Talk to me about working from home

[copzgirl1171]

I am at the point where I have to possibly have a hysterectomy. I have had 6 heavy periods in the last two months. I have been putting it off because of work (I am the only one who does my job) but last week I didn't even know I bled through my tampon at work...nothing like getting an escort out of the building by your new boss (the SECOND TIME this has happened).

He has promised me that if I have to be off for any amount of time that he will set me up with an at home office and will have a courier come by twice a day, once in the morning to deliver my mail and in the evening to take back my work.

It would be temporary but he would leave it in place for weekend work (which I come to the office for) and just to have just in case.

How do you discipline yourself to work at home? I just imagine me saying to myself..oh, toss that load of laundry in or start dinner what's the bid deal...or what if I never get out of my sweat pants??

[chichimi]

I dont know much about working from home but I just wanted to say that Im so sorry Copz and Ill be praying for a speedy recovery.
I have done some courses online and I know that I put off starting my work in the morning which only meant that I had to work later into the evening to catch up. It offers great flexibility but youve got to put the time in somewhere and working halfheartedly can lead to working longer hours.

[chichimi]

Is ablation not an option? You dont have to answer if its too personal. HUGS!

[teflep]

I do it occasionally and it can be distracting to do laundry, sit on the couch with tv on and become distracted, but if you're busy, work gets done.

[Daria Morgandorffer]

Oh man, I'm sorry

When I work from home I eat nachos in my underwear at 10AM and start sipping on beer at noon, so I'm not really the best person to ask.

[wawa]

Ooh, my mom had to have that done. So though I have no help on working from home, I'll share that she's super super happy with not having to deal with her heavy awful periods anymore, and that the recovery was pretty light. Her doctor had to give her the super stern talking to to make her take it easy after the first couple of days.

[caden]

I'm sorry copz. (((hugs)))) and I hope whatever you decide gives you peace and that you feel well.

I've WAH at two different points. I hated it the first time (it was by choice) and squandered time all day long. The second time was for medical reasons and was temporary and that worked out really well. I got a lot done b/c I didn't have anything else to do. That sounds like what your situation would be. When you feel like total crap and all you can do is lay on the couch staring at the walls, you can get a surprising amount of work done! If you really want to motivate yourself, be in a room with no TV. There's nothing else to do but work. It's a bit hard to look around your house and see all the other things you need to get done. That's why I squandered so much time the first time I WAH. But if you know you need to rest in order to heal, it gets really easy to ignore the housework. GL!

[cookiemdough]

I still set my alarm. I take a shower and get dressed. The only difference is that it is in comfortable casual clothes instead of work clothes. I also work in a separate room with a desk and chair instead of on the couch with a laptop. I find the more formal I keep it the more work I get done.

The days I stumble downstairs in my pjs are the ones I get the least done. : )

Sorry about the potential procedure Copz.

[eclaires]

MH works from home a lot. I think he actually works more, b/c he'll do stuff randomly even in the evenings/nights.

He does frequently work in his underwear which makes me make fun of him.

[copzgirl1171]

May 29, 2012 12:42:56 GMT -5 @chichimi said:

Is ablation not an option? You dont have to answer if its too personal. HUGS!

I have had rotten paps in the past, although the last four have been perfect. The doctor has kind of used the "in for a penny in for a pound" analogy meaning so a total hysterectomy seems to be the best idea. I will do almost anything at this point to not be doubled our three times a month. I only have small fibroids so that is good.

My sister that is in prison had cervical cancer and I was all worked up about that and was surprised to know that it isn't typically anything heredity plays a role in.

[pixy0stix]

I see nothing wrong about working in sweatpants. That's one of the perks about working from home.

Strangely, the few times I've worked from home, the more I was able to get done.

[dev22]

((Hugs))

[y4m]

I'm very productive at home--since there are much fewer distractions.

I make a habit of getting up with DH, brushing teeth, showering, getting dressed, etc. as I would if I were going to an office. I just happen to have a really short commute.

It's fine to throw in a load of laundry or start dinner, as long as everyone understands those are added bonus things you'll do if you have time for them, and they don't become your job simply because you happen to work at home.

I love working at home, though I can imagine why others wouldn't. But for a short time while you recover--I'm sure it would be fine.

[hubes]

I work from home at least once a week. It's not bad. You just have to make sure that you, and everyone around you realizes that YOU ARE AT WORK. No, I can't run to the grocery store. No, the bathroom isn't going to get clean. I'm working. It works best if I have table to work on (I've set the card table up in the living room before). I think your kids are older, but if they go to daycare, they are still there. I even "pack a lunch" so I'm not tempted to spend two hours cooking.

