WFH

Dual Monitors for the MacBook Pro

I’ve recently started using a MacBook Pro for work after years of working with Windows systems. Really, it’s not been that difficult of an adjustment; the most noticeable working adjustment has been shifting from using the CTRL key (Windows) to a COMMAND key (Mac). Copying and pasting code from StackOverflow was quite the adjustment.

However, from a hardware perspective, the biggest struggle was just getting dual monitors running. My MacBook is an older model (2019) with 4 USB-C connectors (2 on each side). Finding a USB-C dock with dual HDMI outputs was easy, but I was shocked when I connected both of my monitors up, and had no option to extend to both monitors. In other words, both monitors showed the same information. If I left the laptop screen up, I could extend the desktop to the monitors, but the external monitors mirrored each other, even if the laptop showed a different screen. This is not the default behavior for Windows laptop docks; every monitor has the option to be handled separately.

After much digging and reading, I discovered the one option that worked for me; plugging a separate USB-C video connector into the ports on the other side of the MacBook. I have a USB-C dock on one side of my MacBook with an HDMI connector; to be on the safe side, I went with a USB-C to DisplayPort on the other side. Works like a charm, but it was pretty frustrating to figure that out. Blogging this to make it simpler for someone else.

2022-03-15 by Blogging is FUN! 0

#WFH – Commute Time

Somewhere over the last year, I’ve let go of a good practice for working from home: commute time. We all need time to make the adjustment from life outside of work to work made and back. I used to take 30 minutes before work started to read a book, do some chores, exercise… anything BUT work. Likewise, at the end of the day, I’d try to wrap up work before my family got home.

I stopped doing that and have realized how long my workdays have become.

This morning, I started up again. This blog is part of my commute time. I’m also prepping my electric smoker for its first use.

What’s your commute time activities?

2021-12-13 by Blogging is FUN! 0

Adventures in #CoWorking

So, my experiment in coworking has been fun, and I think I’m going to continue it. The biggest benefit has been the fact that when I’m done in the afternoons, I pack up my laptop and go home. Most nights, I don’t even unpack my bag; my day ends at a reasonable hour, and I’m more involved with family when I need to be.

As I posted previously, I had originally started working out of a place in Suwanee, Georgia (about 20 minutes from house; 30-45 with traffic). CEO Centers Flex space is a nice facility, and the day-to-day staff is fine. There’s very few amenities, and it’s a wide open space. The problem is that I take a lot of calls…. and I mean, a LOT of calls. Wide open spaces are apparently not conducive to lots of phone calls, so about two months in to my stay, I came in to the office to find the following note (prominently placed in front of my seat… and only my seat).

Whoops. Time to find a new home.

PARADIGM WORKHUB

I started looking, and luckily, a new workspace had opened up that was actually closer to home and was 10 bucks cheaper a month. It also had corners, and a door that I could close. Because it’s newly open, not a lot of people are there yet. Score.

2019-12-17 by Blogging is FUN! 0

Moving from #WFH to #CoWorking

I’ve been a remote worker for the last 15 years of my career, and I’ve often bragged about how efficient it was to work from home. I could do all sorts of household chores, as well as manage my business needs. Didn’t need to spend three hours commuting round trip each day, and was always available as needed. It’s a great time to work remote, and my company has a good culture for us.

Unfortunately, working from home also led to two major issues for me: distractions during the day, and the never ending day. Distractions were subtle; sometimes it was easier to just zone out rather than dealing with the mountain of paperwork and conference calls awaiting me. The never ending day often resulted from those distractions; because my work is at my house, it was easy just to put off family time and just keep working.

My new office space https://ceocentersflex.com/coworking-space/

I’m trying something radical; I’ve started coworking. I didn’t want to drive three hours to the corporate office, so I’ve found a space that was 20 minutes from my house. I rent a table, have faster internet, and I pack in and out each day. It gives me the opportunity to be around people (so I feel guilty hauling a TV screen in) as well as a definitive end to my day.

It’s been an interesting experiment so far; listening to other people’s conference calls and meetings has been the biggest change\challenge, but in general, I’m getting used to it. I’ll talk more about my gear in a future post, but for the most part, I’ve minimized my work footprint.

2019-09-30 by Blogging is FUN! 0