Thread by @ksonney, As someone who has been dedicated work-from-home for almost a decade, and [...]

As someone who has been dedicated work-from-home for almost a decade, and had bouts of it in the past, I have some thoughts.

This is not an uncommon problem, and the adjustment can be hard. It is a big adjustment, pandemic or no pandemic. 1/? https://twitter.com/Unclekage/status/1301140132888707073

https://twitter.com/Unclekage/status/1301140132888707073

When I first did work from home, back in the early 2000s, I had some difficulty adjusting. My "office" was also the generic computer room I shared with my (now ex-)wife.

This didn't let me separate work from home. I did have a dedicated work machine. 2/?

This leads me to my first two recommendations for anyone who is working remote for the first time :
1. Set up a dedicated "work" space that you can enter and leave
2. IF YOU CAN, use a different computer for work and not-work. 3/?

The second one can be difficult. I know a lot of people who ONLY have their work computer/laptop. This has a whole bunch of concerns, from "your employer can see all your shit" to "screen sharing and embarrassing pop-ups are visible" 4/?

If you are forced to use your PERSONAL machine for work, please, please, PLEASE look into setting up a Virtual Machine for JUST work things. Talk to your IT department, if you have one, or a helpful tech friend (who is local to you) to get this set up. 5/?

At the end of your work day, you TURN OFF your work machine or work VM. Get that stuff out of your field of view. This is a BIG help.
6/?

Back to the first part - a dedicated work space. If you have a room you can DEDICATE to a work space, do it. I am lucky enough to have my own office/studio in the re-purposed dining room (which we weren't using). I have a dedicated side of my desk for nothing BUT work. 7/?

If you do NOT have a room that you aren't using, and have to set up in a "common" space like a shared living room or bedroom, then it is time to get kind of creative. 8/?

I have talked to people who have used cardboard boxes to build partitions and then decorate them. If you keep an eye out for surplus sales you can possibly find actual dividers for affordable prices. 9/?

The goal here is to provide both PHYSICAL and MENTAL separation between "Home" and "Work" - so that when you enter the "work" space, your mind follows, and the same when you leave it. 10/?

Now comes the part that work for me, but may not work for everyone.

I get up every morning, have my coffee, a shower, and get dressed like I am actually going to an office. 11/?

I have a bag with my planner, pens, cables, iPad, and personal laptop that I pick up and take downstairs to my office with me.

This helps get me into the "work" mindset. 12/?

When my workday is over, I pack up my planner, pens, personal laptop, and etc. I log off of work, and leave my office.

Sometimes I come back after dinner to the "studio" side of my desk for recording podcasts and stuff. 13/?

But the important thing is, I have rituals for starting my workday and ending it, to get me in the right mindset. It doesn't always work, but then, neither does getting in a car and driving to an office. 14/?

The other thing I do is I TAKE BREAKS. I get up from my desk and get coffee and play with kittens. I go out and walk around the chicken yards. This is no different than taking a break at an office and stepping outside for air, or going out to lunch. 15/?

A lot of people make the mistake of not taking breaks. As if working from home doesn't require those breaks when you are home. I know I did early on.

But you need them, and you need to take them. 16/?

I do things on my "breaks" that seem like they aren't - laundry, dishes, and other household things - but they give my MIND a break from whatever I'm working on. They make me stop thinking about work and move around. 17/?

One other thing - if you have family or housemates at home with you, set boundaries. Make sure THEY know that when you are at work, you are at WORK. This is tricky with young kids, TRUST ME I KNOW, but it can be done. 18/?

Above all else, be patient and forgiving with everyone. Everyone around you is having to adapt as well. And also be patient and forgiving of YOURSELF. You're going to make mistakes - accept and learn from them. This may be the hardest part, but SO WORTH IT. 19/?

So that's what works for me. I'm lucky in many ways - I have dedicated space in my house, I work for a company that is "remote-first" and understands this lifestyle, and have supportive housemates who also understand what's up. And I am grateful for that every day. 20/fin

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