I here you loud and clear about having a choice when it comes to telecommuting. Without the technology you’re pretty much screwed – unless you have work that can be done without the need for connectivity (documentation, etc).

I like your take on what your job actually entails. Changing a mindset is a powerful thing, especially when it brings more job satisfaction and a whole lot less stress!

My work is mainly project based so I tend to have a focus on getting things done (and done right). So while I fully expect to be interrupted (and to interrupt others), there needs to be visible progress to those in charge. So when I do manage to get a day to myself I can really get on top of the mountainous list of ‘to dos’ and move forward.

Luke

I live relatively close to my work – 18 miles / 25min drive – so its not a killer. I used to live further away – 60miles/60min drive (it was a lot of A road (interstate for our US readers) so the avg mph was higher than I can achieve on the single track lanes used now!) and that was draining physically but allowed for a nice piece of time for me to swap between family mind-set and work mind-set. It work for 5 years and I dont think work or home suffered.

My problem now is that the broadband at home, well, let’s say it isnt very broad. I get 512kbps downstream, top whack. We are 9k from the nearest telephone exchange and are repeatedly told that we are lucky to have any signal at all let alone have it as reliable as it is. The problem is that this isnt suitable for remote working as an alternative to commute. It is sufficient to avoid a drive at 2am if a server is sinking but only then. Maybe the infrastructure will be improved as BT(and others) and the Government drag the rural community kicking and screaming into the 20th Century but until then there isnt always a decision to make. I would love to have the option to do some project work away from the office to avoid those interruptions you mention etc etc

A few years ago I re-assessed my day-to-day activities and actually came to the conclusion that despite my job description saying something different my job was actually to be interrupted. Users wanting changes, developers needing advice, other DBAs needing guidance and so forth was my main activity. In between those were gaps I filled with my DBA work, rather than them always stopping me doing my job. Once I put that spin on it I was more comfortable at getting to the end of a day and not having anything I could point and say “That’s what I did today”.

Cheers
Jonathan

Like you say, it’s all about having that choice of
lifestyle. Does sound like a nice meme if you want to kick one off…

Rob

It would be great to find out from the SQL Community where the most scenic places are to work, complete with photos from their respective offices. Perhaps I’ll attempt to start a meme and tag a few people…

On your second point; I travel by train so use my time to read (tech books/articles/blogs/etc), write blog posts, and so on, so try and use the time effectively when I can. Having said that, depending on how long the loooong commutes go on for I’ll start to get burnt out. Traveling is pretty tiring (I’m sure you understand this), so some days I’ll just try and catch up on some much needed sleep (for us mortals).

Luke

I think it’s all about measuring your effectiveness. Four hours added to an eight hour day means you need to be considering whether you’re making good use of that time.

Rob