Do you work from home? I’d love to hear the ways you set boundaries for yourself with remote work in order to spend less time in front of your screen.
I find planning ahead helps!
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I work from home during COVID-19. I’m a database engineer, and work from a computer.
Currently, I have a smartphone with a minimal launcher, but am pre-ordering the Mudita very soon 
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Hey @anon13781037,
I try to keep my smartphone as minimal as possible too. I worked from home before the lockdown so I’m generally used to it but I’m finding that right now, I spend a lot more time in front of a computer. I didn’t even think that was possible.
I’m not working next week as I decided to take a ‘staycation’ where I stay inside and try to relax, mainly avoiding the news online. Hope you’re safe and well!
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I do now!
(I shouldnt complain, in these times but I would never choose to WFH).
Last week was week 3 and Ive been in a pattern of:
Wake up - check mobile, eat breakfast in front of pc checking WAY TOO MUCH news, work in front of PC.
I dont have a home office so Ive spent much of the last 3 weeks in the same chair.
I find the only things that help are regular breaks (forced breaks with kids at home, its been tough on them), classical music and reading also help.
Going to experiment now with dropping the old phone (blackberry smartphone) and running with a cheap 3G nokia 3310 as an experiment for mobile coverage here on a MVNO ($10 per month unlimited).
If that works fine it could be a good weaning device to bridge the wait for the mudita phone.
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I work from home, but I don’t like it at all.
I need an environment where I can focus just on work.
From home, I find myself too distracted by house chores I’ve been putting off, my Switch Lite, chat groups, books, hobbies… I end up mixing leisure and work in various intervals, which has me sometimes working late into the night when I feel most focused.
On the other hand, I have been getting back into qi gong meditation on a regular basis, and that helps greatly with energy, but not with managing distractions.
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I use the website FocusMate to keep myself focused and accountable and schedule my work sessions. It’s life-changing - so much so that I started paying for Premium Membership to support their service and get unlimited sessions (the Free Membership is more than enough to see immediate benefits to workflow and productivity, but you get more freedom with Premium).
I love it. Perfectly designed for those who (like me) need the extra help to establish good work-life boundaries, find motivation or like working in public spaces, or do a lot of working from home and get distracted easily.
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I’ve worked from home for almost a decade now, mostly online. It’s made me a stickler for work-life balance. I’m lucky that I have a job that allows me to set strict work hours most of the time, like I’d have if I were punching a clock outside my home, and once they’re over for the day, I shut off the laptop and put it away. No internet over the weekends has been a general rule for a couple of years now - I’ve waived it a couple of times lately for the sake of online meetings with friends, but not for work.
Planning ahead is very useful. By now, I know there are times when I’m going to be more or less busy, and can adjust my working hours accordingly. Not having email/internet on my phone is also incredibly helpful to me - it’s so nice to know that I can’t get sucked into “just checking one more thing” or “just finishing this paragraph” or whatever else if I’m not at my workspace.
LeechBlock is a Firefox add-on that has been a big help in curbing some of my issues with distraction and procrastination. I’ve added websites to the blocklist if I find myself using them to procrastinate (as I’m doing right now with the Mudita Forum, whoops), and I can also use it to shut myself out of my work email and related sites at a specific time, if I find myself working past dinnertime too many days in a row.
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I’m admittedly a tech addict. I spend most of my day in front of screens. My job literally requires it (I do tech support for a major company that will go unnamed), and beyond that I can count as I sit here in my room and next to my desk (small apartment, gave up my office for the baby) no less than 15 screens.
Two Nintendo Switches, mine and my wifes
TV
Baby Monitor
Her Laptop
My Laptop
My other three old laptops that have been converted into testing units for various purposes
A 1st Gen Kindle Fire
A monitor that is connected to my Nintendo Switch
My Watch
My Phone
A Gameboy-esque handheld I built
My wife’s iPad
I’m not going to count the old Dino-Dex Jurassic Park toy as that never turns on. It’s kept as a memento of my Grandfather.
The past year has involved a lot of re-evaluating my digital life, and rethinking how I approach it. It’s not that I necessarily find a fault at what these things provide for me, it’s just a question of… how much is necessary and useful to me. I’ll always be someone who loves to tinker and is fascinated by and deeply in love with technology. I’m just shifting my views on the role it plays in my life, how I approach that technology, and what I do with it. Turning that tinkering compulsion towards resolving some of those problems I face.
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Thank you for letting us know that it’s possible to re-evaluate the role technology plays in our lives. We are firm believers that technology should not control our lives, but rather, it should be used in a purpose-driven manner. In a world where technology breakthroughs are happening every second, it’s important to evaluate what devices are actually necessary and make the right choices in order to live a more meaningful life.
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