[sethev]

The specifics are often not useful but one thing you'll notice is that people who made it work have some kind of a schedule that they stick to. 'Flexible schedule' can be misinterpreted as 'changing all the time'. When I see people trying that, they usually end up moving on.

'Stick to some schedule' is pretty portable advice. It sounds like you and your father both did that.

[greyskull]

Mirroring your comment, I have found both through personal experience and through anecdotes of others that forcing yourself into routines has benefits in all kinds of situations. Make your bed every morning, do your full hygiene routine, change out of your sleeping clothes, and so on. Helps with depression and monotony among others. I'm not surprised to see it valid here, it's universal.

[friendlybus]

I have found the opposite. Having come from managing front line retail and routine office jobs, I know that routines and schedules become a mindless stifling prison. It's remarkably oppressive to mark out every cent of your life, every action you can take for the next year of your life onto an excel spreadsheet, knowing it's your responsibility to adhere to an endless grind and make sure everyone under you adheres to the same grind.

The option to pursue an exciting and highly rewarding goal for a few days without having to think about what the Joneses think about the particularities of my dressing habits or adherence to a schedule can be a great gain.

[e12e]

How does forcing yourself into routines help with monotony?

[vladvasiliu]

I would say it depends on the routine, but if it's something you can do every day, it breaks up the day in several pieces, and you get to do different things per any given day instead of just one activity.

In my case, when I was in college, there would be days on end where I wouldn't leave my dorm. I'd hang around in pjs doing pretty much the same thing all day long: get in front of the computer, do whatever, eat in front of the computer, continue doing whatever, get the laptop in bed, fall asleep. Repeat the next day. After a while I really had the impression of "doing nothing" or of "always doing the same thing".

Nowadays, when I work from home, I get up, make the bed, put my workout clothes on, do my workout routine, take a shower, eat a protein shake, get dressed "for work" (ie put on a clean tshirt so as to be presentable on a video call), get in front of the computer, start up Teams and get to work. I try to take a break every hour or so to move around a bit (do some push-ups / pull-ups), drink a glass of water, look out the window, then get back to work. Around 6 PM, when the office hours are done, I finish up whatever I'm doing then quit Teams, quit the mail program, and I'm done for the day.

Now YMMV, but I find that the days when I go straight to work and just do the work part, sometimes still in my pjs as in college, I really get the feeling that I've accomplished less. I find that for me, breaking up the day with some activities helps to not perceive it as being monotonous, just doing one thing all day long. At least for me it's important for whatever breaks I take to not just be in front of the computer, like browsing hn or whatever. That's why I like moving around a bit and looking out the window.

This is something that I'm not as likely to do in the office. There are more distractions, even though I'm not in a proper open space, so it takes me more time to "get in the zone" and I'm also less inclined to break it whenever I'm in it cause I never now when I'll be able to get back. Also, I enjoy calm during my breaks, so people on the phone or talking to each other and other random noises are more likely than not to stop me from walking around outside the office.

[0xEFF]

For me, they create space and bank emotional energy to better enjoy the non-routine things in life.

[mirimir]

YMMV, but my diurnal cycle is >>24hr when I'm working hard. And I take frequent short naps.

[ghaff]

In my case, it doesn't need to be a rigid schedule. I might get up at 6. I might get up at 9. I may do a little work in the evening. I may not. I may run some errands scheduled around whatever meetings I have. But, for the most part, I do something that approximates a typical work day.