Working From Home. Torture

[Woodrow Wilson]

Uggers said:

How much contact with others do you get whilst WFH?

At the moment, very little, other than online meetings during the week.

My wife currently works mostly from home (quite intensively, although does spend time talking to her staff), the kids are now back at school.

I do see some friends outdoors at weekends and very occasionally during the week.

A single person in a small apartment would have it much worse.

[PurpleTurtle]

OP, are you Colin Hunt, is that it?

[Xenoous]

Woodrow Wilson said:

It's not just a case of telling yourself to "get a grip" and start enjoying it. I certainly would if I could.

I completely agree with you here. Every now and then I just lose all motivation to get on with tasks, which leads me down a bad path of falling behind and being hounded. I wish I could just "get a grip" and get on with stuff, but during those moments I just can't.

I honestly think the best thing you can do right now is try find a routine outside of work that may help (waking up early, exercise etc), then look for something else that's a little more challenging a few months down the line when Covid is finally left behind. I'm not sure about you, but 2 years seems to be my threshold, after that I have a nagging urge to move elsewhere. I've found moving positions also helps with the motivation issues experienced.

Good luck Woodrow. Out of curiosity, what is it you do? Sorry if you put this up earlier in the thread.

[Drezza]

Whatsmyname said:

The equivalent of telling a suicidal depressive to “cheer up mate”

Telling someone to appreciate their job whilst thousands are being made redundant ≠ telling a suicidal depressive to 'cheer up mate'

[dudleybloke]

I think Woodrow needs his Wilson.

[Jasandjules]

Woodrow Wilson said:

6 months in, working from home, doing a job I am unsuited to, don't enjoy and I was already bored with at the office -but at least I got to see people.

I think very few people are doing a job they love, it is mainly about earning enough to cover the bills etc....

[anonymous-user]

This isn’t “torture”.

[kippertie]

Woodrow Wilson said:

Gameface said:

Well paid and working from home while hundreds of thousands will be losing their jobs.

You won't be getting much sympathy.

I acknowleged that in the first line.

I'm not looking for sympathy, just fed up of an unsatisfactory/under-achieving 20+ years of clock watching and the past 6 months of working at home.

EXERCISE outside a lot. Run/Bike etc etc....work it out or at least it will help you cope, the "good chemicals" last.

[vulture1]

I love how the answers to working from home is st is to go for a bike ride go to the pub or go to Portugal. Basically don't do actual work. ..

[Pieman68]

I'm in exactly the same place OP. Been working from home since 23rd of March and just feeling the relentless drudgery. I'm in a sales role in an IT environment selling hardware/software and at the first point of lockdown we were insanely busy

A lot of projects in small business got put on hold. We're not far off normal now but I just find it all so dull. Add in hardly seeing the wife (her business got shut down but she didn't qualify for help so is now working 7am-1.30pm at the local hospital and also doing her business stuff to get back up and running, but keeping the hospital job on just in case). Add in a long term back issue so difficulty exercising - I can honestly say that I'm at the end of my tether!

[kippertie]

vulture1 said:

I love how the answers to working from home is st is to go for a bike ride go to the pub or go to Portugal. Basically don't do actual work. ..

Many people "at work" exercise a lot as well, on the way to work, lunch, way-home, after etc etc It is too easy to become "lazy" when at home..

[Woodrow Wilson]

vulture1 said:

I love how the answers to working from home is st is to go for a bike ride go to the pub or go to Portugal. Basically don't do actual work. ..

If the work doesn't provide any intrinsic satisfaction, it's fair enough. I'd prefer to do something for work that didn't make me feel compelled to do and achieve things constantly outside of work hours.

kippertie said:

Many people "at work" exercise a lot as well, on the way to work, lunch, way-home, after etc etc It is too easy to become "lazy" when at home..

I'm one of those people who has always exercised and intend that to remain so. Lunchtime training is almost vital for me. It isn't seen as quite so acceptable to nip out for a bike ride 3-4 days per week at 7am and at 5pm, whilst working from home with a family, though.

[scottri]

vulture1 said:

I love how the answers to working from home is st is to go for a bike ride go to the pub or go to Portugal. Basically don't do actual work. ..

I'm not saying don't work. I'm saying remember to make the most of the time it gives you back which is normally wasted in traffic etc. I would regularly do way over my contracted hours but it doesn't stop you going for a walk at lunch time. And it doesn't matter where you are when you are on a pc all day. People go to the canteen and piss about for an hour or two in the office. So why not go out for a meal when you are not in the office.

[768]

I'm in contract until the end of next month and finding it pretty tortuous at the moment. There's a 6 month renewal waiting if I want it, but I can't see me signing at the moment. It's not working from home - I've been doing that most of the last 10 years - it's the crap project(s).

it wouldn't be so bad, but I've completed Youtube.

[21TonyK]

OP Be thankful for small mercies. I have been told not to return to work until November due to illness and forbidden from reading or sending work emails or even trying to do any work. Boss threatened to confiscate my laptop if I try to do anything work related (she doesn't know I've go two though).

But seriously, both me and Mrs21 have essentially either been working from home or oh holiday since April and it really is driving us both a bit mad. MS Teams is no substitute for human interaction.

[rxe]

In normal circumstances, I love my job, and I'd do it for half the money. I'm working on something really interesting, that will probably be taught in comp sci degrees for the next decade.

I have utterly hated the last 6 months. Same job, but now I'm just sitting in front of a dull conference call, rather than interacting with people. I can't focus, I can't engage, its horrible.

On the + side, I still have a job, have spent almost nothing on clothes/lunch/transport for ages.

Hopefully my client will designate me a key worker so I can go back into the office.

[Woodrow Wilson]

rxe said:

I have utterly hated the last 6 months. Same job, but now I'm just sitting in front of a dull conference call, rather than interacting with people. I can't focus, I can't engage, its horrible.

Yes. I hear you and agree.


Complicated by the fact that I don't enjoy or get any satisfaction for my job, with no way out!

[Hoofy]

Work out what you want to do next and then how you will move to that without being hit too hard financially. It may be painful but you won't regret it if it all works out in 5 years' time. Alternatively, imagine doing what you're doing for the next 5 years.

[geeman237]

OP, I think I am in a similar position to you, only I am single and live alone in a large size family home. Its the same 4 walls every day. I've had about 20 work emails today, quiet day. I've been WFM since March with no indication when we're heading back into the office.

Exercise is not my natural habitat so to speak, but I try to run every day. It really is groundhog day for me most days on the work front.

I'd like to break out and be self employed doing something involving classic cars; my passion, but it would be a big leap of faith in terms of income etc.

Like some others have said, I have not spent much money at all during this pandemic thing so one upside is I am finally getting my master bathroom completely redone next month.

You have my sympathy.

[Woodrow Wilson]

geeman237 said:

I'd like to break out and be self employed doing something involving classic cars; my passion, but it would be a big leap of faith in terms of income etc.

Yes.

Many people are able to derive enough satisfaction from their work, whatever that may be or how dull/repetitive/boring that may be -In some cases that repetition and order appears to be what satisifies them. For whatever reason, some people are not able to do this.
For example, although not sitting a desk all day, the thought of painting & decorating or tiling every day for decades fills me with horror.

Doing something more enjoyable, varied and changing direction once "established" seems a big risk, typically lacking in remuneration, and, at the moment, there appear to be even fewer options.