I’m remote right now, and the job was taken on initially out of the necessity of being in a different part of the world where the local salary wasn’t something I would commit to. For the most part when abroad, it worked well. I didn’t have too many connections anyway and I was able to get a workspace and do a 15 minute walk there and back in the warmth.

I’m now back to my homeland and I’m crashing at my parents for a few weeks until after Christmas, and the remote side of it is affecting me quite badly. I can’t handle certain aspects of it at all.

For starters, I’m working with an almost violent intensity and rate that I really struggle to turn down. In an office I’d not usually hit a level of flow state like I do at home and it’s almost like I don’t have enough forced distractions. The little coffee break, lunch with team mates, interruptions and meetings. Nothing can get in the way of me writing code, but it’s starting to come at my detriment. I have more optional distractions, sure, but I’m at work so I’m not gonna watch TV for 10 minutes. It breaks my focus too much and to a greater extent; what’s the point?

I’ve lost a great deal of balance in my life. I don’t cook. I overtime a lot more. I have no reason to leave the house (even more so that it’s 0c here vs 32c where I’ve just arrived from). I stay in bed until the last minute.

These are all my fault and my problem to fix, but it seems to incentivise unhealthy ways of living for me. I should have more time and freedom but everything has ended up being more intense and busy. There’s something to be said for that walk though the city or allowing yourself to work at the pace of your office neighbours. I miss that side of it.