Image © Jose 2025
For whatever reason(s), I’ve been taking longer and longer on my commute to work. I’m not going to write about this because I did already on The Math of the Heart; all I need to do is focus on that kind of math. But I need to do something, otherwise I know this will have an impact on me and my mojo.
When Covid hit, I was affected just like everybody else, but I was luckier than many because I could do my job from home, remotely. At that time, we lived in a house that had three floors, and one of them was almost a self-contained apartment, with an “office” and a bedroom. When I met my wife, she was working remotely and had been doing so for the last 20 years. So, while remote was new to some, to others they already knew how to do this. I remember she’d work an all-nighter on call, and I’d wake up in the morning to find her at work in the same spot. Reminded me of my younger years and the all-nighters to deliver design projects – which is not the same thing, I’d sleep for two days after that.
I’m a studio rat, like they say. I love the design studio space, vibe, routine. I like to work with my team in person, focus on the work but also brainstorm with others on a white surface, pump the music when it’s a good song, laugh out loud about something one of them says, even the occasional “gazuntite” when someone sneezes. While my company, like many others, has a flexible policy of a certain number of days at the office, I tend to be there every day, because I like it and because it allows me to get out of the house where my wife continues to work remotely.
During Covid, I’d dress up, the whole routine except shoes, and I’d go to the “office” on the second floor. I had this large bookcase behind me that became a fixture; folks would comment and make jokes about it. It was such a staple that I took a photo of it so I could use it when I was taking calls from other places in the house. I’d work the full day and then go up one floor and change into my comfy home clothing. After eating and spending time with family, I would go to the “office” again to work on my PhD thesis. I delivered it in December 2020, the only positive thing I remember from that year. So, while I adapted to the remote situation, I never really enjoyed it, and had to gamify the situation to trick my mind.
Among the things I am trying to do to avoid commute burnout, I am exploring working for two days from home. I need to figure out when it makes sense with my team, but I can do that, and it might help. But at the same time, I am not looking forward to it. While focus time is easier because there are no studio distractions, the home has a set of distractions of its own. In our case, it’s exacerbated by the fact that the renovation project is still ongoing and will continue for quite a while.
My wife works from the first floor, while my “office” is on the second, so she tends to get the bulk of distractions with people coming in and out to finish things they are working on. She is fine with being close to the kitchen; she ends up multitasking, and it seems to work for her. For me, these distractions have a different impact than the ones at work, and I don’t behave well around the kitchen. There is also the attraction of the renovation projects I have going on, part of me is looking forward to the end of the day to put on the overalls and continue them. Looking out the window and seeing the garage and the work to be done is something that requires extra control.
Another detail is that since I had an elbow issue due to incorrect posture at the table, I started working standing up, almost every day and almost the entirety of it. During Covid, my home “office” had a desk I could crank up and down, like the one I have at work, but now I have a nice, proper sit-down desk at home, meaning I will not be working while standing, which creates opportunities to walk around, more distractions.
I guess we all find ways to deal with the requirements of working from home, and I know a lot of people that actually love doing so, and I’m not even talking about those that are almost required to be working from home. But for me, the idea of working two days a week from home is not an easy one, and I know I’ll have to work it, so I can work from home. So much work…