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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how focussed you WFH people are today?

158 replies

holymolyguacamoles · 03/12/2021 12:44

Fellow WFH'er here.

Usually quite disciplined with completing tasks and rewarding with mini break but today:

No focus
Lack of concentration
Easily distracted
Loads to do but no motivation to do it

If you're WFH today how focussed are you today? And in general on other days?

OP posts:
DrRamsesEmerson · 03/12/2021 14:42

I was so unfocused I bailed and took a half day's leave this afternoon! I don't have anything very interesting to do at the moment, so without a looming deadline I haven't much motivation.

Ozanj · 03/12/2021 14:43

As a manager I don’t mind if my staff decide to give themselves a day off when wfh if needed and make up for time in the weekend or across a few evenings. As long as they tell me early on so I can manage deadlines. The whole point of wfh is to be flexible.

PoleFairy · 03/12/2021 14:44

I'm terrible today. Lots to do but no motivation and unfocused. Home alone and it's cold so I have two layers on including socks.

I've pretty much done nothing today but start a task and then get bored and do something else. I'm off next week because its the first anniversary of a close relatives traumatic death so I'm not getting too tough on myself. Its playing on my mind and I was awake a few hours in the night.

TheOrigRights · 03/12/2021 14:45

I'm on fire!
I get more and more focussed as the day goes on. Come 5pm my fingers are literally melting the keyboard.

I got paid today, I have a good weekend ahead so want to feel I've worked hard.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 03/12/2021 14:45

I have one last piece of work to get done for this week. I could squeeze it in between the school run and the kids club tonight but I'm ignoring it completely and will do it tonight when the kids are in bed. At least that way I can do it while watching tv and sipping something wine flavoured

Lyricallie · 03/12/2021 14:49

I'm coming to the end of a job so I don't want to start picking up lots of new things. My manager is away down south so not contactable right now. I have no motivation and no deadlines. Just "nice to have things" so trying to do them but they don't take very long and then I'm back scrolling.

Glinda31 · 03/12/2021 14:51

I started WFH 3 weeks ago and had NO idea how hard it would be. I am so easily distracted by literally anything other than work!

SpiderinaWingMirror · 03/12/2021 14:58

I fucking hate wfh.
I have little self discipline.
I have a tedious job that was only received by good colleagues

vickyp0llard · 03/12/2021 15:05

OMG, I've met my people! I'm so sick of all the tedious brown-nosers on LinkedIn going on about "oh I'm so much more productive at home, I just can't stop!". Mate, I can't start. A boring job where the only motivation was your colleagues watching your back + being left at home to your own devices = disaster.

thepeopleversuswork · 03/12/2021 15:08

At the risk of sounding like a smug dickhead... I'm infinitely more productive WFH than I am in an office. I get more done by a factor of about four to one.

I didn't realise how massive the gap was until I started going back in two days a week. On the days I'm actually in the office I get fuck all done. So much time leached away chatting to people/making cups of tea, having work-related chats which could be done over email etc.

I know the social side is important and I enjoy it and I think it really helps in certain areas, such as mentoring younger staff. But people massively underestimate how much time is wasted in workplaces with just frittering away time.

I am actually really struggling to get work done on the days I go in. I'm determined to persevere with it as I know its important but it really screws up my workflow.

In a way it makes me wonder whether the huge emphasis on being in the office being best is right. It certainly helps to have some face time in a lot of industries -- and clearly in some its critical. But by God is it a time hoover.

WellyBobs123 · 03/12/2021 15:09

No motivation at all. My SPD has flared up very early this pregnancy which is delightful. I'm laid in bed on my pregnancy pillow eating Cadbury's heroes! My laptop is open and I've got done what I needed to do but not doing anything else!

TheFairPrincess · 03/12/2021 15:10

WFH here and struggling due to my mind being on Christmas prep! Can't wait to finish and carry on with my big clean Halo

SenecaFallsRedux · 03/12/2021 15:12

I was fairly productive up until yesterday afternoon. I just sent an email to my team to tell them that I'm taking the rest of the day off (I work part-time so have flexibility to say when as long as I don't have a meeting). DH and I are going out to lunch (outside, I live in Florida), then we're masking up, doing some Christmas shopping, and going to our off-site storage unit to liberate our Christmas tree and assorted decorations.

