It’s kinda weird to say, but remote work has a way of making people blame themselves for everything. Which sounds weird, but bear with us; if the day feels slow, it must be a focus problem. If work takes longer than expected, it must be a discipline problem. If every task feels weirdly annoying, then clearly the person sitting there just needs to get it together, drink the coffee, open the inbox, and become some calm little productivity machine. Like, if you’re too sleepy, then maybe your home office is comfortable, a little too comfortable. It all circles back to being your fault.
But it’s not always you, sure, maybe sometimes, but maybe it’s just your set up thats actually getting in the way here. Like, maybe it takes literal minutes for your computer to load up, your calls are pixelated from bad wifi, things like that.
Remote Work Makes Tiny Annoyances Feel a Little too Big
You’re constantly being inconvenienced, so that’s one thing to think about. But in an office, bad equipment is still annoying, of course, but at least there’s usually some kind of shared understanding that the printer is a menace or the meeting room screen just never works. Like these things aren’t in your control, they’re not your fault. But at home, all those little problems feel more personal because there’s no one nearby to blame. So they’re basically just on you.
So the remote worker just sits there, refreshing the browser, apologising for lag, dragging windows around a cramped screen, and trying to look composed when they’re frustrated. Every little thing takes longer than it should, like trying to type an email, downloading a file, going on a website, stressed over the delayed audio in Zoom calls.
That’s the part people underestimate. A bad home office doesn’t have to be completely unusable to be a problem. It can just be irritating enough, and it builds up. But also, your boss, manager, clients, coworkers, well, they might get passive-aggressive with you, too, about this.
It Might be Time for an Upgrade
Well, here’s another thing, because sometimes, there’s a strange guilt that can come with upgrading work tools at home, like a better monitor or a proper chair, is some kind of indulgence instead of, you know, something that supports the job being done every single day. These are big purchases, so to a degree, it makes sense. Plus, your average person doesn’t really like the idea of splurging like that for work (and not all employers will compensate your home office purchases either).
While you don’t need the perfect setup, you do probably need something better than what you’re currently dealing with. So, you might need to look into some computers that run better than your, maybe get a dual screen or at least a bigger screen, it might be time to ditch any old equipment, clean up cables, move the desk to a nearby window, get a better headset, and you might even need WIFI extension boxes or see what the deal is with your internet if it’s so slow (the best computer can’t fix that).
Photo by Ron Lach
A Better Setup Can Make Work Feel Less Like a Fight
You might have to spend some money, or maybe you can even ask your employer for some sort of compensation. But if you’re struggling to get through the work day, like it or not, this might have to be the option. Most of the time, the fix tends to be a new computer or just solving a slow internet problem (be it a new internet provider or just upgrading packages). But small things like this at least show that you’re capable of work; it’s just the tools and environment that were getting in the way.
It’s kinda weird to say, but remote work has a way of making people blame themselves for everything. Which sounds weird, but bear with us; if the day feels slow, it must be a focus problem. If work takes longer than expected, it must be a discipline problem. If every task feels weirdly annoying, then clearly the person sitting there just needs to get it together, drink the coffee, open the inbox, and become some calm little productivity machine. Like, if you’re too sleepy, then maybe your home office is comfortable, a little too comfortable. It all circles back to being your fault.
But it’s not always you, sure, maybe sometimes, but maybe it’s just your set up thats actually getting in the way here. Like, maybe it takes literal minutes for your computer to load up, your calls are pixelated from bad wifi, things like that.
Remote Work Makes Tiny Annoyances Feel a Little too Big
You’re constantly being inconvenienced, so that’s one thing to think about. But in an office, bad equipment is still annoying, of course, but at least there’s usually some kind of shared understanding that the printer is a menace or the meeting room screen just never works. Like these things aren’t in your control, they’re not your fault. But at home, all those little problems feel more personal because there’s no one nearby to blame. So they’re basically just on you.
So the remote worker just sits there, refreshing the browser, apologising for lag, dragging windows around a cramped screen, and trying to look composed when they’re frustrated. Every little thing takes longer than it should, like trying to type an email, downloading a file, going on a website, stressed over the delayed audio in Zoom calls.
That’s the part people underestimate. A bad home office doesn’t have to be completely unusable to be a problem. It can just be irritating enough, and it builds up. But also, your boss, manager, clients, coworkers, well, they might get passive-aggressive with you, too, about this.
It Might be Time for an Upgrade
Well, here’s another thing, because sometimes, there’s a strange guilt that can come with upgrading work tools at home, like a better monitor or a proper chair, is some kind of indulgence instead of, you know, something that supports the job being done every single day. These are big purchases, so to a degree, it makes sense. Plus, your average person doesn’t really like the idea of splurging like that for work (and not all employers will compensate your home office purchases either).
While you don’t need the perfect setup, you do probably need something better than what you’re currently dealing with. So, you might need to look into some computers that run better than your, maybe get a dual screen or at least a bigger screen, it might be time to ditch any old equipment, clean up cables, move the desk to a nearby window, get a better headset, and you might even need WIFI extension boxes or see what the deal is with your internet if it’s so slow (the best computer can’t fix that).
A Better Setup Can Make Work Feel Less Like a Fight
You might have to spend some money, or maybe you can even ask your employer for some sort of compensation. But if you’re struggling to get through the work day, like it or not, this might have to be the option. Most of the time, the fix tends to be a new computer or just solving a slow internet problem (be it a new internet provider or just upgrading packages). But small things like this at least show that you’re capable of work; it’s just the tools and environment that were getting in the way.
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