
Quarantine work is not remote work - askthrowaway
https://www.hanselman.com/blog/QuarantineWorkIsNotRemoteWork.aspx
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odshoifsdhfs
I am also a remote worker for the last 6-7 years or so.

There is a few things I would like to point out to people that are now working
from home for the first time and think it is the best thing ever. (Though many
may not have the possibility to do)

a) Stop working on your laptop that work sent you. Get a damn monitor and get
your back straight

b) Stop working from your dinning room table or what not. Get a
desk/comfortable chair

c) Take breaks from the screen. Walk to the kitchen, make coffee and talk with
the dam wooden spoon if you have noone else.

Most of the problems with not doing this don't show up in the first few weeks
of home working, but will be with your for much longer than that after a
while.

(if you can exercise, even better, but I won't recommend you to go to the gym
at a time like this)

~~~
ebg13
This is well and good, but our apartment which is great to live in is not
large enough for two work spaces. Nor can we afford to lose the space for as
many monitors. And it's not like we can suddenly move in the middle of
pandemic quarantine to a new place with more room. When we weren't working at
home we did not plan for our living arrangement to also be our working
arrangement.

Your advice is great, but only if you can arrange your home around being one
or more offices in addition.

~~~
fragmede
I find it hard to believe you live in an apartment that is too small to
accomodate two work spaces. I can believe you live in an existing space that
you could not have two workspaces added to it, but that's not the same thing.
It may take sacrificing the normal living room/TV/kitchen/common area, but
these aren't normal times we're living through.

Whether you _want_ to, is a different matter.

~~~
ebg13
> _It may take sacrificing the normal living room /TV/kitchen/common area_

Because the best way to avoid losing your mind is to completely eliminate the
only relaxation space in your home, yes?

~~~
WWLink
Folding tables always work.

~~~
anotheryou
Monitors and furniture all cost money though, but I agree, this thing would be
sweet:
[https://media.manufactum.de/is/image/Manufactum/750s_shop/se...](https://media.manufactum.de/is/image/Manufactum/750s_shop/sekretaer-
flatmate--28299_01.jpg)

If you got the funds: 1 high res monitor and the laptop folded or under the
table or anything is also already better.

------
masona
This new 'quarantine work' is just an awkward retrofit - those positions (and
their managers) were never designed to work remotely in the first place.

I spent 4 years remote in a position designed for it, and it was still a
challenge even on the best days. You have to communicate twice as much as
everyone who is on site.

It's hard to learn all the remote working lessons at the same time as everyone
else in your family is also learning them. Crash course in boundaries.

------
eyelidlessness
I've worked remotely most of my career, and this reflects my feelings as well.
This time is not representative of my years of remote work at all, and anyone
who is feeling stress and burnout in this time (I certainly am) should know
that you're not alone, you're not failing in any way, you're having a normal
reaction to a very unusual and stressful situation.

------
izend
Quarantine work + 5 Year old without childcare = Extremely Difficult

~~~
wmeredith
I've worked remotely 90% of the time for the last 7 years and this ain't it.

My partner and I are now homeschooling both of our children while attempting
to work full time remote. The results are mixed, with the kids mostly getting
the short end of the stick so our lively hoods can remain intact.

------
CM30
In addition to the points in the article, it's also worth considering that the
amount and kind of work you're doing at the moment also likely isn't normal
for remote working.

That's because if your company is client based, many of said clients have
likely stopped paying for work at the moment, and many organisations are
struggling to find anything for their employees to do at all. They're also
likely going to use this time to focus on internal projects and maintenance
too, since that's the kind of work that's available right now.

So if you do remote work after the pandemic/lockdown ends, you'll likely have
a lot more on your plate than you do at the moment. For better or worse.

------
musicale
Working remotely is normally great, but working during this epidemic feels
much harder, less enjoyable, and less productive - probably due in part to the
steady barrage of warnings, restrictions and alarming news, all of which seem
to contribute to worry and stress. Not to mention the increased isolation.
Just taking care of basic necessities seems to be a lot harder and more time-
consuming.

But I can't complain much, since being able to work at all (not to mention
staying housed and fed) is a pretty good thing! I've also caught up on sleep
to some extent, which I highly recommend.

------
djohnston
I'm also feeling burnout, I suspect because I'm actually working more hours
now, sometimes out of sheer boredom.

