Working from Home and Phatic Communication
I believe this is the most difficult aspect of working remotely. I&#x27;ve been a remote developer for four years and I absolutely miss and crave phatic communication.<p>I spend a good portion of my time in coffee shops, but interestingly enough, coffee shops are mostly comprised of people focused on their work or studies or books or friends, and not conducive to friendly conversation. I find the same to be true in shared work spaces.<p>The tradeoff is that I spend a lot less time commuting and in meetings, and I feel far more relaxed in the mornings. My breaks during the day are real breaks, not just a few minutes away from my cubicle. I can easily read, clean the house, or watch something without worrying about how my break is being perceived.<p>I believe remote working has allowed me to be a better me and focus more on myself at the cost of feeling a lot more isolated and alone. I eat better, workout more consistently, and have more flexibility to support my wife and her career. But I rarely engage in random conversation -- I can go for hours, sometimes a whole day without talking to anyone -- and it&#x27;s really easy to get stuck in my routine. Being in an office forces you into situations you wouldn&#x27;t choose to be in, and I believe there can be value in that.<p>All that said, I&#x27;m not sure I&#x27;d go back to an office. I had some bad experiences with folks I really didn&#x27;t want to be around, and being pulled into daily meetings that had no value, and it really feels great to have more control over my day. There&#x27;s probably a healthy balance somewhere and I&#x27;d certainly consider a change if I found it.