Working from Home

So we went from “make your own yogurt! It’s easy!” to... you know. While I’ve had a couple of personal situations in recent years where it felt like my entire life had turned upside down in an instant, that was only me and my world. We are all affected by our new reality! In a way, it feels at least somewhat heartening that we’re all in it together, but I also empathize with how much harder this is on some people's situations than my own for the time being.

I know the joke of “I’m an introvert and I’ve been training for self isolation my entire life” is getting old at this point, so I won’t make it, even though I want to. But as someone who has been working from home in some capacity for the past three-ish years, I thought I would share a little bit of what I’ve learned about how to make it through an at-home workday, if you’re suddenly having to work from a laptop at your kitchen table and the transition is proving a bit rough for you. (Note that I’m omitting the usual advice that you can find everywhere else, like keeping in touch with your coworkers over instant messenger.)

Personally - I really like working from home. I'm an introvert so I find that I don't get drained as fast if I'm not in an office around people all day, and I love wearing sweats to work. Sometimes I do miss being part of a bigger team, but that's just the nature of the job I've chosen for the time being, not inherent to working from home.

My husband was wondering how he’d be able to just go from breakfast to work – he mentioned his commute as being his prep time for the day ahead. My suggestion was to “walk to work” – go outside, walk around the block, and call it your commute. Come home slightly more energized and in a different state of mind. (Regardless of when you do this, going outside is extremely important – it’s all too easy to get through an entire day without leaving the house when you work from home. I try to make sure I get out for a walk or bike ride every day.)

If you can afford it (you’re probably about to start saving a significant amount of money if you used to drive to work, go to a lot of movies or sporting events, etc.), invest in some ergonomic upgrades. You don’t know how long this is going to last! You don’t want to ruin your back sitting on a kitchen stool for eight hours if you don’t have to. Standing desks have gotten extremely cheap in recent years – well worth the $100 to be able to change your position whenever you feel like it. I have this one from PrimeCables (26”) and it’s awesome. If you can’t afford any upgrades, try and at least swap out the chair you sit on every couple hours, or take a mini-exercise break every hour or so.  

(Our home office setup - yes those are TWO standing workstations, it's a long story)

Speaking of which – your coworkers can no longer judge you for exercising in your cube (and you don’t have to wear dress pants)! I have talked a lot about how much I love the classes on YogaDownload; browse the free offerings or get a very affordable yearly subscription to unlock a ton of office-break classes. My favourite short classes are linked in this post, and the last three listed are free, short, and require no mat. They also have guided meditations if that is more your thing. The Calm app also recently posted some pandemic-focused free resources, including stretches.

Take quick chore-breaks. I know that combining work with chores sounds actually terrible, but I have found that when I am losing focus, going and doing something productive yet mindless like folding a load of laundry or unloading the dishwasher actually makes me feel a lot better! And then when the “work day” is over, you have more time to do nice things, like call your grandma or play with your kids.

Enjoy the fact that you can eat whatever and whenever you want! Have a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and bacon, noisily blend up a smoothie, put a frozen lasagna in the oven at 3:30 so it’s ready in time for early supper, or take a slightly longer lunch break and cook your favourite meal from scratch. OR! make some cookie dough, freeze it, and have a fresh baked cookie for your afternoon coffee break.

Most importantly, you can't expect to be “on” every second of your 8 hour work-from-home period. Employers are going to have to adjust to the fact that they cannot police your time anymore, and have to trust that you are getting your work done to the best of your abilities during a difficult time. I’m not advocating slacking off, but when you’re in the office, you very likely spend a nonzero portion of your day BSing with your co-workers and if it’s not excessive, no one blinks an eye. So if you get distracted for half an hour playing with your dog – don’t feel guilty about it. Your dog is your coworker now, and playing with him was probably a lot better for your overall productivity than listening to your boss describe their recent basement renos anyway. If you truly feel like you didn’t get in a full day’s work during normal working hours, finish reading that report after supper or on Saturday morning. It’s a new reality for everyone, and it’s a learning curve for your employer too.

(Even though I work from home my coworkers are STILL always getting into my stuff!)