Tips and tricks for working remotely

[kate.merriman]

Hello Autodesk community!  Do you have tips and tricks about how to survive and thrive while working remotely?  Share them here to help those who may be struggling with working from home for the first time or for much longer periods than normal (now that companies are helping slow the spread of COVID-19 by requesting or requiring employees to work from home).

What keeps you motivated, connected and feeling well?

What technologies are you using to stay productive?

Share your thoughts, both silly and serious and let's get each other through it!

[Mistress0fTheDorkness]

Blew off some steam this weekend doing arts and crafts. After doing some nerdy pics, my son Declan suggested doing something 'cooler' and I'm like, okay, what, and he says 'the autocad logo'. 🤣 I think I'm doing something right. 

https://twitter.com/MistresDorkness/status/1241887047243239425?s=20

[kmfuhrman]

I have been working from home for three years, on my own as a consultant for the last two. I definitely use time-blocking and set my own deadlines. I schedule my breaks and make sure I go outside at least over lunch and to take the doggo out in the afternoon. I was just talking to someone the other day, and they said, "I actually work longer hours when I'm at home." Don't do that! Keep to your usual schedule, and keep your family time, too.

As an aside, my husband and daughter are now working from home, and my youngest is out of school...I am thankful my "office" is in a different part of the house than the rest of them. However, I can hear my husband on a conference call (on speaker phone as I write this!) Oh, invest in a decent headset!!

[MarkGunnAutodesk]

Check this wonderful set of projects, they range from simple art projects to much more elaborate projects. Pretty much every age group has something... including your inner kid! I've found it really fun.

https://www.instructables.com/teachers/

[leowarren34]

@Mistress0fTheDorkness You've raised him well. He has very good taste 🙂 AutoCAD brickman Approves!

[shaan.hurley]

A good resource for working remote from a real friend who works at Facebook.

https://peoplepractices.fb.com/remote-work-resources/

[morrisangelo]

Yep...4 kids, 2 dogs, useless texts, and useless phone calls are all big distractions and patience testers!

I shut my home office door (with my dumbphone back in my bedroom) with planned breaks to put out mostly silly family fires...

[Discussion_Admin]

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@morrisangelo wrote:

Yep...4 kids, 2 dogs, useless texts, and useless phone calls are all big distractions and patience testers!

I shut my home office door (with my dumbphone back in my bedroom) with planned breaks to put out mostly silly family fires...

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fully agree!!! After a decade an a half of working from home isolating the kids and animals from your work space works best. don't forget to walk a little during those breaks its helps the body.

DA

[JoanieLemercier]

Very useful indeed, thank you so much !

[andrewdroth]

Well it's been nearly 9 months since the pandemic has forced users to work from home and I think Autodesk's response has been... underwhelming.

If I follow the links here, it's mostly just pointing to help articles that existed before any of this started.

https://www.autodesk.ca/en/covid-19/resource-center

Has there been any meaningful changes to the software/tools that makes working remotely easier?

[Anonymous]

as far as what?

[andrewdroth]

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@Anonymous wrote:

as far as what?

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Anything I suppose. I only use a few of their software packages, so I'm wondering if anyone has seen anything to aid them in the Autodesk software they use.

I know for myself I use Inventor and Vault basic to make and manage my files. The Covid-19 documentation basically says use a VPN and figure it out yourself. I was half expecting some tools or utilities to make this easier, but I know that's not realistic.

[AllenJessup]

I didn't have any problem working from home that was Autodesk related. Basically install software - use software. My computer was a bit underpowered. But it worked.

As far as accessing and sharing files. That's more of an internal thing. We were told to use OneDrive. I can't say that was a great success. But not an Autodesk problem.

[scott-sheppard-autodesk]

As far as AEC-O processes go, there have been many BIM 360 integrations that allow project members to work virtually without having to meet face to face:

https://integrations.bim360.autodesk.com/ 

If these types of changes do not help you work remotely, what do you suggest?

[andrewdroth]

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@scott-sheppard-autodesk wrote:

If these types of changes do not help you work remotely, what do you suggest?

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As I mentioned in March, a way to use vault remotely that doesn't require a 3rd party solution.

I filled out the feedback form , I've made posts (1)(2)(3) outlining my issues. Autodesk employees acknowledged the deficiencies in integration. 

So I guess, just those things.

[Anonymous]

looks to me both threads have nothing to do with working remote

it seems to be a configuration/training problem

[andrewdroth]

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@Anonymous wrote:

looks to me both threads have nothing to do with working remote

it seems to be a configuration/training problem

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You're right in a way. It's not so much 'Working remotely', as it is getting things done remotely. "Work" isn't necessarily indicative of production.

The main problem is, you have your office computer set-up the way you like it (templates, customization, presets, libraries, design data, etc.). Then you go to your home computer, and there is no seamless way to sync those environments. If I make a change to design data files at home it is a nightmare to push that to the office.

Right now the easiest option is to operate on one PC only via remote control. But that's not the same as the 'best' option.

So yeah, I'm 'working' remotely, just not on the right stuff. What do you suggest for training?

[pendean]

That's still not an Autodesk problem to solve: what kind of IT support do you have back at the office?

It appears from your posts you all have no idea how to remote work and still access your office content, that's really an IT failing (or just not thinking you need to hire good IT talent perhaps?).
1) Why are you not remoting into your office PC from your home computer to work on it that way?
Or...

2) why are you not taking your office computer home and having VPN access to your server back at the office to work from?
Or...

3)why are you all not organized enough to do THIS after you move your office needed content from the Office PC to your Home PC to use?

Those three are a few of the ways many remote workers (and out of office sales/marketing folks) across the planet who use all kinds of software remote-work from outside the office. That ability has been an IT ability for a few decades now.

HTH

[j_vandesteeg]

I use option 1.

The only issue i have is that when working remotly, you can't use your 3D mouse from home.

All other things are working perfect!

Jasper 

[andrewdroth]

I got a bit off track here. 

I can remote in, but that's not great. Right?

I do work from a PC at home, but there is also a office PC and a laptop  I'd like to be able to work from seamlessly.

It's my problem to make this work for me, and I get that. I would just like to see Vault and Inventor work better together in order to replicate work environments. Again, that's MY concern.

My original comment was about Autodesk's response in general. Has anyone seen any changes based on the feedback requested at the beginning of the pandemic? 

I'd settle for a white paper or video tutorial that addresses the feedback I submitted, but I'm not holding my breath.

When I look at this all I see is icing, no cake.

[ihayesjr]

@andrewdroth 

Have you reviewed the following?

Vault YouTube Playlist

Ways to Make Remote Work Easier 

I also recommend that you participate in the Inventor and Vault Feedback communities to see what may be coming in the future that can help users work remotely with both products.