The working from home thread: tips and advice

I'm pretty good at being a slacker (pub anyone?) so I guess my patterns are a bit different. I wake up just before first standup starts (unless I've done turbo early morning), I might take 2hr lunch to do a turbo session and I might be up at midnight fucking with a Prod box or in the middle of a code change I don't want to stop thinking about.

One thing to consider if you're just starting WFH is to benchmark your ACTUAL office productivity vs your new home productivity. I think at work people spend a lot of time comfortably looking busy but actually doing fuck all. However you can't look busy at home because no one is watching and so you're just fucking about. So then there is this pressure to be productive at all times at home because there isn't that consequence-free middle ground space to seem productive but not be.

You need to catch yourself if you're slacking hugely, but otherwise remember how much you can slack and do fuck all at work, and ensure you bring that standard of work home with you.

Just had a teams call with 15 people globally.

All went well, you only see 4 videos in a box at a time and whoever's is speaking rotates round.

PS BBC radio 6 is playing some great tunes this morning, Enter Sandman came on so bit of air drumming and guitar to keep the blood flowing.

I turn my back for ten seconds he's eyeing up my Lion bar

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Yeah, you can click a button that shows all participants in a list on the right and it'll highlight who's speaking too.

Just had a teams call with 15 people globally.

All went well, you only see 4 videos in a box at a time and whoever's is speaking rotates round.

Mines working well too - currently on a call with 10 people. Quality is good.

I turn my back for ten seconds he's eyeing up my Lion bar

Cats sat near me snoring away. Her coffee making skills are shit too.

Also cat keeps looking at me as if to say when are you fucking off to work?

Also cat keeps looking at me as if to say when are you fucking off to work

Totally this! 🤣

Agreed on the set working hours. I have set hours the mailbox needs to be manned so that's ok (but it also rules out 2hr lunch ride unless I don't give a fuck that day).

Some good observations and tips here, thank you.

The large balloon of anxiety in my chest that has hit me every day since WFH started last week has gone (I couldn’t settle in the mornings ... worked most effectively from midday to 8pm). I think I’m adjusting. I am missing the commute though, so am going to try fauxmuting from tomorrow (ride to the factory gates and back, try not to lick anything).

I wish I had somewhere nice like Richmond Park nearby to do a ride instead of a commute but it's awful A roads as far as the eye can see around here.

Hahaha missus wants to kill me already...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiI8zxiE-To

My "office", my rules

I'm trying to teach from home using Microsoft Teams.

I've set the students up with booklets to work through and some are asking me good questions about it.

Some, I have no idea what they're doing.

They're in school, for now, one year group at a time due to staff absences (like mine). When the Year 13s (with exams supposedly in two months) are at home next week it's going to be tough.

http://blog.ifost.org.au/2020/03/how-i-teach-classes-remotely.html

I wonder how easy it is to train up as a divorce lawyer or a mediator as I expect there to be a big upswing in demand with more WFH going on

But there is a temple!

meh

First day of WFH. Pretty quiet in terms of working coming in and I haven't been bombarded with comms stuff. VPN has been relatively stable. Definitely going to start taking a lunch hour though, just a walk to get out of the house etc.

Our Teams usage has pretty much skyrocketed, but I think we're in a position where there's enough resources out there for staff to get on with it. I've seen how some other universities are using it for classroom work etc, if anyone wants a (rather basic) Powerpoint then let me know and I can pass it on.

Are you renting workspaces?

Hi could you share that PowerPoint? University lecturer here, looking for the best platform to conduct seminars in the social sciences with 6-8 students from next week, so any other advice is much appreciated.

Le Wife has been sent to WFH since Tuesday, latest update is until September.
Have said they will pay £60 towards an office chair and £65 towards a desk.
Trip to IKEA tonight to try and get something suitable.

We just tested a group meeting with zoom. I had some headset headaches but went well in the end.

No, we're both in the lounge. I'm at my desk and she's at the dining table trying to stab scissors into my back when I'm not looking.