to be so undisciplined (i.e. rubbish) at working from home?

[largeprintagathachristie]

When I've had the odd working from home day, pre-pandemic, I knew I faffed and procrastinated and frankly didn't put in a full day's work, but thought I would get it together under these circumstances.

I'm not. I procrastinate, don't focus, and I'm storing up work issues that will only hit me later, in fact kind of soon. It ends up ruining the whole day because as well as being a champion procrastinator, I'm kind of a perfectionist and a worrier, so it's ruining whole days and evenings. Each day I think "tomorrow will be better". It's not. This morning I've flitted from one thing to another, including going down a rabbit hole of looking at old hotmail messages and "filing" them.

I suspect whilst in the office I also wasn't working at 100% but there was something about the discipline of being there that curbed my daydreaming and displacement activity.

Weirdly, I'm thought of as being very good at my job and I suspect I'm going under the radar enough because I can pull it off, and I can wing it. But this is causing me stress. It reminds me of being a university student and only starting an essay the night before it was due. Unless pushed I've always been terrible at completing or sticking with stuff. Even exercise - now that my paid-for yoga classes in a studio are off, I haven't once done anything with all of the online material available, even though for health reasons I really really need to do this.

There's an adult ADHD thread at the moment which I've read with interest. Not self-diagnosing at all but a few things resonated. I've lost things, always, spectacularly, as a child and adult. Keys, cameras, wallets, bags, you name it. I can come across as a bit (very) scatterbrained in my personal life. Intelligent but sort of spectacularly dumb many practical ways. I've always wondered how on earth I hold down a job.

A couple of weeks ago I tried setting a timer for 45 minutes and making myself focus on a work task for that long, and it helped. Then a 10 minute break. I know all the theory but I can't seem to even apply it at the moment. I wake up in the middle of the night and worry.

Same here - should be updating spreadsheets but am faffing on here ! Plus I’ve done 2 loads of washing . I really don’t like working from home - I need the stimulus of a work environment

I feel your pain - especially the very bright but also spectacularly dumb bit. I got an ADHD diagnosis last year.

I am impressively shit at working from home - I nodded off in the garden yesterday afternoon (supposed to watching a 'trampoline show' DD was putting on). I don't think anyone has noticed what an awful job I'm doing yet, which suggests I do a pretty poor job normally. Anyhow, the whole department is in chaos at the moment - I'm sure things will improve.......

This resonated with me so much. I’m miserable every day because I continue to then have the stress and worry of the fact I’m not doing the work. Like rollover worry.

I even ignored a work call this morning because I don’t want to face up to it.

The worst part is: I work from home usually! I just can’t concentrate right now and with DP at home. I feel like I’m waiting for everything to go back to normal and life just feels to weird and distracting at the moment.

Well OP I could have written your post. Procrastinating even more than usual as I am home now. And when the deadline looms, I’ll probably work day and night to get all done. The other one to look at is ADD which is pretty much the same but without the hyperactivity. I always wonder how I get a job and keep it (apparently I’m very good at it)

I could have written your post!! Instead of updating a spreadsheet ready for a conference call I'm sat here in MN and will just 'wing' the call. I also get the intelligent but dumb bit too, especially from my DH

I feel you’re pain, I’m a mature student at college and I’m useless at this remote learning.... if I had wanted to do that I would have done open university but I need someone there motivating me. I’m not bad if I’m home alone but because we are all home I just don’t get the quiet time to do as much as I should be doing.

Oh, you're all making me feel better in that I'm not alone in this!

I have just closed my Hotmail. I was reading the Mumsnet "Swears By" emails dating back forever. (The ASOS black crepe trousers recommended in October 2018 are sadly no longer available.)

I've worked at home for 3 years now, and it has taken me a whole host of techniques to get better at working from home, and still sometimes I have good days, somedays I have bad days.

I do the following:
Use a web-blocker
Use a pomodoro timer (25 minute work, 5 minute stop, and repeat)
Sometime listen to white noise / rainfall sounds if my mind is wandering.

Good luck, I know how difficult it is.

I think this is known as works well under (self imposed) pressure (created by ignoring all reasonable timeframes to achieve anything And cramming the last minute)

Pomodoro timer! I do 25 mins and then a mini break.

A lot of the time I find I’ve worked past the 25 min period too, it’s just a case of getting into it.

