That Mitchell and Webb Look - Working from home

I read my wife the headline and we both thought of the same thing - ▶ this video - which this article skips over completely. Disappointing.

Exactly, I've worked at a place that let me work home as much as I wanted and it went like this: ▶ this video (That Mitchell and Webb Look - Working from home sketch) Maybe it's the fact that I don't have a separate "office", I just sit where I would do my computer stuff at home anyways. If I need to be "remote", I go to a coffee shop or a library, anywhere but stay home. It's essential for my brain to have that distinction between "I'm at work" and "I'm at home".

For me personally there is a huge gap in "working for others" and "working for myself", with freelance work falling in the latter category. I do well in an office environment where I have influence in setting my own tasks, but having others rely on me finishing my things and meeting deadlines. Of course it helps that I find my work interesting. When working on my own projects in my free time, motivation comes in bursts - I can have two evenings where I can hardly keep myself from working, and entire weeks where I cannot seem to get started or do anything constructive - my mind wanders off and I start procrastinating instead. I am fortunate enough that it does not matter financially to me what I complete in my spare time, but it is clear that waiting for motivation to hit me is not a viable strategy (for anyone). First off, I find that starting is the hardest part. Once I sit in front of the code, opened and have written the first words, I can keep going for at least a couple of hours. So make sure you always start a task, even if it means dragging yourself in front of the computer. Second, find a way to motivate yourself. For me, it is communicating clearly what my deadlines are to the people depending on it - this means I commit myself to finishing it publicly. At the same time, make sure you do not say "This project will finish in 3 weeks", but break it into chunks - "In two days, I'll have a prototype of the admin module, where you can test. Friday I expect to have all the

Are you working from home or from an office? If working from home, here's a humorous take on some issues: ▶ this video Seriously though, one of the key things is to maintain focus and working standards, but get out of the house at least once a day (take a walk), talk to somebody in person, and be mindful of the clock. One of the biggest problems I faced was just working too much.

> The next step is taming your pocket monster. This really meant something quite different to me. I think sex (in whatever form) is an issue that needs to be taken semi-seriously within this context. Professors Mitchell and Webb have good advice: ▶ this video

This reminded me of this Mitchell and Webb strip "Working from home" ▶ this video The premise is that you could end up 'celebrating' your business away and learning how to manage your 'celebrating' to only do 'it' when milestones have been reached. SFW but would suggest headphones if in an open plan office due to the topic.

Working remotely is hard enough. Working for yourself is even harder. A good manager should be making contact at task-appropriate intervals. Keeping organised and going shouldn't be too different from office life. But when you're alone and it's your responsibility to keep yourself motivated... Base urges (and laziness) creep in. Takes a while to find your efficiency. This may be relevant. ▶ this video

I wonder if you'll have this experience: ▶ this video (It's a sketch from a comedy show called That Mitchell and Webb Look.) I may or may not have...

That video from point one doesn't seem to be working for me (Atlanta, GA). Here is another link that should work. ▶ this video

I wonder if we'll see desk spaces with large screens showing real-time feeds at the end, simulating a co-worker adjacent to you but without the need to be in the office. Benefit of some social side, but able to be paused if you're concentrating. Incidentally, here's That Mitchell and Webb Look on working from home: ▶ this video

In art form, for the aspiring home-worker: link ▶ this video It's amazing how efficient working from home can become. What's even more amazing is when you realize how much time goes wasted in an office environment due to constant interruptions. The downside is that you end up with a lot of empty time to fill in. Word of advice: Get a second part-time job/education/daily activity. Have a cuckoo clock on your PC (helps to bring you back to reality)

I've worked from home on and off for the last 10 years. The best bit for me is definitely the freedom and watching your kids grow up. I'm currently working on the sofa, dog curled up by my feet, watching TV :) Most days I take a bath at 2pm. Rock n roll! (Funny sketch about working from home. Don't click if you get easily offended ▶ this video )