Last week, my first week back at work after vacation, was dull and slow. Half the team was still on vacation, and one of the two other developers was off sick, so I felt alone and isolated. I had to make a real effort to keep myself focused on work.

This week has been better. The team is back, we’re working together, talking to each other again.

And having meetings.

Remote meetings work very well when they’re small and tightly focused. But when we are six people in a meeting then inevitably some parts are more relevant to a part of the group and less so for others. In a face-to-face meeting, when others are talking about something that I am only peripherally involved in, I don’t lose focus much: I feel like I’m a part of the discussion just by being in the same room and looking at whoever is talking. But in a remote meeting, especially if I’m looking at a screen share rather than whoever is talking, my focus starts slipping and before long I am quite distracted, looking at code or browsing reddit or reading the news.

Giving myself something to do when I am passively listening helps a lot. A small distraction keeps worse distraction away. Crocheting works, and colouring. I keep my colouring books and pencils close at hand, in my desk drawer.