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: 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.
- 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)