The Importance of Nesting when Remote Working and Quarantine Working
We've all learned the hard way that Quarantine work is not Remote work. It doesn't feel the same because it's not the same. It's a hard time right now and tension is high.
"People are overwhelmed, afraid, and stressed. There's a background pressure - a psychic weight or stress - that is different in these times. This isn't a problem you can fix with a new webcam or a podcasting mic."
I really believe that self-care is important and one should be as deliberate as one can in how they live.
One day we were working in the office and the next day we were home indefinitely. Some in spare bedrooms, most in our kitchens, laundry rooms, garages and front porches.
What does "nesting" mean?
Nesting is not just what a bird does to prepare their space for the coming family, it's also what we can do as humans to make a space for ourselves to be successful. It's the deliberate practice of setting up your work area so that you can be successful and fulfilled.
Your space doesn't need to be fancy. Nesting isn't blinging your space or making it look expensive - nesting is making it YOURS.
- Can you sit and work comfortably? Is your space ergonomic as it can be?
- Is your monitor or laptop angled in a way that doesn't cause eyestrain or neck strain?
- Do the things around you feed your spirit? Toys? Gadgets? Family pics? Post-It Notes?
- Be intentional. Don't just let your space happen. What is calming for you? What's productive? Do you like a nice whiteboard?
- Perhaps a fresh notebook can de-stress you? Your office can be a Zen garden. Does clutter calm? Fill it with fun. Do you like open space? Clear your desk.
- What's your lighting situation?
- Do you have natural light or a window nearby? Maybe you should.
Stop for a second. Perhaps while reading this blog post. Look around and ask yourself - why is this space like this? How did it get this way and do I feel good here. What can you do? Maybe it's just straightening up. Perhaps literally just turning another direction to adjust light.
This is the start of a process to make your space you own. You can't control your quarantine situation but you can be intentional about your nest.
What have YOU done to make your space your own? How are you nesting?
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About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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Namit Pandey
no radio or tv background noise - spoken words in the background clutter the foreground thoughts of my work
no email, chat, twitter, facebook or other distracting popups
check email every 2 hours
no background tabs in the browser with message or Q&A sites
a work list of items to get done for today in the most plain text editor possible - notepad or equivalent - a step up in complexity yields more distraction than the benefit
remove all apps off the phone except what comes with the phone plus a browser - I did not understand how much extra time tax each app took until I uninstalled them one by one
reduce the environmental footprint of the software I use - use base install of developer tools when possible - minimal set of add-ins to Visual Studio. Almost no extra developer software on the laptop - each extra piece of software is a point of failure and takes hours of maintenance each year
reduce the total number of accounts I have - don't sign up for web sites if possible
reduce and unsubscribe to any and all periodical emails informing me of a new feature or third party company meetup or newsletter
importantly, reduce the number of web sites I check each day for news and tech information
get down to 3 podcasts to listen to - keep the ones under 45 minutes - listen mainly to podcasts other than technology
yagni - follow only 3 open source projects
read about new technology rather than watch a 10 minute video - 500 word article at 2 minutes to read versus 10 minutes of video
cut the cord on streaming services
order from mail order services less than 5 times a year without any subscriptions
ignore frequent shopper rewards (except airlines) as the time wasted to sign up, keep track of and redeem is miles below minimum wage
rarely check a web site or app before going and doing something
read more paper books and do not read tech books
avoid tech monomania in all its forms
tech monomania is (programming at the day job plus open source contribution plus programming gadgets plus home automation plus tech blogging plus listening to tech podcasts all the time)
have an outside hobby outside the house without tech heavy and without a garage full of tools something inexpensive
call the significant people in your life as much or more than the number of text messages you send them
An uncle told me to consider each life choice with "What would your great-grandparents do in this situation?"
Consider the rate of change by asking "How much different would today be to a person that went to sleep 20 years ago and woke up today?" Not much for 2000-2020 when compared to significant changes during 1980-2000 or better 1935-1955.
There is a single ceiling bulb in the centre of the room, with a 15W, 6000K LED, which *claims* to be 100W incandescent equivelant, but the room still feels too dark for my liking. I've tried numerous LED bulbs, but combined with a shade, none seem any brighter (without a shade, it's like staring directly at the sun!).
I've considered getting a reflective coating for the window, but going by reviews they seem really difficult to apply correctly.
I'm really happy with my work space apart from lighting - would really appeciate some lighting suggestions!
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