Ideal home/work split?

[marshwiggle]

Now that we've been at this for a while, what would you say is your ideal amount of working from home if you could choose?

For me, unless I have classes or labs, I'd say now that about 2 half days a week or one full day at work and the rest of the time working from home would be my preference. I'd be interested in hearing other forumites' insights on this.

[Ruralguy]

I hate working from home because I get too distracted there.  However, distractions are building at work too for various reasons, and I don't want to get sick in the fall either when we more or less have to start with an "open" position, not a "closed and online" one.

[Parasaurolophus]

Whatever the absolute minimum is, unless it's research (which I'm happy to do for however long at home, but which is harder to do at the office because the commute eats up so much spare time).

Overall, I'd like to only have to go in once or twice a week. So, if I'm being reasonable, two full days at work, and two half-days at home would be great.

[Sun_Worshiper]

I used to go in every day - I found it too distracting from home.  But now I'm getting used to it.  Not sure how well I'll do now that the structure that accompanies teaching is ending.

[eigen]

I am looking forward to being able to go back to work most days. The separation of work from home is really important in maintaining a bit of balance for me.

But I'm in a discipline and at a school where most of us are in our offices working all day every day.

[Hegemony]

I'd very delighted never to have to go in to work again. I love working from home. I have now even separated my outfits into nighttime pajamas and daytime pajamas.

[polly_mer]

I dislike working from home immensely for the reasons others have stated including not being able to do certain, important research activities at home.  Those projects are way, way behind at this point.

I miss my office as a place where I could work a lot with minimal distractions.  My home office is good for the occasional, few hours when I have to get something done and need to be home, but it cannot take the place of a real office that is only for work.

[pgher]

I used to go in every day - I found it too distracting from home.  But now I'm getting used to it.  Not sure how well I'll do now that the structure that accompanies teaching is ending.

Same here. I like to have structure in my day, and the act of going to campus gives me some. I think going forward, two days a week on campus is sufficient.

[Vkw10]

Ideally, three or four days on campus a week. I miss my dual monitors and project whiteboard and access to laser printer, even though I don't print often. I also miss my walking partners, because those daily 5-10 minute walks talking about our research both held me accountable and stimulated my brain.

I'm not looking forward to campus parking. Or to wearing shoes all day.

[rxprof]

I normally work on campus 5 days per week. I am ready to go back to the office 3-4 days/week. My new colleagues are much more difficult that my usual colleagues. (I say this with love. Between a young toddler, elementary school kid who would prefer to be on summer break rather than virtual school for the academic year, and spouse with limited work opportunities given the circumstances, we are doing pretty well).

[secundem_artem]

I'd very delighted never to have to go in to work again. I love working from home. I have now even separated my outfits into nighttime pajamas and daytime pajamas.

+1  It's kinda fun "attending" a meeting while going commando.

[polly_mer]

I'd very delighted never to have to go in to work again. I love working from home. I have now even separated my outfits into nighttime pajamas and daytime pajamas.

+1  It's kinda fun "attending" a meeting while going commando.

What is the appeal of not being fully dressed while working?  I understand not wanting to wear shoes because that limits the positions I can have for my feet/legs.

Why would you want to be doing professional activities in pajamas or commando?  Just get more comfortable regular clothes as a standard practice.

[Hegemony]

My pajamas are as comfy as clothes get. I never did like climbing in and out of clothes that much, and the bonus to the PJs is that if I get too tired, I just climb into bed in my daytime PJs. Ah, bliss.

I am clearly more of an introvert than 99.9% of the nation, because I'm having a whale of a time sitting home. Not having to show up anywhere, not having to be perky at specified times, doing what I want when I want ... pretty darn nice. I have an affable offspring who is trying all kinds of new cooking experiments, and we watch movies and play board games and listen to Patrick Stewart recite the Shakespeare sonnet of the day on Twitter. And I teach online and write articles, but in a less harried way than usual. This would be great stuff if it weren't for the raging pandemic.

[smallcleanrat]

What is the appeal of not being fully dressed while working?  I understand not wanting to wear shoes because that limits the positions I can have for my feet/legs.

I overheat easily.

[apl68]

I'm something of an introvert and homebody as well, but I am glad that I still have to go in to work each day.  I greatly appreciate the structure and routine.  I'm even more glad to be able to keep home and work strictly separate.  Of course having the library shut down and only one or two staff members here with me at a time appeals to the introvert in me.  I'm still hoping that we can reopen before much longer.