One of the supposed advantages of being a graduate student--and, eventually, a professor--is the ability to work from one's home. This is true of many professional jobs, of course, but academia does seem to offer greater flexibility in this regard. And many people take advantage of this. My mom did, until being chair forced her to go to work. And most of my peers extol the virtue of working from home.
I have to admit, I don't really like it. I've always preferred going into an office. Once I was given an "office" (initially, this was a spot in the hallway that was buffered with a makeshift cubicle wall, and shared with another graduate student), I began going in every day to work. Even before this, I spent a lot more time in my shared Hamilton offices than many of my colleagues. And getting a closet-sized office to myself was the best thing that happened while in graduate school.
This is not to say that I never spent the day at home. But these were usually special occasions--I spent most of my time studying for comps at home, because I wanted the quiet. And when I'm down to the wire on a deadline, there's nothing that beats being able to wake up at 6am and immediately begin working. Also, it's not that I confine work to the office. When I did go into school to work every day, I brought my work home in the evenings and weekends. But it still allowed me to feel as if there was a delineation between "work" and "home".
This year, I don't have an office. And working at Penn requires a 20 minute walk, mostly over a windy bridge, and only offers a drafty (although pretty) library to do work in. So I don't really get out much. Instead, I wake up and move into the living room, where I eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work, eat dinner, watch TV, and work. All in the same damn room. I hate it, and it has definitely slowed my productivity (despite saving me the commute). I cannot wait to have an office again.
So, what are others' preferences? I have the impression that my fellow graduate students love working from home--why?
Bourbon-Ginger Pecan Pie
6 months ago
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2 comments:
i was a lot more productive when i worked from home writing my dissertation. i had my little routine - get up, take kids to school, sit on the couch surrounded by all my notes, papers, analysis, output which just lived on the coffee table, and write. once an hour or so i would stretch and snack and write again. i was able to write 1 of my 3 articles for the dissertation start to finish in one moth using this system.
now i have an office, and i go to it every day. i get distracted by the conversations in the hall. i have to sit in a chair where i can't stretch out like on my couch. its too hot. its too cold. getting a snack requires a 10-minute walk to the grocery store or hiking down lots of stairs to the break room. people wander in and ask me questions. i have to wear real clothes instead of pajamas all day.
i work from home usually one day a week now and it is always my most productive day.
Hm. I could see it being refreshing once a week. But every day makes me feel claustraphobic.
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