So, my girlfriend has a weird schedule at work. She's a social worker and drives from place to place meeting with clients. Sometimes she has no-shows, and sometimes she has breaks in the middle of her day because she couldn't fit in an appointment.
The problem is that she comes home during these breaks. That's totally reasonable.
The thing is, I work from home and our apartment is tiny and for whatever reason I lose absolutely all focus when she's home and can't get my work done. I then take a half an hour to get back in the game after she leaves.
Basically, I write articles and it requires bursts of focus for about a half an hour at a time if I'm going to do it right and I usually work in complete silence. So I end up just killing the time while she's home rather than working, because if I can't just focus on the one article due to repeated interruptions every few minutes I can't get it done.
She isn't doing anything particularly out of the ordinary, usually just making lunch, doing some quick dish washing afterwards and so on and it'd be unreasonable to ask her to not come home since she lives here too.
What do you guys do to maintain focus and ignore environmental distraction while working?
I wish we had another room so I could set up a small table and chair for an "office."
Edit: Actually, looking at it, I may be able to rig up the tiniest of office workspace in our closet.
Is your desk at least wall facing/window facing? Trying to work at the kitchen table is difficult. I would also suggest some noise canceling headphones, and a white or brown noise MP3 to help drown out whatever your wife is doing. If you can eliminate the visual and audio clues that something else is going on, you should be able to get into the zone.
Is your desk at least wall facing/window facing? Trying to work at the kitchen table is difficult. I would also suggest some noise canceling headphones, and a white or brown noise MP3 to help drown out whatever your wife is doing. If you can eliminate the visual and audio clues that something else is going on, you should be able to get into the zone.
My desk is facing a wall and there is a window directly to my right. We're at street level and our whole apartment has basically one continuous six foot tall window running along the side. Surprisingly, the street noise is not distracting, so that's a plus.
I'll try out the white/brown noise thing. That might help a bit.
I'm really starting to think about just putting a small table and a chair in the closet and working in there now. It should take a little rearranging but might be the best.
I use brown noise for sleeping in the form of a giant box fan, but I have an mp3 on my ipod for travel. Its pretty good for drowning out noise. In my dorm I would turn up my fan to drown out... college, then throw on the headphones. For art I do music/podcasts, but I like to write in a tomb of silence, so I totally get how the zone is easily disrupted.
being in a closet wouldn't work for me, but I'm pretty claustrophobic, I much prefer windows. I used to go work in the labs at school late at night because I just hated being in my coffin sized dorm.
I do the same thing, though. I have a fan running overnight in my room to help me sleep - even during winter. Only difference is that in winter I don't have it face me. :P
I do the same thing, though. I have a fan running overnight in my room to help me sleep - even during winter. Only difference is that in winter I don't have it face me. :P
I find these types of graphics and image macros to be far more obnoxious. Yes, Athiests, we get it you don't believe in God. Stop wasting time giving a shit that other people do. You will never be able to make an adorable infographic that will convince a person with faith to give up that faith--That's what having faith is!
Spare the rest of us this obnoxious crusade.
*
I don't have you, Mustang, I just hate what you stand for. Everything. All of it.
EDIT: I should mention I'm high as a kite right now and mistook that graphic for the opposite of what it is. But my original diatribe remains unaffected, so I'm keeping it there, but maybe not with as much Mustang hate.
I find these types of graphics and image macros to be far more obnoxious. Yes, Athiests, we get it you don't believe in God. Stop wasting time giving a shit that other people do. You will never be able to make an adorable infographic that will convince a person with faith to give up that faith--That's what having faith is!
Spare the rest of us this obnoxious crusade.
*
I don't have you, Mustang, I just hate what you stand for. Everything. All of it.
EDIT: I should mention I'm high as a kite right now and mistook that graphic for the opposite of what it is. But my original diatribe remains unaffected, so I'm keeping it there, but maybe not with as much Mustang hate.
I am the athiest
I am much athier than you
also I don't have Mustang either
how do I acquire Mustang?
Stop wasting time giving a shit that other people do. You will never be able to make an adorable infographic that will convince a person with faith to give up that faight--That's what having faith is!
But if we're respecting faith here, why criticize athiests' faith that infographics will work?
(Note: I'm just being deliberately silly here, I don't actually want to pursue this topic of conversation.)
Instead I'll just say point out every time Mustang walks by, Mars stares at his butt and says, "Musdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannngggggg." It's really a quite shameful display.
Other than the thing about "gooning skills", which I looked up on Urban Dictionary and revealed more information about you than I actually wanted to know.
Insufficient for what, though, is the question I am wondering. It's not like that's a metric that gets close scrutiny during job interviews or something.
MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
Just for the record, as long as your not trying to impress your ideal onto me, I couldn't give two shits if you believe we were forged by dinosaurs in a secret under water science laboratory.
I posted that because someone making a point and failing to see the enormous hole in their argument is funny.
it made the argument against evolution using the law of entropy:
a physical system tends toward disorder, and biological life has increased in complexity, so it would require a massive energy input from elsewhere to fuel the increase in complexity. so where is this massive source of energy huh?!?!
which I got really pissed about not knowing it was fake
same with the water one when I first saw it
they're made on 4chan apparently
I never understood "white/brown noise" machines totally, I understand the concept because I like to listen to music when I can't sleep, punk, metal, instrumentals, pretty much anything rhythmic can help me get to sleep.
White noise on the other hand, is just irritating imo.
Remember my little bit I mentioned awhile ago on "stupid questions, possibly meant to be seen as 'funny' or 'witty'... with obvious answers"? Stupid questions that make me raaaaage!?
