As I write this (on Friday 20th), I have officially been working from home for one entire week. We do not know when we will be returning to the office which is a very weird feeling. But as so many of us are in the same boat (yet we are all in different circumstances – some of us are already freelancing, others self-isolating as opposed to being sent to work from home by an employer), I wanted to share my take on how it has been for me.
I understand at the time of posting we are now actually all on official lockdown. But I wanted to share my experiences of that first week anyway.
THURSDAY, 12TH MARCH
There has been an unsettling feeling in our office over the last few days. By today, we’ve all agreed that we’re finding it incredibly hard to concentrate. Other businesses in our building have chosen to work from home. Although my boss has brought in bacterial wipes, our chairman has popped in for a meeting and expressed his worry about the lack of preparation the building landlords are doing for what is going on. We have hand soap in the bathroom which is good, but bizarrely, we have a hot tap that actually runs so hot that it burns you after just three seconds of running or an ice-cold tap at the other end of the spectrum! So it’s hard to wash our hands continually for a full 20 seconds.
We are only a small office but some of the staff are vulnerable. I have a colleague who is due to give birth within the next couple of months for example. Yesterday, we spoke to our IT guy about how easy it would be to work from home. It would be a challenge due to the nature of our work, but it’s doable as long as we all have laptops/computers, phones and a working internet connection. At lunch, our boss sends us home and says we’ll catch up on Monday with a proper decision. She is worried as much as we are.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
Rather fittingly, Friday the 13th is my first full day of working from home! Obviously it has not sunk in yet. I spend the majority of the day working on our social media. As of course, we still don’t know if we’ll be back in the office by Monday or not. I’m quite lucky that we can work from home. I work for an organisation and we have a print publication, regular board meetings and we run events throughout the year too. Plus a fancy annual awards ceremony. Luckily my role is predominately focused on online marketing and social media. But I also have to help put together the magazine and sell AD space – and tickets for the events. This is where things are going to get tricky because we’re now moving our event back until later in the year. So not everyone can make the new dates.
With what’s going on, people are also, understandably, wary to part with their money. They’ve got bigger things on their mind than whether to book advertisements in a magazine. Or attend an event months and months away – especially as we don’t even know for sure if we’ll be safe to run the event then anyway! We’re also at the point where many of our clients are beginning to work from home too. So I concentrate on social media today and reach out to my clients to let them know of the date change and that I am now working from home – but fully contactable. It’s all we can do.
MONDAY, 16TH MARCH
It’s official – we’re working from home for the foreseeable future. We begin the day with the attempt of a team conference call, but it’s a disaster. We can barely hear each other and we’re still none the wiser about what we should be prioritising in our roles yet. Personally, although I have work to do, it still feels like a little break from work and like an excuse to slack off. I don’t slack off of course, but my workload has dropped drastically whilst we’re in this unsure phase. Whereas in reality, we should be working harder than ever.
I spoke to my dad and my sister today. My sister works in the travel industry so her hours are being cut down which is worrying. My dad is fine and I make plans to go and see him – and my nan – this weekend. It does make me a little worried – I’m young and healthy so health-wise, this virus isn’t going to affect me. But I am worried about my dad who turns 60 this year and obviously my nan and older relatives. I know they’ll be taking the precautions they need to though – but it doesn’t stop that worrying niggle at the back of my mind.
TUESDAY, 17TH MARCH
A little normality begins to sink in. We’ve got a WhatsApp group going, I’m settling into more of a routine and we begin to get wind of how our industry is dealing with the situation. We’ve got a lot of news coming in and so updating the website and social media actually keeps me kind of busy. On a personal front, I’m not finding it too bad working from home. I’m still not used to having my own place.. My boyfriend has most of this week off due to booking time off for his birthday and his three on/three off shifts too. So it’s not like I’m really alone. It’s nice spending lunch together properly. Because I have my own desk, I’m not finding it too hard to separate ‘me working’ with ‘me hanging out with my boyfriend’.
WEDNESDAY, 18TH MARCH
Things seem a little more normal now. I feel more at ease with what I’m doing. Although there’s still the worry at the back of my head about not making any money for the magazine or selling any event tickets. I’ve been reaching out to clients, but have struggled to add free minutes to my phone contract. I spend most of today putting plans into place for next week. For example, working out who I’m going to call/chase once I sort out my phone. I’m not sure how much luck I’ll have as lots of our clients are working from home too. My boyfriend is feeling a little under the weather today. I worry about his symptoms but in reality, it’s just a bad headache! So I go outside for the first time in what seems like forever and try and get some painkillers for him.
