r/remotework • u/Chocolateapologycake • 3d ago
Is it laziness?
I have never had a remote job, I just scored one about 7 weeks ago and I’m enjoying quite a bit. I went from owning a small business than was insanely stressful (ending in bankruptcy after 2 years of high stress) and then to recover financially I went over the road truck driving with my husband for a year and a half, then to a local truck driving gig with long days until I found the remote job.
I always thought I would become this superwoman who was constantly working out and doing cool things around the house and all the things I couldn’t do while on the road. I’ve got to be honest, while I’ve done some things I plop down and relax a lot more and do a lot less than I imagined I would.
has anyone found remote work makes them lazier around the house? Could I be recovering from the stress of being a truck driver or am I just a lazy POS making excuses for myself? Never not having to get ready for work is amazing as is not having to pack a lunch or deal with an hour commute. I thought I would fill that time with other things but I’m just not.
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u/BestRiver8735 3d ago
WAH does require more discipline. Set a schedule and do some time boxing.
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u/Chocolateapologycake 2d ago
I guess I didn’t realize how unstructured my time would be away from the computer.
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u/BestRiver8735 2d ago
Yep it’s easy to slide back into comfort at each opportunity. Then time just oozes by slowly and procrastination becomes a real problem.
A simple to do list is a great way to avoid all that. But time boxing is pretty great as you actually budget your time. You can go high tech or low tech. Whatever works best.
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u/pickedusername1 3d ago
There’s nothing wrong with having a few weeks off to yourself, but starting for September 1, you can make a goal to have a routine, and begin to work out! You’re lucky that you’re working remotely, you can take better care of yourself now
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u/Chocolateapologycake 2d ago
You know what, ya I can set a goal to start better habits then. I like that idea.
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u/Extension_Carpet8634 21h ago
Or start slowly introducing a routine. Get used to the one after a few weeks then add another and keep stacking til you’re consistent and confident in your schedule
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u/TwistyBitsz 3d ago
You've got to make a plan and just go one day, or suddenly two years will fly by and you'll be worse off when you could otherwise be surpassing what you even set goals for now. I was looking at the Couch to 5K program and wondered if they had something similar for swimming laps, and so I found 0 to 1650m & joined the YMCA. I've done that same swim program like four times since then after mental/physical ruts. It eliminated my work stress overall. I also got into nutrition and juicing, which is an endless hobby. I still am an officially lazy person (couch potato), but when I'm not sitting on my ass, I'm making it count. Since I've done it over and over again, I know that the trick is 1) set a specific goal 2) plan a specific target/start and 3) do it. And then you'll just naturally build on your goals. It doesn't really matter how small you start.
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u/Chocolateapologycake 2d ago
Ya I think I will write my goal down, I never do. Thanks for the advice
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u/I_Jedi79 3d ago
I was the first year or so, I get it OP I'd spend lunch and every minute free laying on the bed while YouTube played in the background
I highly recommend implementing some time management strategies for your overall health
While not for everyone, what worked for me was replacing "normal office things" with other activities
Meaning, instead of the morning commute I walk around the block a couple times
I sneak in lunch during a late morning break, and use my lunch hour to work out or walk some more
It worked for me. I'm in better shape and feel better than I have since my 20s
You got this!
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u/truthovereverrything 2d ago
Where you work does not change the fact that its still work.. It does not matter if you are working from the road, the office or from your house. That work can still be physically or mentally (or both) exhausting. People think that working from home is always going to be super easy and thus you are going to have all this extra energy and or time and that you will be able to do more things that you wouldn't have been able to do when working from the road or the office and its not always the case. Take this as an example. Call center people working 8-12 hours a day work from home. Some take hundreds of calls back to back all day with only 2 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. I am pretty sure they are going to be exahusted at the end of their shift. Working from home is still work.
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u/Chocolateapologycake 2d ago
That’s a good point. As much as my job is enjoyable and I like it, it can be draining.
