working remote post

blogContent/posts/other/working-remote.md

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+Last week I watched my professor drone on for seven hours about
+computer circuitry.  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)