Working From Home

isn't the big rocks thing a dumb metaphor about prioritizing work? it's not just problems to solve, it's recognizing which take prominence

now i've shown my ass and you know i've paid too much attention at work

I believe the point of a “big rock” is that it is hard to move.

you gotta make it into smaller rocks

one bite at a time

(sorry, that's elephants, not rocks)

alls i know is i ain't bitin no damn elephant

starting to feel similar burnout this week as discussed above, though truthfully it has nothing to do with the job (it's been fairly slow this week), more just life itself making me not want to do tasks of any kind.

i'm supposed to evaluate other instructors, which I hate as the process and form are flawed, and I'm just giving everybody good ratings just cos...why not. (helps that nobody's actually been bad, because I don't have the energy to deal w/ that).

The thing that helped me when I was burnt out from work was a month of leave

― G. D’Arcy Cheesewright (silby), Monday, March 6, 2023 4:54 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

That sounds really nice right now. However, in what must be peak 21st-century American problems, I can't bring myself to use my accumulated leave. What if I then have a health and/or family emergency? (Besides, I'm supposed to be saving money in the hopes that I will be able to buy real estate, maybe next year, if prices drop instead of continuing to climb?)

My current job is probably not as bad as it feels right now (depression goggles FTL); I'm mostly bored because so little work is coming in right now. The team leads have been giving us practice project and mine is starting to lean on me about turning in my current one.

Some days I think I might be ready to go back to an office. (I'm definitely sick of having my mother's cats around all the time.)

I'm currently weighing two hybrid offers: one that wants one day a week in the office - a 25-minute commute.

The other is a longer commute (40 or 45 min) and 2-3 days in the office, but they were cool with reduced in-office hours on those days, like 10 to 3.

Going with the first one, obv., because I hate commuting. But it is interesting that market conditions are such that now is a good time to ask for what you want.

i realized this morning that I dislike imposed structure on my time, which is why I am a combination of self-employed and have a few part-time jobs with very flexible schedules. I can set my own schedule, decide what I want to work on when (except for the meetings and the things that have to be done during government/bank hours) ... I have a lot of freedom. But it also sometimes leads to this feeling of being overwhelmed when there are a lot of things to do ... and sometimes I don't feel like doing anything ... and working from home, I can sit and play Grandmaster Level Solitaire in bed for hours ...

that's 3 years now since they sent us all home. i've not been back. (actually, i did have to go in and clear out my locker)

I think it was closer to St. Patricks Day for me... I've been back twice. Once for a team meeting last June, and once for a retirement lunch thing in the fall

I can't bring myself to use my accumulated leave. What if I then have a health and/or family emergency?

It makes me really angrysad that americans even have to think like this. Sick/carer leave should be a seperate thing to holiday time! It is for us. No one should ever have to make sacrifices in the name of their health.

i am thankful that my company does indeed separate the two. PTO doesn't carry over year to year, but sick time does (up to a cap)

just got approved to screen for the new position and have to fill out the screener doc. just informed my boss (who's on PTO anyway).

i am going to ask a loooooooot of questions though because I don't want to walk into something I don't understand, though usually if you get one of these jobs, they dangle a big raise at you to accept, which would be hard to decline if I was offered the job.

shall see!

Good luck! Hope it's ideal!

good luck neando!

Working at a coffee shop today (Peets) because my power is still out from yesterday's winds.. I don't think I've ever done this before

It's ergonomically awful to do actual work, most people around me seem to just be staring at their screens

not the easiest, often due to spotty wifi, and noise/distractions.

I used to work out of a local Panera, would go there for lunch and stay the rest of the day, lol

Had to go into the office today to have my malfunctioning laptop looked at by IT. First time since June of 2020. Three coworkers on an office floor designed for hundreds. Dark and eerily quiet.

Took a stroll around downtown to see what restaurants and shops have closed and which remain. There was actually a bit more life than I was expecting.

what city is that, out of curiosity?

Minneapolis

I took a walk around the office neighborhood awhile back (SF SOMA) and it was pretty desolate.. a lot of small deli's etc. were gone, while most of bigger taprooms and sit-down restaurants have managed to survive.. but not much foot traffic

The WiFi at this place is pretty solid, faster than what I have at home... but yeah, I won't be coming down here again anytime soon

There was actually a bit more life than I was expecting.
...
what city is that, out of curiosity?
...
Minneapolis

Torn between a joke based on "life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last" and something more like "electric word, life, it means forever."

Sadly the Starfish and Coffee Deli has closed.

bring your own lampshade, somewhere there's a party, and parties weren't meant to last

Last time I was in Melbourne CBD (last week) I was suprised how crammed and lively it's returned to. Over the last 2 years the place had been a ghost town - our city relies (too) heavily on SEAsian students, who couldnt study here til this year due to the border closures. And everyone else WFH.

