with My focus though, especially when compared with an office environment. YMMV

markbnj• 12 years ago

I've been working from home for close to ten years, and one thing to note is that the challenges are exponentially increased when children enter the picture. When those children become teens, the challenges can be epic. Nothing like a flame-out between two daughters in the kitchen next to your office during a conference call! Throw in a couple of pets, just in case the stress level isn't crippling yet. Fortunately I'm a night-owl, and don't have to attend too many meetings. In terms of producing what I need to produce I can often shift work into the quieter evening and early morning hours. In the end I would still much rather work this way. All of the interruptions of family life still prove somehow less disruptive than the endless "networking" and powerpoint-strewn meetings I used to be dragged into when I worked in an office.

madrusec• 12 years ago

I am in similar situation. Routine can help in some cases. When you have a routine your wife and kids know when you will leave the room and when you will go back in (or the cave as my wife calls it :D). Sometimes it can be hard to take breaks at the same time everyday, especially when you are trying to figure out a problem you believe you are very close to solving. However, sometimes that break is all you need to fix that pesky bug! Headphones are also helpful, though like you I am a night owl as well. The only problem with that is that it can lead to irregular sleep, a subject a would like to read more about from a programmer who works at home with a family.

iamthepieman• 12 years ago

I've worked from home for 2 and a half years after working in only office environments in cubicles.

I find one of the hardest to define and most important was work signalling. When I worked in an office there were many signals that got me mentally and physically prepared to do work. These included:

Getting dressed - I have never worked in my underwear from home but I now make a point to put on some nice pants and shoes and fix my hair/wash my face etc.

Driving - Not commuting is a huge time and energy saver but it still gave me some quiet time to prepare for the day. I now either go for a walk in the morning or "get to work" 15 minutes early and read something interesting and tech oriented.

Greeting Coworkers - I still haven't found a good replacement for this. It's hard to catch up on water cooler talk remotely especially since half my team doesn't even use IM. I try to check in with questions from the previous day or a quick status update via email within the first hour of work.

The office - I've moved my office a couple of times and find it's best if the office is a dedicated room, not a nook or a corner of the living room but something with it's own decor and sense of place. I painted my office spring green to be cheery and have some plants and a bookshelf with tech books on it. I put a glass whiteboard up that I use to brainstorm and will point my webcam at it if I'm working with a remote coworker on something that requires it.

When I first started working form home I thought that distractions were my biggest problem but I've since realized that it's not so much getting rid of distractions, but getting INTO work.

1jambox• 12 years ago

When I raised my first round I worked from home most of the time and time boxing was the key. Writing down one or some goals and trying to achieve them in a given period of time.

For me 19 minutes works the best. It doesn't feel like too much ('19 minutes won't kill me') and still you can move mountains in 19 minutes. I don't do breaks inbetween them, I just make like 3-6 in a row and the some break.

Because none of the tools were really perfect I wrote my own, very lean and a not configurable tool:

- 19 minutes fixed

- a crisp & clear ticking sound (WebKit only)

- browser-based, just enter url and the thing starts without the need to press any further button; the page title shows the running time

=> http://revs.co

computerbob• 12 years ago

This is a really interesting idea. I work a lot with desktop tools and am thinking of making a little timer which does something similar and makes tracks which I am doing which could "Yell" at me if I am doing thing on a "ban" list. I like the simplicity of the browser page.

untestedcode• 12 years ago

I really like his focus script. However, I think he's treating the symptoms and not the problem. Usually, when I can't focus it just means there's something else that's wrong: 1) I didn't get a good night's sleep, 2) my diet wasn't quite right that day (too much sugar perhaps?) or the previous day, or 3) I've been working too long.

Lack of focus is a signal that something is wrong. In terms of being at home versus at the office, I can have the same lack of focus at the office.

hbien• 12 years ago

The company I'm with operates on 3 remotes day per week. It's a terrific balance for me. The on-site days are spent pair programming, sprint demos, meetings, and being social. The remote days are distraction free work.

meowface• 12 years ago

Only marginally related to the post, but has anyone here lived with a pet goat before? Can they live with you in your home, or do they need to stay outside most of the time?

jedberg• 12 years ago

I allow myself 15 minutes of Reddit per day.

He's definitely not the only one. We noticed this trend very early on -- a lot of users have a fixed amount of time.

If we made an improvement to page loading times, time on site stayed fixed, but the number of pages each user viewed went up. In other words, they were reading more in the same amount of time.

We found that fascinating.

beat• 12 years ago

I think I may need to commit to headphones when working at home, to reduce distraction and signal to my family that I'm working.

I wonder if the dogs will figure it out? And if they do, I wonder if they'll care?

coolsunglasses• 12 years ago

If you train them sure, why not?

The dogs at our house know EXACTLY what certain articles mean. (Leash, jacket, car keys)

Working From Home? Here's an Extra Shot of Focus

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