Some companies simply don't care about the environmental benefits of remote work; they want their employees located together in brick and mortar offices. Also, and while I agree that remote work seems the more environmentally friendly of the two options, I am unaware of any study that has compared the carbon footprint of telecommuting with that of the traditional commute. Does anyone know of such a study?
In no particular order: ADHD, anxiety, a poor night's sleep, lack of interest in the topic, disdain for co-workers, TBI or concussion, low-grade fever, a hangover, tight pants, too cold, too hot, overtasked, caring for a sick or elderly family member, caring for a sick child, the list goes on and on.
I was cautiously optimistic that he might approach the spread of disinformation through social media as an engineering problem until I read his leaked text messages.
See a therapist if you have not done so already. A therapist can help you develop healthy coping strategies, work through the significant trauma you have experienced over the last year, and possibly refer you to a psychiatrist for drug treatment if deemed therapeutically necessary.
Get the PhD. You KNOW you can get it now. You may not be able to say the same thing in 5-7 years. Private industry will NOT penalize you for having additional education, and academia does NOT hold a monopoly on boredom. In fact, plenty of people are just earning a paycheck and can't remember the last time they felt satisfied professionally. In my experience, private industry gives PhD.s a lot of latitude to figure out what THEY want to do for the company. Does that sound interesting to you? Also, you mention that you are studying in a foreign country and are very unhappy there; do you mean the country, the university, or both? I ask because every country has an intellectual tradition that reflects its values and culture. Is it possible you would be happy in academia or private industry if you returned home?
If I understand your question correctly, then you are looking for ways to hold yourself accountable when doing work for which you are the main stakeholder. Does this mean a side project outside of what you do for a living or does this mean when working solo at your job? If it's the former, then you have at least two options: see the work through or quit and find something that excites you enough to follow the task through to fruition. If it's something that that you are working on solo for your paying job, then perhaps consider keeping to a schedule, asking colleagues that you respect to review your work, and to taking some time at the end of the day to identify why working by yourself produces the observed results. Does some rational (or irrational) belief lead to a dip in quality and goals?
Sorry I didn't spell out everything for you. You should also feel free to do some investigating of your own, for example, call the number that appears on your caller ID. Depending upon who answers the call you may or may not choose to proceed with punishing the spammer. BTW feel free to propose a better idea if you actually have one...
Make note of the telephone number and add it to the Project Mayhem page. This effort uses code sent from VOIP phones to flood these numbers: https://www.patreon.com/ProjectMayhem