working in the time of covid-19 (part 2)
there are things i like about working at home.
- the commute is top notch. i roll out of bed, make coffee, make myself look halfway presentable, then roll myself in front of my computer. when the day is done, i’m home already.
- i can take a break to do something – laundry, go for a walk, do a little yoga, etc.
- the cats sit on my lap.
i thought working from home was going to be my jam and love it. it was pretty good for a while, but then.
here’s what happens for me, since my “office” is in my main living area and i don’t have a door to close and step away from it.
- i sit down to work in the morning. i don’t go for a walk. i don’t do yoga. i don’t do laundry. because of the amount of work that i have on my list, i barely get up for lunch and bathroom breaks. this is not cool.
- i don’t know when to stop. that’s also not cool. so while i have no commute home, i work longer anyway and don’t easily step away. it can be 6 p.m. before i realize that i need to stop working. ugh.
starting next week, we can start getting back on campus to work, and i think i’m going to take advantage of it. it will be really helpful to separate work and life, and i won’t be compelled to work on the weekends or evenings. if my work computer is not at my house, i won’t be able to work, so it’s win win.
that doesn’t mean that people will stop contacting me about work, but at least i’ll be able to say “sorry! i’ll have to do that when i get in on monday!”