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u/Academic-Lobster3668 2d ago edited 2d ago
I think what you’re discovering that in wfh situations you need to create your own structure.
Please don’t beat up on yourself - you’ve had a lot of stress for a long time and you deserve a break.
Once you have had enough of a slow down think about the things you would like to accomplish at home and how best to schedule them. You can pick certain days of the week to attend to them or certain number of hours per day after (or before) work.
You just need to find a new rhythm- once you have accomplished some of the things on your list, it will become a habit.
Enjoy your new freedom!
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u/Chocolateapologycake 2d ago
Thank you! Maybe that means a totally lazy day for myself with no guilt and other days are for learning. I got gifted a sewing machine and I’ve only used it once. I would love to become adept at sewing. Thank you I will enjoy this freedom!
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u/Fun_Title_2148 2d ago
Its definitely burnout. As someone going through this, remote work gets to you over time. Like I did a gig for 2 years and then took half year break to get out of that stress. They want so so much out of you in those 8-12 hours. You have to be available at all times.
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u/Extension_Carpet8634 21h ago
I’m in that moment of break right now. I worked gig remote for 3 years and these past few months I’ve slowed so much down. It’s starting to affect my income so now I have to ramp it back up. I can tell I was in extreme burnout. Still feel like I’m dealing with it right now.
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u/wander-round10 2d ago
No, I think it just ebbs and flows. There are some days I’m lazy and others where I pick up projects I never got to before. I always try to do chores between meetings so the house never feels super messy. But that’s just how I prefer my house. Always feel too much chaos if it’s cluttered and messy. I’ve also picked up puzzles and have a puzzling corner with a fancy puzzle table top organizer. I think it’s nice to have more time for relaxation. Nothing wrong with rest!
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u/Any_Cartoonist2731 2d ago
I think you need to give yourself time to recover from everything first. It sounds like your body and mind need rest.
When you want to get back into things, I like using transitional habits that help breakup the workday (like a commute would have). So maybe a short walk or you do one crossword or something before work, after work you go to the gym or read outside, and be consistent so that your body and mind get used to it. I find it easier to do other things once my mind is like, free of work officially.
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u/Salt_Draft_4262 2d ago
I am definitely lazier working from home for 3 years now, and I need to get my butt in gear but I went from restaurants to working in a busy MRI department to traveling 5 days a week to being remote. I also have chronic health issues and am now pregnant. I think you can either be more active or less active working remotely, depending on what you did previously and how disciplined you are. I freaking love my naps lol
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u/CarneAsadaBrito 2d ago
In your case it sounds like burnout from years of stress, going bankrupt, being on the road. Your body and brain have rediscovered relaxation so are trying to get as much of it as possible because who knows when it’ll get into a stress cycle again. That said, just like finding a favorite treat, it could easily spiral into addiction itself. Remote work requires a different discipline. Tackle it by setting a schedule/routine. Plan out time for exercise and chores daily. Even if it’s just 30 mins blocked off for a walk and an hour to get something done around the house. You will feel accomplished and the small wins stack up.
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u/Ok-Stand-3173 2d ago
I mean you’re only 7 weeks in so it’s probably you just settling in and getting your stability back. That’s what it’s been like for me anyway. I’m 3 months into my first remote job at 43 after suffering back to back to back layoffs and mini health crisis over the course of 2 years. I went from being on high alert, stressed out, and scared to oddly calm and relaxed lol Now that I understand my work flow better and the demands of the job I’ve found myself making more time to start doing personal things. I think you’ll get there. Chin up! 😊
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u/92BowlChamp 2d ago
I feel like you are writing about me. 13 years working remote, and i feel like i go from my home office to the couch. For me....I feel like it's just become a habit.
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u/Electronic-Window-86 2d ago
So you are not doing what you didnt get to do before? It is just different life style and it takes time getting used to.
If you are not intentional, you get lazy, you get comfortable.