GrumpyLivesInMyHouseNow · 03/12/2021 15:13

Rubbish today, but I have a certain amount of work to do each month, so I've slacked off today, even bunked off early but I know it'll be a busy week next week as a result. Swings and roundabouts for me

BlueMongoose · 03/12/2021 15:13

I've been self-employed at home for decades. I have never found it harder to work than I do now; this is not helped by sales drying up for covid and other reasons and so I'm only working for stock and to keep my skills up. Not greatly motivating on difficult days.
Very depressing.
The strain of still looking after vulnerable relatives and still doing just about everything for them from shopping to DIY to testing, to (insert task here) two years into covid with pretty much naff-all (or worse) help from social services and their GPs is not helping, nor is not having had a holiday for four and a half years. And I'd say we were a lot better off than most people, so what it is like for them I shudder to think.

jay55 · 03/12/2021 15:13

It's a struggle. I'm at the tail end of a project, my part is all done so just helping out with other peoples loose ends.

The dark and cold don't help.

RobinPenguins · 03/12/2021 15:14

didn't realise how massive the gap was until I started going back in two days a week. On the days I'm actually in the office I get fuck all done. So much time leached away chatting to people/making cups of tea, having work-related chats which could be done over email etc.

Hmm, a lot of that is choice though. I don’t find I fritter away time chatting and making cups of tea as you describe. I talk to colleagues about non-work related stuff, but not to the detriment of productivity.

Work-related chats are work, it’s part of my job. I can talk faster than I can type an email.

In the same way I’d hate everyone to be forced back to the office full time because some people take the piss wfh, I’d hate everyone to be forced to wfh full time because some people choose to waste time when they’re in the office.

TashieWoo · 03/12/2021 15:16

Not very productive at all today.

When working for a client (work for a consultancy) I am very busy and put long hours in, but this week it has tailed off and I don’t have much to do at all! Have asked the consultancy BD manager for work but he’s fed up with people asking him for work, I have a couple of dull tasks to do though.

It doesn’t help that I gave my notice last week and now my boss isn’t talking to me! Oh well, just 3 weeks to go and I’m on AL on Monday.

vickyp0llard · 03/12/2021 15:18

Personally I always got a lot done in the office (well, a lot compared to now) because I do well in an atmosphere where everyone is working. In an office, a lecture theatre, a classroom or a library I can get "in the zone" because it is a designated place for work. There is also no option to get on the sofa and start watching Masterchef. Even browsing the internet is tricky. I do chat to colleagues or have a couple of coffees but this wastes maybe an hour tops. At home I literally can't do anything unless it's truly urgent - I can't get into that "zone" when on my own, surrounded by distractions, without my colleagues sat near me. It becomes easier to lie to your manager and make excuses for why you couldn't do stuff, or make it sound like you've done more than you have, than actually doing the work. It's made me contemplate a career change, as WFH lead to a pretty severe depression last year.

Giggorata · 03/12/2021 15:18

I was OK WFH for a while, but became frustrated and unmotivated, as so much of my role doing group work with children and young people, and organising events and activities, was on hold.
In the end, I took early retirement. Just as well, with all the Snooker on TV, I doubt if I could keep my attention on work.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 03/12/2021 15:19

I'm like that and I'm in the office!

MrsJamin · 03/12/2021 15:19

I had a productive morning but now I feel like I peaked too soon and have a severe attack of the Can't Be Arsed this afternoon. Doing an adminy task so at least I'm doing something. I hate the end of the day in the winter months.

SirChenjins · 03/12/2021 15:20

Not focused at all but that’s because I have a specific issue weighing heavily on my mind atm - I wouldn’t be focused in the office either.

I’m so much more productive wfh than I am in the office with all the associated disruptions that come from other people. Some colleagues really love a chat across the desk under the guise of collaboration - I hadn’t realised how much time is wasted in the office until I started wfh.

BackInBlackAgain · 03/12/2021 15:20

Been on fire all day, lots crossed off my lists and got most of my queries sorted, but come 2pm and i have run out of steam, cant even muster the energy to open new emails that have come in.

Madickenxx · 03/12/2021 15:23

I've been pretty focused but then again I spend 90% of my day in meetings (whether I'm in the office or WFH) so difficult to be distracted (well I am now as in a dullarse meeting which I've been told is mandatory but adds no value whatsoever!

I remember the pre-covid days when I used to treat my one WFH day as a bit of a doss day. These days I'm flat out from 8-5.30 and struggle to find time for a wee! Almost weekend... Smile