The pharmacy has none. I pop into ALDI to get some lunch bits and it is a little mad in there. The shelves are starting to empty and I can’t get everything I need. But they are limiting people’s purchases to four of everything per person which is good. On a personal note, it’s starting to worry me a little bit. If this is going to be a long-term thing, maybe it’s time we start getting stuff that’s got a longer shelf life. Within reason obviously. It’s mad how people are bulk buying things. It’s not affecting me/us personally yet, but I am starting to worry.
THURSDAY, 19TH MARCH
By now, I’m flitting between two feelings. On one hand, the novelty of being able to work from home – my own home – hasn’t yet worn off. It’s actually really nice being surrounded by home comforts, having a short commute etc. I find it easier to concentrate in some ways as I can focus on just what I have to do whilst the business is quiet. Rather than flitting between a million different tasks, I can get a lot of work done quite quickly. It almost feels like I’m not working as hard as I should, and then begin to feel guilty that I’m slacking off. I know I should be working harder – but I know I’m doing the best I can in this situation. I’ll feel more relieved when I’m able to (hopefully) speak to my clients more.
However, I am feeling more inspired. I have some great ideas for our newsletter, so today is actually a really busy day workwise. I even feel more inspired once I finish for the day. At 5pm, I spend a good hour or so blog planning or doing my SEO course, since I’m sat at my desk anyway. My boyfriend is fine today (I think his migraine was due to all the wine he drunk Tuesday night…) so we go for a lunchtime walk. We walk a little along a local canal. I take a photo next to a giant blue dinosaur (don’t ask), and then we go to the local woods.
But as soon as we get on the trail, there’s a huge deep puddle blocking it – even either side. We’re only in Converse trainers so head home defeated. So much for staying fit! It feels good to have had some fresh air now at least and keeps me feeling motivated for the afternoon.
FRIDAY 20TH MARCH
I have been working from home for a full week today and as weird as it sounds to say this, I’m feeling pretty positive/good about my routine. It’s so lovely working from home and having the ability to have my own desk at home. I feel the feeling is shortlived though and that it hasn’t sunk in how bad things are in reality. Because the effects of this all haven’t really affected me directly – apart from allowing me to work from home which is something I enjoy doing. I suspect when we start to run out of food and the sales stop coming in at work, my positivity may change.
I’m also worried about my boyfriend still having to go to work (a place which is similar to a call centre so he always gets colds!), and my family too. I keep telling myself as long as we all take the necessary precautions, it should blow over. But I’m scared I’m sticking my head in the sand about it all. In the bigger picture, it’s all very worrying. But in my little WFH bubble, it almost feels like a holiday – ignoring the outside world. It’s a very odd feeling indeed.
IN CONCLUSION
As a whole, my first week working from home has felt more like a holiday than anything else. Without being outside, the reality of the situation hasn’t quite sunk in yet. The idea that this could be a long-term thing and be a challenge. I haven’t faced many challenges myself, apart from struggling to get up on Friday when my boyfriend headed back to work. In the week, I’ve kept to a regular routine of getting up at my normal time, getting dressed and having a cup of tea before sitting down to work.
Because he leaves the house at around seven am when he works, I fall back asleep and end up rolling out of bed with about 15 minutes before I’m due at my desk downstairs. It’s not a huge deal – I’m not late or anything and still get changed out of my pyjamas, but I notice I feel more tired and less motivated for sleeping in and breaking my schedule/cycle.
It’s something I must remember next week. I’ve also noticed how necessary it is to have a clean area to work in! My desk is right beside the kitchen and we tend to eat dinner super late due to his work late hours. So normally the washing up doesn’t get done until whatever time one of us is home the next day. But I find it hard to concentrate seeing the washing up in the mornings now. So that’s another thing I’ve picked up on. It’s important to find time each morning to do a quick blitz of the house – or at least around where my desk is – to ensure I’m in the right frame of mind for working.
So, overall: not too many challenges! But on reflection, I’m definitely sticking my head in the sand about much of what’s going on (whilst taking the necessary precautions too, might I add).
How have you found working from home if you’re in the same position as me? Let me know!
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