It's things like this that make me happy to be 'my own boss' somewhat. I mean, I can be a taskmaster, surely but I almost never reprimand myself if I take an 'online' break. Actually to be honest, during my 'studio working time' (self-inflicted) I do set a timer for breaks...otherwise well...
When I used to work 'outside the home' every so often I always chose the dumb mindless job of barista. There was always interesting people to meet both as fellow employees as well as customers. It seemed often to be the purgatory of the 'creatives' or the 'in between doctoral phd on Victorian poetry' you know the type...we lazy 'creatives' haha.
I only worked in an office once, when I was young. IT was a small business that shipped lobster dinners all over the country (Very Seaside New England job haha) and I hated it...between timed coffee breaks and watercooler banter, it was hell for an introvert.
Funny, that, I'd play a convincing extrovert behind a coffee counter, slinging joe and steaming expensive lattes, but in an office...ugh.
I do wonder how long the 'work from home' will last for the office worker. The coming future is Dire for Office real estate. It will plummet and thus that realm of jobs will have to re-evaluate itself. I worry about a lot of that work force...and AI is not going to be the office workers friends. In the 80's the robot took the manual labor jobs of factory workers, now look out office work...and of course they're coming for the artists and writers too.-
It is, indeed, a Brave New World...thank heavens we have human humour...for now. I just thought of the South Park episode with the Humor robot haha...we're none of us safe I guess.
A timer for the breaks is probably quite a good thing as I can imagine wandering away and getting caught up in a million things and 'forgettting' to come back!
I think you are right that a lot of creative folk end up doing the old barista thing. In the old days it used to be working behind a bar but I think defo more are doing coffee shop work. I can imagine it being more fun that being chained to a desk.
I think it will last for a while but it is killing the inner cities as they have lost masses of foot fall and loads of companies are ditching their office space. I am hoping to do no more than 50% in the office as I quite like sitting in my underwear Hive'ing whilst working :OD
I don't blame you, I enjoy that too, tho minus the underware...no wait that didn't come out right, let's say many more layers on top of that haha...New England Winters are more about heavy dressing gowns and wooly slippers for lounging haha. Tho, honestly, I have to be 'dressed for the day' as I learned a long time ago as a 'work at home' if I confuse 'work' part of day with 'lounge' it gets blurred and stuff doesn't get done, ah well.
Good luck with that 50percent at home!
Cities are in for a big Redo , one I don't entirely approve of, but the future comes at us whether we like it or not I suppose.
I do agree with the old dressing for work. At least in something that is different from normal lounge about wear or pyjamas!! Otherwise everything fries get too blurred and you just pay about in your pants doing nothing all day!!