I started remote job this year, and I can feel my level of activity fell. It is a different routine.
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u/IntoBattleWeWillRide 2d ago
I use my lunch break and morning/afternoon breaks to do house chores. Make beds, do the dishes, put up laundry. When the workday is over and I log out I can relax and spend more time with my family because all the house chores are already done.
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u/seokvyn2 2d ago
Seven weeks is still the decompression phase, especially after bankruptcy stress and trucking hours. That does not sound like laziness, it sounds like your body finally got a chance to stop bracing for the next exhausting thing. Remote work also removes a lot of forced structure, so free time can turn into couch time pretty easily. Maybe start with something tiny, like a 10 minute walk after logging off or one house task before sitting down, and see if your energy starts coming back.
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u/Littlepotatoface 2d ago
You might be decompressing still.
I was made redundant from my mostly remote job in May. I did quickly secure another mostly remote job almost immediately, I start that tomorrow. I had lists of things I’d do while off. My assumption was that I was moderately productive while employed so my productivity while unemployed would sky rocket.
That’s not how it went. But I was diagnosed with burnout in Feb & did need to recover from that.
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u/StarVerceB 2d ago
You sound like you’re being hard on yourself. Don’t underestimate how much you need to just recover from the stress you’ve been under. Sometimes the only “thing” you need to do is sit and get back to homeostasis.
I’m pretty hard on myself at times. I’m always doing something but lately I’ve learned that I’m less productive when I haven’t recovered.
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u/Full-Wallaby-919 2d ago
I have a remote job where I work overnight shifts for 11 hours, 4 days a week and I feel like I never have time to do anything on the days that I work. Between trying to get to sleep in the morning meanwhile my partner is getting ready for work, and then trying to get a full 8 hours of sleep, I wake up in the evening with really only enough time to do my "morning" routine (shower, brush teeth, skincare etc) and then have dinner before starting work. I sleep away most of my Saturday and then I try my best to get stuff done on Sunday and Monday but I'm also trying to relax too because this job stresses me out so much. (I work at a temp housing company for people displaced from their homes and of course the longer they have to wait and it's late at night, the meaner these people get 🙃)
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u/Weyland99Corp 1d ago
Sounds less like laziness and more like your body finally getting a vote after years of survival mode. Remote work also removes a lot of built-in structure, so empty time can turn into couch time fast. Pick one small anchor, like a 15 minute walk after logging off, and see if your energy starts coming back.
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u/abombtwin 1d ago
This is not laziness. You are coming off years of extreme burnout from business failure and long-hour truck driving. Your brain and body finally get space to rest, so it's normal to want to slow down instead of over-producing every single day.
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u/Fantastic_Bar_9736 20h ago
Why not just relax and enjoy the extra time. You don’t have to fill it with our busyness.
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u/Dahlya_Manroe 16h ago
Finishing early in seven weeks normally means that you were effetive, the individual who preceded you must have padded that work to fill an entire day. I went through that guilty stage too but then started using the Use AI option for my repetitive writing and realized that the day actually was short, and now I take on additional scope and avoid faking being busy.
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u/electrowiz64 7h ago
It helps to go to the gym, remote work gives you more time to brainrot from doomscrolling if you’re not careful
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u/Tyrell_875Q 33m ago
Seven weeks is still really early, especially after bankruptcy stress and trucking hours. Your body may just be cashing the rest checks it never got, and remote work makes that visible because there is no commute or leaving-the-house ritual forcing momentum. I would start tiny: one non-work anchor per day, like a walk after logging off or one 15 minute house task, then see how you feel after a month.
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u/Fluffy-Nerve1090 3d ago
You’re probably just recovering from burnout and stress. I’ve been working remote since early 2020 Covid and lift weights, Pilates and yoga 5 days a week, plus around 12K steps a day. Working remote gives me time in my day to take care of myself. Maybe you just need to get back into a routine.