Glorious Facebook update, from somebody else:
"Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag? :-)"
Somebody replied, "Haha still the speed of light"
Raging so hard right now.
HNNNNGH
NightDragon on
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
Man, having two people you love hate each other is really hard work, and a huge fucking downer.
My wife and my mum have this really tenuous relationship and it's gotten a shit load harder to navigate since having a kid. I'm thinking about throwing in the "I give a shit" towel and letting them claw each others eyes out.
It's good to not have an emotional stake in relationships which don't pertain to you.
Especially with family.
Maybe hackneyed advice but I would say just be an example to both of them by keeping a good honest relationship to both your mom and wife and don't take sides.
Nam on
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MustangArbiter of Unpopular OpinionsRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
Sounds like time for a scheme involving a fake death to avoid going to my parents place.
Remember my little bit I mentioned awhile ago on "stupid questions, possibly meant to be seen as 'funny' or 'witty'... with obvious answers"? Stupid questions that make me raaaaage!?
Glorious Facebook update, from somebody else:
"Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag? :-)"
Somebody replied, "Haha still the speed of light"
Raging so hard right now.
HNNNNGH
I'm not quite sure why this is making you so angry, but the easy answer is to just not use Facebook.
Posts
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a4fd788ce7/real-life-l-a-noire
The problem is that she comes home during these breaks. That's totally reasonable.
The thing is, I work from home and our apartment is tiny and for whatever reason I lose absolutely all focus when she's home and can't get my work done. I then take a half an hour to get back in the game after she leaves.
Basically, I write articles and it requires bursts of focus for about a half an hour at a time if I'm going to do it right and I usually work in complete silence. So I end up just killing the time while she's home rather than working, because if I can't just focus on the one article due to repeated interruptions every few minutes I can't get it done.
She isn't doing anything particularly out of the ordinary, usually just making lunch, doing some quick dish washing afterwards and so on and it'd be unreasonable to ask her to not come home since she lives here too.
What do you guys do to maintain focus and ignore environmental distraction while working?
I wish we had another room so I could set up a small table and chair for an "office."
Edit: Actually, looking at it, I may be able to rig up the tiniest of office workspace in our closet.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
My desk is facing a wall and there is a window directly to my right. We're at street level and our whole apartment has basically one continuous six foot tall window running along the side. Surprisingly, the street noise is not distracting, so that's a plus.
I'll try out the white/brown noise thing. That might help a bit.
I'm really starting to think about just putting a small table and a chair in the closet and working in there now. It should take a little rearranging but might be the best.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
being in a closet wouldn't work for me, but I'm pretty claustrophobic, I much prefer windows. I used to go work in the labs at school late at night because I just hated being in my coffin sized dorm.
you mean "white noise"?
I do the same thing, though. I have a fan running overnight in my room to help me sleep - even during winter. Only difference is that in winter I don't have it face me. :P
Nope, brown noise is a thing, as is white noise.
Ryan M Long Photography
Buy my Prints!
Looking for a "white noise" MP3 will tend to get you a more static sounding thing which I cannot stand.
like that entropy one
Spare the rest of us this obnoxious crusade.
*
EDIT: I should mention I'm high as a kite right now and mistook that graphic for the opposite of what it is. But my original diatribe remains unaffected, so I'm keeping it there, but maybe not with as much Mustang hate.
I am the athiest
I am much athier than you
also I don't have Mustang either
how do I acquire Mustang?
my gooning skills are insufficient
But if we're respecting faith here, why criticize athiests' faith that infographics will work?
(Note: I'm just being deliberately silly here, I don't actually want to pursue this topic of conversation.)
Instead I'll just say point out every time Mustang walks by, Mars stares at his butt and says, "Musdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannngggggg." It's really a quite shameful display.
Twitter
*EDIT: That was meant for Tam.
Ahab, I'm only criticizing the one I currently find more obnoxious.
The wise man finds all things obnoxious at all times.
Twitter
Other than the thing about "gooning skills", which I looked up on Urban Dictionary and revealed more information about you than I actually wanted to know.
Twitter
apparently I've just stated that my chronic masturbation skills are insufficient
Twitter
I've been informed that I'm too short to give to sperm banks
so I don't know what kind of wanking quota I'd be trying to fulfill
edit: this conversation just gets worse and worse
I posted that because someone making a point and failing to see the enormous hole in their argument is funny.
it made the argument against evolution using the law of entropy:
a physical system tends toward disorder, and biological life has increased in complexity, so it would require a massive energy input from elsewhere to fuel the increase in complexity. so where is this massive source of energy huh?!?!
which I got really pissed about not knowing it was fake
same with the water one when I first saw it
they're made on 4chan apparently
White noise on the other hand, is just irritating imo.
Ahh, sweet brown noise.
A truly pleasant array of sounds; the sound of zippers, coughs and bodily unburdening.
Remember my little bit I mentioned awhile ago on "stupid questions, possibly meant to be seen as 'funny' or 'witty'... with obvious answers"? Stupid questions that make me raaaaage!?
Glorious Facebook update, from somebody else:
"Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag? :-)"
Somebody replied, "Haha still the speed of light"
Raging so hard right now.
HNNNNGH
My wife and my mum have this really tenuous relationship and it's gotten a shit load harder to navigate since having a kid. I'm thinking about throwing in the "I give a shit" towel and letting them claw each others eyes out.
Twitter
Especially with family.
Maybe hackneyed advice but I would say just be an example to both of them by keeping a good honest relationship to both your mom and wife and don't take sides.
artistjeffc.tumblr.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/artistjeffc
Just make sure your wife is in on the deal, 'cause we all know how well that turned out.
I'm not quite sure why this is making you so angry, but the easy answer is to just not use Facebook.