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I live in the American Midwest, but my new job is based out of the east coast. As a result, I now work full-time at home--an arrangement I despised when I was forced to do so at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While I'm less put off by the arrangement now that my home office is thousands of miles away, I still find myself subjected to many of the same emotions as before. I get cabin fever quite easily and need to get out of my house regularly. I find it easier to collaborate with coworkers in-person, and I don't have that opportunity now. It can be harder for me to put effort into my appearance or the state of my workspace, which can lead to laziness.
It also means that I have fewer opportunities to find interesting things around the city during the day. At my previous job, I would sometimes drive to a local airport during my lunchbreak and watch planes. Sometimes I would just drive around and explore the area. These midday journeys would not only give me a change of pace, but they would help me stay in touch with the goings-on of my town, and I often found plenty of cool things to photograph.
I can still drive around during my lunchbreaks, but our house is located in a secluded neighborhood a good distance from the nearest highway, leaving me somewhat isolated.
I've been thinking about either renting desk space at a shared office building or simply finding a coffee shop or cafe to work at throughout the day. It'll probably be better for my mental health to do so. I don't like being stuffed inside the same building from dawn to dusk.
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[Last updated: 2022-10-19]