You're All Alone and You Always Will Be.

Tips for working from home. Alone. Forever.

Photo by Zeke Ruelas

I don’t consider myself an expert at many things, but one thing I do know how to do is work from home. I’ve been working from home, on and off, pretty much for my entire career. Sure, I’ve had office jobs from time to time. And I’ve worked in entertainment - in front of and behind the cameras - for years. But mostly, my work is solitary.

I have mixed feelings about this. I really miss how it feels to work on a set, with a bunch of nerds whose collective goal is to make something fun and entertaining. The sad thing about working on a show or a movie is when it ends. You’ve built all these really intimate relationships with the crew, from art department weirdos to the guy who runs craft services. And then at the end you realize you’ll probably never see them again.

I’ve had a few office jobs, too. When I first moved to LA, I landed a job at a stationery company doing graphic design. At that office, I sat next to my boss with his little miniature poodle sitting behind my back (he liked to snuggle there). My friend Allison worked downstairs and we’d gossip from time to time when I went downstairs to get supplies. My boss, who was probably the age I am now, would tell me tales of old LA (he grew up here). Hearing about being a gay man in LA in the early nineties was fascinating.

When I worked for a New York based startup, I’d go work from the office four times a year. I loved a lot of the elements of office work - mostly figuring out what to get for lunch and talking to people in the office. Working remotely, I was worried I wasn’t as productive as the in-office staff because I was too distracted by laundry and dishes. But spending time in the office always soothed those fears - I found out the staff spent most of the day making coffee and talking about their feelings which helped me realize I was actually way more productive at home.

Unfortunately, most of the things I really like doing require me to be solitary. Designing spaces, writing, making art, shooting and editing videos for Instagram - all those things require being alone most of the time. It’s lonely, and I hate it, but every job has its downsides.

The upside of working from home is that I’ve learned some hacks over the years. And I’m here today to share them with you. Here we go!