If you Work From Home ....

[WFH]

What do you do on those days and times that you really cannot focus and stay attentive to a task?

I try to plan my day so more difficult tasks are completed when I am most focussed.

Sometimes though after lunch I just cannot get back into the swing of things. I can't keep my focus and go from job to job without really completing anything.

I may take a break but this tends to just delay the day as I still can't really stay on task.

I may cherry pick easy stuff or sort out a to do list for the next day.

What do you do?

Can you relate to the above or do you find generally you can always stay focused on doing something?

Well, exactly. This cult of busyness is so tedious, and plenty of us have jobs that don't require us to be 'on it all day', every day. Doesn't mean we're not doing what we need to do.

My job is swings and roundabouts - every day is different. Some days will be full-on with back-to-back meetings etc, but others (writing or research days, for example) will have a different rhythm. Some days I'll start at 7.30 and still be at my desk at 5 (having barely had a break) and other days I'll go to yoga first thing, do a couple of hours work, potter in the garden for an hour, do another couple of hours, finish early. Some days motivation and concentration comes easily, other days not so much.

It all gets done in the end, because I'm an actual human being who knows my job well, knows what's required, can prioritise and - importantly - has autonomy in my role.

I'm in this position too. I have tasks to get done in a day (or over 3 days or whatever), rather than needing to be at my desk all the time, so as long as I'm on track for that, if I'm not feeling motivated I'll do whatever I need to do to get back on track. I find a short walk is good for me.

Generally I'm much more productive at home, but one thing I love about it is that I don't have to pretend to work when I'm in a slump. In the office I feel like I need to be at my desk the whole time, so I sit there and do nothing for three times as long as it takes me to get back on track if I just go and do something else for 10 minutes.

Thankfully the company I work for at the moment are pretty good at understanding that sometimes you need to just go and stretch your legs or have a chat.

@blurp and @GeorgeCat1

I wish the same could be said for me and if quite like a job like that. But my work is just never done. The number of emails at the start and end of the day rarely changes as no sooner have a I dealt with some, some more come in!

Yeah, I think a lot of the structure of work patterns depends on the type of work you're doing, and not everyone understands that their job is different from everyone else's.

I know people who have to be available to respond to calls instantly, but in between calls they don't really have much to do at all. So they can do anything they like, as long as they don't leave their desk. Others are "on" all the time (though sometimes people think they have to be "on" when they don't really).

I like being given tasks to complete and having freedom over how I do that. I actually used to do pretty much the same job at another company, but they focussed on "presence" rather than "completion" and I got way less done, despite being at my desk for longer.

Does anyone feel bad if their teams is display as away? I feel lazy whenever I am not on ‘green’ even though often a lot of my team are on and off throughout the day. I think it’s a bit of flashbacks from stricter jobs before where every single minute was counted, and now I have the polar opposite!

I did until I realised that it even goes "away" when you're actively in a meeting.

You can also hover to see how long it's been "away" for. Sometimes mine shows as away, because I've been working on something with teams minimised. I'm there and actively available should someone call, but I'm just not on the screen

I’ve found music really helps when I’m struggling- I put my headphones on and get stuck into a piece of work I have been putting off. I also find mornings a lot better, something that can seem really difficult in the late afternoon is generally done really quickly first thing the next morning. I struggle because my team all start later and work later so they generally need me just when I want to log off.

Just annoyed with wfh being portrayed as an opportunity to slack off.

Some people work better at home (DH loves it) and some of us don't. This is why we need flexibility so everyone can choose where to work. If you are the kind of person who likes WFH and is efficient that's great but not everyone is like you.

I hate WFH all the time and think it removes most of the reasons I love my work. I miss the informal chats about my colleague's projects, I miss walking around site to talk to my team, I miss the contact I have with the junior scientists, I miss that at 5pm the office starts emptying and I'm reminded to go home rather than ineffectively and guiltily working till 6 or 7pm, I miss the separation of work and home life, I miss having lunch with my colleagues. There is no buzz with WFH for me and so my motivation declines.

I work my ass off in the morning then finish at 3

Does anyone feel bad if their teams is display as away? I feel lazy whenever I am not on ‘green’ even though often a lot of my team are on and off throughout the day. I

^

Install Teams app on your cell, set to green. That way you're always 'available'

The proof is in the pudding isn't it? Your outputs are what matters..

^

This. Either your deadlines are met, or not. Whether you've fucked around all day then worked all night it's irrelevant as long as your work is done

WFH sounds amazing. I do some WFH (notes mainly) but am also NHS pt facing and workload is so utterly overwhelming I always go over my hours..

@mackthepony i do similar, wake up early and finish at 3

I'm driven by my environment so try to go into the office as much as I can as I'm much less productive at home. I found music does help though.