The Projector #33: A Short Guide to Never Leaving the House (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

I used to wake up every day, get dressed, get on a train, go to an office, then take the train home again. This was my routine for years, one that changed only when I started driving to work after we started The Dissolve. (We were located in an, um, unique office, which should probably be the subject of some other newsletter.) I talked to people, asked how their day was going, and sometimes even enjoyed meals with my coworkers. That’s changed in recent years for each host of this podcast, all of whom have started to live the work from home lifestyle.

And love it? Not always. Working at home has its advantages and disadvantages, as many are about to find out. As the coronavirus Covid-19 starts to spread, more and more people are going to find themselves working from home and it definitely requires an adjustment. And some of the best advice I have for WFH noobs won’t really apply to this situation if the spread worsens. When I start to feel shut in I go to a coffee shop and work there for a while, but even that might be closed off during this crisis. Just yesterday, a barista told me I would have to take my coffee in a paper cup as coronavirus was preventing them from using mugs.

Anyway, some tips:

Let the music play: If you can work with music on, do. It’s easy to feel lonely when you’re, well, alone. Music helps fill the silence. And without officemates to complain when you’re playing it too loud, you can really crank it. Plus, this situation might give you more time and space to explore some music you haven’t tried before. Ever curious about free jazz? No one’s going to complain if you start blaring Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come.

Get up every once in a while: Stretching your legs is essential. Get up from your desk. Walk from one end of the house to another. You’ll feel better.

Snack wisely and sparingly: Take it from someone who knows from experience, it’s both a blessing and a curse to be within easy reach of cheese and crackers at all times. You can also find yourself drinking way too much caffeine. Remember, you still need to sleep at night.

Use your breaks wisely: Why not do dinner prep or even cook a meal that can be reheated during your lunch break? That way you won’t have to do it later. In fact, you can squeeze in a lot of household tasks during dead stretches. Doing laundry is one way to get in a few extra steps.

Don’t get a dog: They’re huge pains in the ass that never stop barking at delivery people and other passersby. (Okay, I’m mostly kidding. I wouldn’t trade my dog for anything. Probably.)

Do some socializing on Slack and social media: It’s kind of like talking to people, but with typing.

But don’t overdo it: It’s easy to get sucked into social media nonsense that everyone will have forgotten about by tomorrow when you should be working.

Carve out a dedicated work space: This isn’t possible for everyone, but if you can have a room just for work, do that. Failing that, try to have an area just for work and avoid letting work bleed too much into other parts of your home.

Quit at quitting time: It’s good to have boundaries and working from home has a way of blurring the line between on-the-clock and off-the-clock time. As best you can, don’t let this happen.

That’s it. I’m out of advice. If you’ve got more to contribute, please leave it in the comments.

Another thing you can do: Listen to our latest episode on Gaslight (by coincidence, a movie about someone who almost never leaves the house for different reasons). It’s a precursor to Leigh Whannell’s excellent The Invisible Man, which we’ll talk about next week.

You could also read some pieces. Like these:

• Is the coronavirus going to hurt the movie industry? Inevitably, Chris Lee argues at Vulture. 

• At Fangoria, Keith Phipps revisited the great 2016 Korean horror film The Wailing, as mentioned on a recent edition of Your Next Picture Show.

• For Crooked Marquee, Zach Vasquez considered The Burnt Orange Heresy and the nasty, successful history of Charles Willeford adaptations.

• How do big screen high school sports teams stack up against each other? Noel Murray considers the question for Mel.

• For The Ringer, Scott Tobias considered the career of The Way Back director Gavin O’Connor, a sports movie auteur par excellence.

• Want some pandemic entertainment? Vulture’s Jordan Crucchiola has some suggestions.

• Also at Vulture, Barry Sonnenfeld shared some colorful stories about working with Penny Marshall on Big, excerpted from his new memoir.