An important variable, the titles of the posts set the stage. That post's title was "Windows 10 _spies_ on your use of System Settings" whereas this one is "My Mac _contacted_ 63 different Apple owned domains in an hour, while not is use." It would be interesting to, in a month or so when everyone has forgotten this conversation, repost this with a more critical title and see if that reshapes the comments or influences their tone.
Apple gets a lot of benefit of doubt here and in the tech press, some of it having been earned. When other vendors' OSs phone home dozens of time, it's nefarious. When Apple phones home dozens of times, it's for innocent "core functionality" or other reasons that sound acceptable.
I've been working from home exclusively for over 12 years. My general recommendation to people is to experiment and iterate! Find out what works for you. This list may be great for you (for me, the vast majority is spot-on), or some of it may not fit your style.
Spend a month doing something different. Rent a coworking space for a month if that's an option for you. While I largely agree with having a dedicated space (again, if that's an option for you), I also like to move around. Changing your environment can help you get unblocked. Sometimes I'll work out of my kitchen for a day. In the summer, I'll go to a local lake and work under a tree or from a beach.
Adding to the ideas of scheduling your meals and taking long lunches, take full advantage of being home for lunch and do yourself the favor of having good/healthy food options available. If I have food to make a salad in my fridge, I'll have a salad for lunch. If I'm out of healthy options, I end up eating garbage, like a bowl of sugary cereal. I try to make sure on Sunday that my fridge is stocked for the week, and as time permits, I'll grill a few chicken breasts for salads, omelettes, tacos, sandwiches, etc.
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