Working From Home with Linux During COVID-19

The COVID-19 situation here in the United States has resulted in several non-remote employees suddenly finding themselves working from home. Naturally there’s a ton of posts about this around the web but I realized that there’s almost nothing for a desktop Linux user like myself.

In 2020 just about everything is web based; Workflows are synonymous. Much of this post is about creating hard lines between personal time and work time using the Linux hardware I already have, nothing more.

Use a separate user account for work

It’s imperative to create hard lines between work, and our other files. To accomplish this on a single desktop I decided to install the latest version of Lubuntu. Its a lightweight desktop offering a calm traditional workflow that doesn’t get in the way.

To begin I restored my primary system’s Peppermint 10 files from yesterday’s Déjà Dup backup. This allowed me to gain access to my files, browser history, and accounts saving a hours of setup. Additionally I set my system to backup daily to a separate drive folder onward. This will insure I keep work separate from life.

Next, I removed all my personal files… Videos, photos, games, and anything else that could become a distraction. However, I did retain my music library because I’m at home and that means loud music.

Lastly, I installed all the software a WordPress developer should need. GIMP, Inkscape, fonts, git, LAMP and a few separate WordPress installations for testing new code.

There’s web based access via Firefox to my employer’s Microsoft suite and various cloud services.

Miscellaneous Workflows

• A web based Pomodoro timer to remind me to get up and take a short break every 25 minutes
• My trusty Bullet Journal to rapid log to do items, thoughts, ideas and the day’s progress.
• A beverage, usually black coffee or water.

That’s it, nothing complicated or over thought. If you take anything from this post just create a separate user account on your favorite Linux distribution and only include your work files within it. Keep everything else a reboot away. Fewer distractions will keep you focused on the task at hand.

When the clock strikes 5 p.m. I log back into Peppermint with my work files put safely away until tomorrow.