My Living Room is my Office
Fuck Covid-19, Fuck Coronavirus, Fuck the Rona….however you want to spell it out it’s still gone gone be fuck coronavirus. The coronavirus has pretty much fucked up 2020. Bars are closed, malls are closed, we can not even go out in public without the world thinking it’s the apocalypse. No one thought it would be around as long as it has been. But you know as the months go on people have done a wonderful job acclimating to the changes. One thing that people have had to adapt to is working from home. I myself was working from home at my previous job, and it got me thinking. How has working from home affected other people, especially those with kids? Well I asked around and it’s safe to say it affects everyone differently.
I have mixed feelings about working from home. On one hand I was able to do my work while watching tv and being on my phone without the fear of being reprimanded by my manager. That of course affected the quality of work I was producing, but I did not care. What was they gone do… send me home?! I was also at home so that meant I did not have to get dressed and could wake up 5 minutes before I had to clock in. On the other hand I was not able to separate work from home, because I was always home. I did not have the luxury of leaving work and driving home and unwinding when I hit the door. I also had an active toddler that was constantly fighting for my attention. When I did not give it to him, he would start screaming while I was on the phone with a customer and then would cut the computer off. When I wasn’t working, he would try and emulate what he would see me do. He would walk over to the computer try to turn it on, put on my headset and sit at my desk. I was terrified he would pull the wrong cord or knock over my computer. I would constantly have to tell him leave his dad’s desk alone. I guess it was safe to say I was not able to get much work done.
My friend on the other hand, is having a very different experience working from home. He was telling me that he is able to get more work done at home than he does at work. He is not distracted by co workers and their conversations. He also mentioned that seeing his son grow up through everyday activities is amazing. He was able to experience his son standing up for the very first time. Anyone with a job and kids knows that you miss out on a lot of life being at work. Both of us working from home with kids is something that we had in common but his son is 10 months old. The need to succumb to giving your kid constant attention is not as great because his son is not really mobile. He does not have the ability to run up the stairs or open the office door and scream in your face and turn your computer off. Again he does have is own experiences and difficulties dealing with his 10 month old age so I commend him for being able to successfully work at home and enjoy it.
Working from home is not something that is easy, there is nothing easy about having turning your sanctuary into your place of business if it is not something that you already do. I was able to do it, but it came with certain consequences which happen to be different for someone who was in a similar situation. I am curious though. What obstacles are you running into having to work from? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? Do you have any tips for someone who is having trouble? Leave a comment and let me know!
*P.S. shout out to Alana Hunter. The thumbnail was created by her and was featured in the LA TIMES. If y’all have time stop by instagram[check thumbnail for instagram] and give her a follow. She is an amazing artist.