Do you work at home?

[historyrocks]

I've been working at home on my research for the whole summer & generally go in 3 days a week when teaching. However, it means I constantly feel that I have to work. I've never done enough. Even now (when I'm feeling quite poorly), I feel guilty for not working. The stress I feel when I'm not making any progress is exhausting.

I have a nice office on campus that I could use, but I resent the commuting time--it's a 1.5 hour round trip, which seems like such a waste of time and energy. It's also unbearably hot during the summer. Nevertheless, I'm starting to think I should pack all my books up and keep work/home separate. I'd appreciate hearing how others deal with this problem as I'm just going round in circles.

[QuaterMiss]

Oh, I empathise with this. Particularly over the summer. I haven’t been away on holiday at all and even though I know all my peers will have had weeks away from work I’ve felt enormous guilt over every second spent not reading the million books I’m sure I ought to be.

Added to that, my home environment is punishingly noisy at this time of year, whereas my designated research space is wonderfully peaceful. But several hours away ...

[bigkidsdidit]

Is there a middle ground? I often work in a university library close by me. Also public libraries, and there is a rent a space co-op in my town which is very cheap. I can’t work at home, I dither and procrastinate too much!

[historyrocks]

@QuaterMiss Noise is a problem. I can work better if there’s nobody home. The DDs are back at school now (in Scotland) but DH is a SAHD so I never get the place to myself.

And, yes, the guilt at feeling I’m not doing enough is overwhelming. I can never walk away from work whilst it’s at home. I can’t figure out if I’d be more productive working on campus—in spite of the travelling time.

@bigkidsdidit there’s no way I can work elsewhere. I need my books and research material with me. It’s too much to carry around so I’m tied to wherever it’s all kept.

The ridiculous thing is that I’m only about 6 miles from work. DH can drop me off in the morning, but I have to get the bus home, which takes at least an hour.

[ommmward]

Why can't you bike to work? That's only half an hour. Or something like 45 minutes running, depending on how fit you are. And all those endorphins are brilliant for consolidating the ideas you've had at work, and generating new ones 😊

[historyrocks]

@ommward, I have health/mobility problems that means cycling in would be impossible. I would use the bus journey to catch up with reading, but I get travel sickness if I so much as look at my phone on a bus. It really is dead time & I find it quite tiring (not sure if that’s the impact of my poor health).

[SarahAndQuack]

I always work at home. Always have. I did my PhD four hours away from my university, so though I sometimes used the local university libraries, I'd also do a lot at home. Had an office in my first and second jobs, but also had a small baby around for the second job. The past year I've been unemployed but finishing my book, so work at home with the toddler. New job starting in October and I'm hoping to get into rather nicer work habits and go in more!

Something I find helpful is to question why I think I have to work a certain way. I'm lit/history (medievalist) and my book was written in a very structured, small-chunks-at-a-time way, which was what worked around being disrupted by a baby/toddler. Once I got into the habit of that I could frame it as a positive thing (it was good discipline to drop everything and write as soon as she was quiet; it was good discipline to write for 15 minutes then stop, etc.). I actually like the way the book turned out and one of my readers has said it's very clear and easy to follow, which I think has to do with it being written in small chunks.

Conventional wisdom is all about valorising ivory tower style work, where you sit for hours in a silent office pondering deeply and typing away. In reality I don't think many of us work like that. I found it really comforting when someone on here said, years ago, that she considers it a good and productive day if she works - real, hard work, not footnoting or whatever - for four hours. More than that, and it's just counterproductive and/or self-deception. I think that's true. But you're more conscious you're not working when you're at home.

[QuaterMiss]

Very good point about the ivory tower mentality! I’m probably guilty of that myself - even though I probably spend my most valuable hours at home lying in bed between 5 and 8am: reading reviews of new books, investigating CfPs, and adding the odd sentence or word to a document. Those hours never feel like ‘work’ - just pottering - but looking back after a few months I’m amazed at how much material I’ve gathered. (And how many ridiculous, pointlessly expensive events I’ve blithely signed up to attend. )

[MedSchoolRat]

How much would a taxi cost to get home, compromise, even if just some days/week? Around here that would be maybe £14 max. Well Less than one hour's salary.
Have you looked at Liftshare?
My RT commute is 1.5-3 hrs tbh. 2 hrs is not unusual I find, in academia.
I hate working at home for every problem OP listed.
If I HAD to work at home on regular basis I imagine setting many strict rules that allowed/made me shut off.
I only field a few emails from home, don't try to do more.

[historyrocks]

I don't know whether it's because I've complained on here, but I've been really quite productive over the last week,. I've given up trying to work on research once the DCs are home from school and instead been sorting out teaching for next semester (which starts in 2 weeks). I've been going out for a walk each morning before I sit down to work and it's helped to get my mind ready to write.