It might not be pretty, but it's mine! My home setup has been a work in progress for a little while now, but I think it is coming along (despite some of the clutter). I started playing PC games about 10 years ago, so I have always enjoyed building computers and maintaining a fun computer setup. I enjoy having 2 monitors on my setup because it really helps me be able to read assignments/watch tutorials on the left while I am programming on the right. Since I am on the computer most of my day, I found out the hard way that it is important to have a comfortable workstation. After weeks of programming on projects, I noticed I was getting horrible carpel tunnel in my wrists from having them in an awkward angle all day. To solve this problem, I picked up a beanbag armrest for when I type as well as a mouse pad that has a wrist rest on it. It has changed my life! I notice that I am also a fidgety person when I work and it is very important for me to have something to do when I am not typing on my keyboard. Having a water bottle helps me to stay hydrated throughout the day and also gives me something to do when I am focusing on a project. Having mints by my computer also helps me if I am in a long meeting and am ready for my lunch break, but can't quite get away from the computer just yet. Lastly, I have a plethora of Pop figures on my desk that help give me something fun to look at during the day besides my computer screen. Not only is it something else for me to fidget with when I am focusing, but looking at their goofy faces gives me a little bit of joy and sometimes a much needed distraction.
While I am used to being on my computer for fun, working from home has become a new adventure for me since the pandemic, and with it, new changes to get adjusted to. First of all, being able to complete your assignments and tasks is a big must if you plan to continue to work from home. With so many distractions and luxuries of home life just a few feet away, it can be difficult to get motivated (or stay motivated) on a daily basis at work. What has helped me keep my motivation is to motivate myself with tasks I like to think of as "dessert" tasks.
When I was a kid, I hated eating my vegetables. My parents had two rules though when it came to the dinner table:
1. You must try a little bit of everything on your plate.
2. You don't get any dessert unless you finish your vegetables.
This mantra of veggies vs. dessert has carried with me through my work life and helps me stay motivated throughout the day. When I start my day, I first create a checklist of all the things I want to accomplish during the day; some I get to, some I don't, but having everything laid out in front of me helps me stay motivated. Once I have my "to-do-list", I think of what is the last thing on the list that I want to do and put them in order from most hated to least. Usually, the top of this list will be tedious assignments for work, household chores, etc. I try to get these "veggie tasks" out of the way as quickly as possible, because I know if I don't, I will procrastinate on them for an embarrassing amount of time. If I complete all of my "veggie" tasks in a day, then I like to motivate myself with a "dessert" at the end of the day. For me, this can be watching TV, playing video games, or going out for a happy hour. I feel like I am more guiltless in enjoying my free time when I know I took care of a lot of things that I needed to do, but didn't want to necessarily.
However, sometimes this mantra works too well for staying motivated. Recently, I have been noticing that when I start work, I have a hard time stopping. My list of tasks drives my day and before I know it, hours will pass without taking a lunch break or even a mental break for 5 minutes. When the work day should be done, I notice I am still checking emails, slack messages, or even worse, thinking about what I am going to do for the next day at work instead of enjoying my time off. I am excited to try out the Pomodoro Technique to see if that helps me get the much-needed break time when I am working and helps un-blur those lines between work life and home life (thanks Janie for the recommendation!).
While there are ups and downs of working from home, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I enjoy the personal freedom and having more control over my own time management, as well as feel more comfortable in my own work space. At the end of the day, working from home gives me more options, and I like the feeling of being able to choose-my-own-adventure when I start the morning at work.
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