The working from home thread: tips and advice

How can I concentrate WFH? I've done this for 11 months ad I swear it's geting worse and worse. there are just TOO MANY DISTRACTIONS - mainly the internet because no-one is looking over my shoulder, also food, cups of tea, music, doing household chores etc etc. Right now I have 3 easy things to do before tomorrow, I'm dicking about on here and I'll have to log on at 22.00 to get them done. I sit on conference calls reading the internet and missing things on the calls. AAARRGHHH I feel like I am going insane. Thank you for listening to my TED talk

This happens to me every now and again. The pomodoro technique sounds cheesy but helps me to focus. I’ve also installed url-blockers on my browsers.

Huge help for me is to be busy as well. With a 50% workload I get fuck all done. 90-110% seems to make me most efficient. Only slight niggle is that it isn’t even close to being sustainable for my mental health.

I've been having periods of the same, I find it helps to move area of the house where I'm working and try changing headphones/no headphones. I set up a website blocking thing for Chrome but not long later I was just using Firefox instead.

same.

My partner swears by the Pomodoro Technique

Thanks all. I've dabbled with Pomodoro before with limited success, my laughable lack of willpower doesn't seem to be impacted. Maybe I will try it again, the manual timer rather than the phone app is supposed to be better.... idly browses internet for manual timers

I currently feel like a Bloody Mary every half hour...

Then 3 hours of watching YouTube about Pomodoro technique

hahaha

I’ve got this one or a very similar one and it’s nice and solid. Got a screen in front of me for the main stuff and the (14") laptop open on the side for email, chat etc.

Keep procrastinating pls; firefox adblocker is currently bypassing all the Dave in program adverts at the mo and it’s really quite nice thx.

I only work on the smart TV app so not my problem

Is that set up for your only fans photos?

Improve your reward system, at the moment you are using distractions which leave you unfulfilled and guilty. Try a solid block of work with a good quality reward like a ten minute walk where you can let out a primal scream at a cat/tree/god then go home and carry on.
Next try a dedicated end to your day, unplug stuff, put away monitor screens and treat it like you cannot work any longer, this will shift your deadlines forward to a better time of day.
Try to be busier, sometimes people procrastinate the easy stuff because when it is done they have the boredom and emptiness of nothing to achieve. If you take on more you may become more productive, if you have nothing to take on, learn the banjo/bagpipes/bongo’s. Your neighbours will appreciate this.

My neighbour apparently picked up oboe!
She is enthusiastically learning the first steps, since the first lockdown.

So is it more like 'oh boo!' or 'oh bwoah!'?

Anyone using their phone as a hi-def camera for Zoom etc?

What stand did you get? I need one. That isn't awful.

"Stand" as in "tripod", right?
Just get anything (maybe you already have one for your camera?) + a phone adapter (something like this) -
the only thing you have to keep in mind is that the part that grips your phone shouldn't be pressing any buttons when you screw the clamp tight.
Oh and it needs to be able to rotate 90° for landscape mode :-)

I had no luck with this, I tried EpocCam which was absolutely terrible. I have tried GoPro too which kept jumping and would regularly stop working.

Android to Mac Pro

I'm using Camo (paid for) and iPhone 12 / MacBook Pro connected by USB C.

Colleagues tell me the video at their end is most impressive. To the point where they are like 'I didn't know you had grey hairs in your beard'. Yeah, thanks.

"Stand" as in "tripod", right?

Possibly. Tripods tend to be portable, but I don't want portable, I want something that's rock fucking solid. Allows me to accurately position the device and for the placement and setting to be repeatable. Must allow the device to be plugged in whilst it's mounted. Must not in any circumstances change position whilst in use.

I've used cheap camera tripods before and they all got binned / sold because they fucking wobble.

What about something like the Mountie?

https://tenonedesign.com/mountie.php

Grabbed something similar and it doesn't really work on my monitor due to the bevel on the back. Doesn't really clamp the phone either, just sits in a shelf. As a bodge, it's kind of fine, but I want something that a) won't damage my monitor b) doesn't result in the camera falling off mid way through the meeting.

I've used it for attaching my ipad to my laptop and that worked great. Agree it'll struggle on anything else than a mac laptop though

Think @Velocio shared a photo of his setup upthread. He used a proper tripod for his camera. Takes up a lot of room but if you have the space...

edit: google found me this: https://reincubate.com/support/how-to/iphone-webcam-mount-guide/#flexible-arms