separation of concerns
separation of concerns is a computer science principle that has been slowly shaping my life and environment (especially as a remote worker). it advocates for separating out pieces of computer programs/applications into different sections - concerns for the end user.
I won’t bore you with details or examples, but it’s a handy concept when it comes to designing my life as a remote worker. the key separation I’ve made that’s had a huge impact on my mental health & productivity was separating the place I work with the place I sleep. during covid, I would sleep, game, and work full time in my bedroom - I had no extra space and it caused everything in my life to become much too interconnected.
here are a few more examples of things I’ve separated out in the pursuit of living a deeper life:
- a deep work office
- I try not to be in here unless I am conducting deep work, or I’m in a meeting.
- a shallow workspace
- an extra laptop
- I found that using a company laptop for personal things was causing me more stress than needed
- (I tried 2 phones too, but it didn’t work out as well as I would have hoped. it logistically just wasn’t really feasible)
- work clothes, non work clothes
- doesn’t matter if I have meetings that day or not. I work in my work clothes. (ironic because I used to hate uniforms)
the reality is that we’re already cyborgs. our phones, computers, and whatever other technology are extensions of ourselves. there’s only so much that can be separated, but I find that these things have brought me asymmetric returns in my life.