Work from home, son shoots you with nerf gun, work from office, brogrammer shoots you with nerf gun....

I've been in this exact situation. Fortunately I found another place to work in the same building that contained our office and I was super productive. I feel like the "no fun employee" but when you get shot 20 times a day from all the nerf Wars that break out I don't understand how anyone gets shit done. Ultimately they probably just don't (at least if it is as frequent as I ran into).

I really wish that I could kick out the office dogs, shut down the office music, and enforce library rules.

I am definitely the "no fun employee".

Wait, those seriously happen? I thought examples of that were just satire. I guess there are some upsides to working in finance. That would never happen there lol.

It used to happen in my office, but it was usually a friday evening thing, or in one of those awkward gaps after meetings, but before lunch, and everyone was distracted anyway.

I mean my 20 was probably an exaggeration but I can remember days where 10+ battles erupted around me. If it's 1 or maybe 2 times I don't mind and might even join in but on the days when it becomes excessive? I can't get anything done! Very frustrating.

When I worked for a game development studio a couple guys brought nerf guns and shot people at work for awhile.

It got too distracting so management put the kibosh on it after about a month, though.

At least you can send your son in timeout.

I work from home, and we have 4 children (ages 3 to 12), and one on the way. My office is in my bedroom.

But back when I worked in a "real" office, I had the exact same situation you just described. It was just as noisy and loud as it is here at home.

In either place, I have to learn how to work with distractions in the background, and learn how to ignore them efficiently. So why not do that at home?

Here, I have an "open door" policy, so that I can help my wife out with any homeschool tasks that might be better suited for me.

It can be challenging sometimes, but it's extremely rewarding.

And I'm just as productive here (if not more productive) than I ever was at a "real" office.

But YMMV.

Five kids is very old fashioned and ... Roman. It's good to be not alone here in HN.

On the subject, eventually the house's temperature goes to the heights. But I'd never worked so much before and the parenting experience gives a great sense of achievement. It's like a family business with its own departments, and its own kind of clashes.

I don't understand the Roman part. But yeah I agree with everything else you said wholeheartedly.

Roman Catholic.

Oh hey you're Catholic too? I didn't know there were any actual legit Catholics on HN. Crazy!

I have no children running around my house, but I still lack the discipline to work from home effectively. That "separation of space" helps to keep me focused. That's just me personally, and I know plenty of people that are effective working form home, but I just procrastinate and distract myself. I am my own interruption.

Yes, open office environments with a culture of "interruptions are fine" doesn't help either. I guess what a need is a library that's also an office? I don't know.