Even though I have had been required to work from home since March 16th, I am trying to find ways to make things feel as normal as possible. Just one way of keeping my head in the game during our current crisis. I realize that I am fortunate to be in a position where I able to work from home and continue to get paid. So many people, especially in the service industry, are just out of work for who knows how long.
My coworker helped me haul all my monitors and equipment into my house and set up a temporary work station in my basement. It’s a little chilly and the lighting isn’t the best, but it works for now.
Things That I am Doing the Same to Make it Feel Sort of Normal
- I am still getting up at the same time every day.
- Taking my shower at the same time, get dressed, put on makeup and style my hair.
- Before I would leave the house at 7:00 to punch in at work at 7:30 but now I am just punching in at 7:00. Only a slight shift.
- Continuing to Fill up my Tervis with water to keep at my desk to make sure I am getting in enough water during the day.
- I still take a lunch break at noon and go upstairs for something to eat.
Things I am Doing Differently to Make it Work
- My finish time was 4:00 but since I am starting 30 minutes earlier now, I finish up at 3:30 instead. It works out great because my husband (Captain Distraction) gets home soon afterward.
- I have been playing Pandora to cover up all the distracting system noises (like the water softener, etc) throughout the day. It also helps me feel a little less isolated.
- I have been keeping in contact with the other member of my team via our Instant messaging system and texts.
- After I punch out and chat with my husband about our day for a few minutes, I get on the treadmill. Hoping we get a little better weather so I can get outside more in the afternoons.
Final Thoughts
I am managing to get a lot of work done so far. With everyone being forced to work from home, it is probably a huge drag on the remote system, but it has been working ok so far. There are occasional glitches and it takes a little longer to run reports, but nothing I can’t handle. Hopefully the internet will continue to be able to handle the extreme usage from people forced to be home watching Netflix (thank God for Netflix!) and people working from home.
Traditionally, my husband and I have “Date Night” on Fridays. We grab a drink and dinner out after work. Since the state of Michigan has shut down bars and sit down restaurant service, that isn’t possible. However, restaurants are still able to continue to provide take out services. To keep things somewhat normal for us Friday, I plan to order take out from our favorite local pizza place. This will also help support local businesses as much as we can. Just gotta keep finding ways to roll with this situation.
Everyone is having to adapt right now. Change and Isolation can both be very stressful for people. This is my new normal until my employers feel it is safe for us to return to our offices. I am just trying to make the best of it and hoping things gets better soon!
Make sure you stay in touch with your people. Help if you are able. We are all in this together.
Stay Well Friends!
The World According to Dev 