One of the things I really like about my work is that it can be done from virtually anywhere. I can work in the office, at home, anywhere else on the road, and I don't feel chained to any particular location.
Although it takes effort to draw some boundaries between work and home stuff at home, on the days when weather/road problems/other issues make it easier to work from home, I am really grateful to be able to do just that. If I am expecting an electrician, I can work from home without any interruption to my work unless I am missing an important meeting as a result.
In addition to convenience, this reinforces the idea that I am a "brain" worker - really, I can work anywhere my brain is. Sure, I need equipment to get done some of the things I do, but there is always plenty I can do even in the absence of said equipment - jot down ideas, solve problems, draft write ups, etc. It really goes to show that I am in a job where it is the human thought that is of value, and that I get paid to think. And I do like the sound of that.
scientiae-carnival
The perverse incentives of academia
6 years ago
4 comments:
Sometimes I think this is harder than a 9-5 schedule. Isn't there more pressure to ALWAYS be "thinking" aka working? How do you turn off the brain to relax? Or equal pressure to actually get started on something when you should be working and not relaxing? Just curious how you make it all happen.
"really, I can work anywhere my brain is"
So, what happens when you misplace your brain??
I am not so much a brain-worker as you - much of what I do can be done anywhere, but a lot of it requires a lab bench, reagents, fancy equipment too.
But I find that if I misplace my brain for a day I can't do the bench work or the brain work.
Thats really cool!
FT - there are its own challenges, but I think I am finally learning how to separate work from everything else. I find that physically separating where I work/not work is helpful (for example, I never work in the bedroom), as well as setting time boundaries. When I have trouble starting working, I clear my desk from everything and sit with a blank piece of paper to organize my thoughts, or go through my list of "easy" tasks first.
AA - the answer to that used to be a cup of coffee (and some chocolate), but since I am staying away from caffeine during pregnancy, it has been more difficult. Getting a workout in in the morning seems to help, but on some days I just resort to tinkering with something I have to learn about anyways but which doesn't require quite as much brain power upfront ;) I think bench work is brain work, as your brain IS the main ingredient for being able to do it.
TCCG - thanks!
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