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As my eyes struggled to stay open as he babbled +about SR-latches, I wondered: what sequence of dreadful mistakes did I +make to land myself in this situation. I got through my entire college +career without pulling a single all-nighter, yet that night changed it +all. + +Although I could have followed along with the lecture material during +the regular class time, remote learning made a tantalizing temptation +to procrastinate and binge two and a half weeks of lecture material in +one night --two nights before the exam. Ironically, I ended up doing +remarkably well on that exam and felt prepared for every question; +nerveless, it still begs the question... Why? After asking around, I +found that all eight of my friends taking the class also binged the +lecture videos before the exam. + +![Dinner](media/remote-work/dinner.jpg) + +After two weeks of remote work, I started feeling something that I +haven't felt in a very long time-- occasional boredom. This takes me +back to grade school summers when I had nothing to do. Well, there is +never "nothing to do." The problem really boils down to not being +motivated to do anything. + +Working remotely is actually great for things that I am already +motivated about because I can work on them uninterrupted for hours on +end. I am getting more work done at my job as a research assistant, +and I am putting more time into classes that I find interesting, like +computer vision. However, dedicating time towards mundane tasks like +learning about an esoteric computer architecture or writing essays for +my professional communication task takes more effort than they used +to. + +![List on whiteboard](media/remote-work/list.jpg) + +When we are isolated from others and don't have to physically go +places to get work done, we have fewer motivators for action. At +college, my most productive times were either in the library or at my +office. Physically not going into class every day, or not being able +to physically work around other people removes some of the motivators +that help us get stuff done. When I was at the library or my office, I +got a ton of work done because I felt like I was obligated to get +things done in this space. Or I was motivated by other people working +to also get work done -- no matter how trivial the task. + +![Desk](media/remote-work/desk.jpg) + +To make up for these differences of working at home, I have made some +helpful adjustments to my schedule to make myself more productive as a +remote worker: + +Creating and updating physical lists Changing environments every few +hours Maintaining a regular sleep schedule Creating artificial rewards +like watching youtube after I finish an essay Reading before bed +Following an exercise routine + +Although this advice won't work for everyone, I suggest that you try +some of these things if you are struggling at remote work. A lot of +friends that I talk to are facing challenges when it comes to remote +work and learning. It is different and will take some time for us to +adjust to and get better at. + +![Duck](media/remote-work/duck.jpg) + +I recently became very conscientious about my working space. In the +past, I have decorated my office with pictures or thingamajigs. +Recently I doubled down and did this a lot more for my current office. +Making your work environment more personalized helps morale-- at least +it has for me. + +Although it may be tempting, if you want to excel in remote work, now +is not the time to get funky. + +![Meme on sleep](media/remote-work/funky.png)