Totally sympathise though, I used to take the odd WFH day to relax and now my brain associates WFH with doing bog all!

I'm a mature student in Year 2 of Uni. As well as standard assignments I have exam replacement assignments, around 9 in total by end of May. I stay in bed late, watch endless ITV, often don't get going till 3pm, read MN for ages! I have a deadline tomorrow and loads to finish today, it's like I need the adrenaline of a deadline to get going. I know just what you mean OP, when you don't get done what you need to do it hangs over you all the time, weekends, middle of the night, the time worrying about it is such a waste and it's so counterproductive, I wish I could sit down 9 to 5, just do it and get it out the way, then relax!

I think that because the work you are doing is the same there is a part of you that thinks, consciously or not, that it is just a continuation of what you have been doing for years in your physical place of work.

Then another part of your brain thinks 'oh, and as I am at home it should be even easier/less distracting', etc but it doesn't work that way and I don't think you have given your brain time to catch up/readjust. Especially as, with paid work, there are different expectations, etc and our physical world 'frames' that in a way our home world doesn't.

I also would bet that another part of your mind is aware of your flaws (as you see them) from the past (last minute essays) and is trying to compensate/address this but you the strategies you have suggested are not external to your everyday practice - you already do a 101 thngs successfully. I really think it is just mental adjustment to working at home that 's the thing.

From someone who could also have written your post. Now, I'm going to take my own advice.

I wanted to start this thread but thought I’d get flamed for being lucky to still have a job and being lazy
I have a kind of self sufficient job where I need to find things to do but no one really sees the evidence so it’s easy for me to get away with not doing much. I just cannot be bothered right now! My colleagues all seem so dedicated and genuinely interested in their work and I just couldn’t care less.

It has made me consider whether I need to change career after this is all over

Oh yeah OP. This is me all over. I have been wfh for the last 3 weeks and yesterday was the first full day that I put in and that was because my boss had been working all over Easter and had sent me a lot which had to be done.

I now know that I need someone looking over my shoulder to keep me in line. I feel like a bloody school kid all over again

Ah, the instant gratification monkey and the panic monster. Constantly fighting them too.

waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

I'm on maternity leave at the moment (although procrastinating from studying my post grad qualification) but this is 100% me too especially the part about being a perfectionist but also not actually putting the effort in (and then beating myself up when something I do isn't perfect).

i feel like this too op, it's very very hard. i hate not being in the office but have so much to do and no phones or company where we can moan about cases etc.

I'm going out for a walk shortly to see if this can zing some life into me.

I am pretty rubbish at wfh. My main effort at work is talking to people and breaking down what they are working on so we can plan properly, but I'm struggling to do that when I have to arrange a meeting to do it. Felt bad today as my sort of manager said he was really busy - when I'm in the office I get pulled into higher level meetings but not so much at the minute.

Also if I'm on a meeting but not chairing it I often walk whilst listening to increase my step count so I'm not really concentrating.

Just do the main bits OP - don't worry about putting in 7 productive hours as I doubt very many people are able to do that in these circumstances.

Hi OP I am so much like you. I have also read into the ADHD thing and don't have a diagnosis but think I'd probably get one if I could focus enough to actually get that sorted at any point.

I'm also a capable and respected person in any workplace but unless I have someone 'watching' me to get stuff done or any sort of 'important' deadline, zero happens. Nothing.

I've found that since lockdown began my attention span is far shorter than ever before.

I've WFH every so often since taking on this role last summer and have always prided myself as being pretty good at focussing. Since this began I'm wandering about the house like a creepy ghost.

I’m supposedly working from home, so far I’ve been on here, played Sims, made 4 cups of tea, made 2 work phone calls, logged into my computer, put the radio on, sat in the garden with the cat and rabbit for half an hour, and now thinking about logging into payroll and paying wages.

It’s hard, there’s too many distractions at home and without anyone walking into your office, there’s no need to flick the screen from mumsnet to sage

Not much more to add other than that I too could have written your post (and others!) word for word. You’re not alone...#procrastinatorsunite

I always work from home....I find I’m very reactive, so I can respond and deal with all queries in a timely and efficient way, but if the requests dry up I find it much harder to keep doing the admin stuff that can be done ‘whenever’. Also seen as good at my job, it amazes me too!
I’m finding DH working from home doesn’t help, even though he’s not in my office...and I keep having to feed him (making me eat more too)...