[soontobeka]

Hugs...FWIW, I love working from home.

[marie427]

I've never worked from home so no advice there, but feel better copz.

[marynjoe]

I work from home quite a bit and you just have to set a schedule. You don't wander off to watch TV. In my case, I don't do laundry or anything else because it's too distracting and I get nothing done. Also, you need to remember that even if you are working, you're not going to get as much done. You may get fatigued and need to lay down for a while or take a nap. You're probably not going to get in a full 8 hour day. In my case, if I have to do something during the day, I do more work in the evening to make up for it.

I agree with don't let everyone around you say, "Since you're home... can you do this?" Don't fall into that trap. And, don't spend the whole time on the GBCN proboards! lol

[dirtyred]

I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago and it was the best thing ever. You just don't realize
how crzppy you feel until the thing that's making you feel crappy is gone.

I had laparoscpic surgery and
I had one of the fastest recoveries the surgeon said he had ever seen. Even considering that, you're not going to be able to work from home to any degree for at least four weeks.
You're going to lose a lot of blood, and the post op anemia coupled with the healing that's going on is going to knock you on your ass. I couldn't concentrate long enough to read any serious literaure, and I napped every 2-3 hours for the first couple of weeks. There's a reason you're not released to go back to work for 6-8 weeks.

A friend of mine had the same surgery six months after I did and thought she'd work from
home during recovery. You know how much work she did in the seven weeks she was off? ZERO. She was too tired and too fuzzy brained. Please don't plan on getting any significant work done while you're recovering.

[OscarQ]

I WFH full time. I get up, get my son ready and drop him off at my mom's for the day. Then I drive home, sit at my desk and work pretty much non-stop until 5/5:30 at which point I pick him up from my moms. Pretty much nothing else gets done. I may occasionally do a load of laundry (wash/dry, not folded or put away) and I try to get the dishwasher unloaded. Most of the time my house looks worse by the end of the my work day. And I frequently forget to drink water and go to the bathroom.

[heliocentric]

I've been working from home 2-3 days a week for 9 years. It works out well for me and and my job since most of the people I work aren't based in the office anyway. When I do need to collaborate we use webex's and teleconferences. If you are a big people person you might be punch after a few days without seeing others, but I'm pretty much a loner so that doesn't bother me.

I try to keep regular hours (8am (or earlier) to 4:30 or 5pm) so that co-workers know where to find me and don't think I'm slacking. I definitely throw in laundry and often start dinner. I figure it's not much different than taking a quick snack break at the office or chatting with a coworker in the hall. Sometimes if I'm really slow I run out to the store, but I always make sure I have my Blackberry with me and don't make a habit of it. It's not too hard to get stuff done and keep focused if you're busy.

I used to work in our home office, but I don't anymore. Now I just move to whatever room I feel like. I get dressed, but only in something comfy and don't shower until later since I usually work out at lunch or in the late afternoon after work. I'm sure you'll settle into a routine that works for you.

I hope you get your medical stuff straightened out.

[msmerymac]

I feel like being able to do laundry would be a huge bonus to working from home.

Good luck, Copz! My mom had a total hysterectomy about 15 years ago due to fibroids and really heavy periods. She was happy with the decision. I think they can do a laser incision now, which cuts down a LOT on recovery time.

[laurenpetro]

i don't personally have the discipline to work from home. DH does, i don't. i would find a million other things to do.

that said, if i had a courier coming by twice a day it would probably work better since i would have some accountability, time wise.

good luck, sweets. hugs

[wawa]

Oh...one other random tidbit about my mom's ute - I believe she had it done with no incision at all. They went up from the inside and removed it from there somehow. So yeah, cutting, but no visible scars.

I have no idea if this is SOP, but it'd be worth asking about. Like I said, her recovery was very quick. (but she's also a total tough guy, so she could have been full of shit when I asked her how she was feeling and if she needed help)

[ESF]

Sorry to hear about the health issues copz. I hope you feel better soon.

I work from home full time. I get work done because it's my job. I can see why it would be hard to get work done from home if it's a once in a while arrangement, but when it's your normal routine, then it stops being something special and it becomes much easier to avoid the distractions. It does take some practice and getting used to.