They're all back now. In fact things have become a clusterfuck because theres now a housing shortage/COL/rents have skyrocketed but thats for another thread.

Today is the third anniversary of me and my coworkers being sent home. We have since been snapped up by a different contractor, under a 100% remote contract, but sometimes I'm ready to go back to an office at least part-time.

The company I work for was aquired by another larger company in March 2020, it was announced to us on the Monday of the week where covid really started in North America (NBA shutdown, Tom Hanks, etc.). On Thursday I knew I would work from home on Friday because schools had announced they would be closed. When leaving the office, I jokingly said to my coworker who works next to me "Well, goodbye, I guess this is the last time any of us are ever coming to the office". That joke ended up true (our offices were closed permanently during the pandemic by our new parent company to cut costs). I've worked from home ever since. I miss some of the aspects of a communal office, but I definitely wouldn't go back.

PG&E sends out monthly "energy efficiency" letters about how your "home" compares to other homes with enlightening infographics and visual signifiers of positive and negative reinforcement of energy efficiency that look like they are geared to kids ... these end up being "energy shaming" to me because I work from home and have the heater on when it's cold, and have an AC unit in my home office that I run when it's hot ... I wonder if they will adjust their measurements to reflect more people actually being at home all day... idk.

haha i've installed a 4-unit mini split system and an EV charger in the last 18 months and let me tell you the usage graph is not happy with me!

kinda curious about the unhappy infographics where you are!

Still think it's wild that companies are now saving on office space while shunting the cost of heating, AC, internet and office furniture onto their employees

yep

i'll take higher energy bills over the also wild expectation that i risk life and limb twice a day in a white-knuckle car commute though.

Eh ,I'd be paying for the internet either way, and there's always *someone* home at my house so I dont think its much of an increase in utilities. Plus, I'm saving $50 a month on travel and at least $60 a week on lunches. Bwteeen all that and quitting smoking I've saved a LOT of money since lockdowns.

Yeah I will happily exchange the travel costs for leaving thermostat settings in place at home.

and commute time

that being said the bills are def higher

but jeez even my miniscule commutes added up to 3+ hours a week, that's a significant chunk of time

Yeah I think its why my company have remained happy with WFH - if I come into the office I'm in at 8.30 and out at 5, but if I'm WFH I'm often logged in/at my desk by 7.30 and still plodding away after 5, and I dont usually claim OT if its only 20-30 mins. Theyre getting more work out of me for sure.

Yes, this. I just turned down a job even though they would have accepted an extremely weird schedule: work from home in the AM, drive in like 10, leave at like 3, long in and work a bit more.

Way easier to just be generally available for a reasonable portion of the day, and skip the 1.5 hours of non-productive highway time.

considering showering at the office for a while to claw back money from the last few years’ water bills

pre-screened for the new position, am moving onto the interview process.

i was reading ILX threads during the conversation.

in a way it's kind of a testament that I could do something like this half-attentive and avoid filler words and sound interesting for 15 mins with a complete stranger, but actually interacting w/ strangers socially = stutter central.

i had my first t*x client meeting of the year yesterday (because of storms almost everyone in my state gets an extension until October, so I'm not super late) ... I was super anxious even though I've been doing this for 20 years, but I quickly found myself in autopilot mode and afterwards was like, "Oh, damn, I have gotten good at this?!"

still waiting for the interview to be scheduled (now that the recruiter doesn't do it themselves, it tends to move slower - but this is normal), but my friend on the inside put in a good word for me.

have found it hard to stay focused this week. i wound up playing World Series of Poker for an hour during my shift yesterday, while I actually had things to do.

Best of luck to you Neanderthal

I think one thing I've often left out in my work rants over the years is how progressive in terms of values my company has been since I started, which is probably one reason why even after some of the stressful years I endured here, I've stayed. it's not just lip-servicey either, for decades we've had several inter-office groups/clubs for gay and trans employees, and invited guest speakers (The Trevor Project is a very frequent invited guest for lunch and learns), and we normalized using pronouns years ago. the workforce is extremely diverse.

Not all of the EMPLOYEES here, mind you, are all that forward-thinking - a few years ago, trainees learned that one of their fellow trainees was transgender, and several issued threats to this person. but when leadership takes these position, it helps a lot, to make clear that this shit isn't acceptable (I have no idea what happened to these employees but fairly sure they got shit-canned immediately).

today, one of our leaders wrote an article titled: "Trans colleagues need support as violence turns toward community". incredibly well-written article focusing on the community healing from the school shooting while also calling for compassion for trans colleagues who have now become an increased target of hate due to it.

really helps a lot in these dark times to at least know the place you work at is actually not enabling this horrible shit.

That is good to know, for sure.

Got an interview today for a gig doing promotional materials (maybe creating, but most likely just proofreading/editing) for some healthcare lab. Should be at least mildly diverting and hey, money!