Like the others, I get up at some reasonable time -- I consider getting up at 7:30 or 8 to be late. I like to be up and showered and at my computer by that time. I don't wear real clothes, just stretchy pants and t-shirts. I do some nesting and goofing off for a bit while H is getting ready for work and I'm eating breakfast, drinking coffee, etc. Then I start work. It just gets done. My job is nothing but a series of deadlines so that keeps some structure to my days and weeks. It's probably easier to avoid things without deadlines if you work from home, so that's the downside. If you do this, its good that you'll be having couriers come by regularly, and you should use those opportunities to set yourself up some deadlines to help structure to your days.

The only household chore I do with any regularity during the weekdays is pick up the kitchen and make dinner. I also walk the dog periodically throughout the day. I try to manage my time well enough that I can wrap up early on Fridays and do some picking up and beer drinking. I'm able to do this about maybe twice a month.

If I'm doing a task that requires little brainpower, I have no problem turning the TV on while doing it. eg if my email inbox is out of control and requires 30 minutes of attention to put things into folders or send quick replies confirming meeting times, I'll sit on the couch, watch some SVU, and organize.

[emilyj]

I work from home about 75% of the time during the school year, and right now I'm WFH 100%. I love it. However, I will say that with my job, I don't work a "normal" 8-5 schedule, so I can give myself any hours I want to and set a lot of my own deadlines which can keep me on a pretty specific schedule. I'm not sure if you would have that same flexibility.

I have a home office, and I set up specific tasks for each day. I write out a to-do list the night before of what I want to get done the next day, and then I work through it the next day. I answer emails as soon as they come in provided I'm sitting in front of my computer. If I decide I am going to do laundry or other house chores, then I will say something like "Ok, first do X thing for work, and when that's done, throw in the laundry, then come back and start on Y for work."

I do minimal chores during the day, but I do run errands and workout. And I never get 'dressed up' when I work from home. Right now my daily uniform is workout shorts and a t-shirt.

I'm sorry you are going through what you are. That sounds so sucky.

[marynjoe]

I also wonder about you getting any work done from home while recovering. I have a friend who had a hysterectomy about 2 months ago. She thought she'd be back to work after one month, but ended up taking another 2-3 weeks. It's not an easy recovery.

The perks from working at home definitely include working in your PJs and slippers.

[basilosaurus]

My MIL had a hysterectomy, and she had that robotic no-incision thing. I wasn't around, but I think she actually went back to work fairly quickly, within a couple weeks.

When I was in Korea, one of H's coworkers had to have one, so I stayed with her in the hospital for the week (there always has to be an American escort there). She was really out of it most of the time. I want to say she was there 10 days? And she was off work for the next 7 weeks I believe. But, it was Korea with different rules about inpatient time, and her fibroids were huge, and she had some complications from a previous surgery. Oh, how do I know the size of her fibroids? The surgeon called me down and after the surgery and showed them to me.

I know this doesn't answer your WAH question, but I just don't want you to push yourself too hard in your recovery. Be realistic that your time at home is for recovery. Good luck.

[bqbride]

Aw, that sucks. Sorry to hear it, and wishing for a speedy recovery for you!

I've worked from home since October and I LOVE it. LOVE. IT. LOVE!!!

I love not being in an office. I get so much more done because I don't have as many interruptions and distractions. I don't have to pretend to give a shit about what my co-workers did over the weekend, or the drama they're having with their child/boss/spouse/whatever. I don't get sick as often. I set my own hours and can arrange my day in the way that best suits me. I can wear whatever I want and don't have to put on make up.

At first, it was kind of hard to motivate myself. I'd end up surfing the web all day and then working late or rushing to get everything done at the end of the day. I got over that quickly, though, as it causes much more pain than it's worth. I do occasionally throw some laundry in or start dinner, but that is the exception rather than the rule.

Most of all, I love being in charge of my own schedule. I can workout and eat when it suits me. I can bust ass and get my work done, then knock off and hit the pool by 3:00 (like today!). I'd be hard pressed to go back to an office again after working at home.

[Chiualover]

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[StrawberryBlondie]

Sorry about the health stuff. That sucks.

I worked from home quite a bit at my old job and I was generally very productive at home. But that's largely because my bosses sucked and would randomly wander into my office and vent/yell/whatever several times a day for 30+ minutes at a time.

With my current job, I could do it full time, but I don't think I'd like it - my job is already sort of isolating and I like the in-person interaction with my coworkers. I'd love to do it part-time (like WFH on Mondays & Fridays or something) but that's not an option.