When we were sent home in March, I did not anticipate I’d still be working from home in June with no end in sight. The office is open again, but with a jam-packed open-plan layout, it means only a third of the desks can be used while keeping social distance. I’m one of the ones who can work remotely so I’m still home the majority of the time.
I didn’t enjoy work from home life in a previous role. I got so lonely I started chatting to the spider that lived on my desk, and the two crows that came to perch on the fence. I was also single and didn’t have motivation to take breaks in the evenings, get out of my pyjamas or even shower for that matter. I became quite ill and depressed after six months, and resigned a few months after that.
I am thoroughly enjoying work from home life this time around. After nearly 5 years of long daily commutes, I’m enjoying not wasting hours of my life crawling through traffic. I’ve taken some lessons from my last experience working from home.
This time I make sure I get dressed every day like I would normally for work. In three months, there was one day where I was in gym gear because I did a workout and before I could shower and dress, work exploded in my face. And a second day where I did a morning of meetings in my PJs because I’d slept in, and didn’t get dressed until lunch time.
The gym gear day |
I’ve only had a couple of no make up days due to: lazy, but for the most part I’ve been fully dressed and made up. Not that anyone would know. I don’t turn on video chat unless it's one-on-one and the other party uses video, ‘cause then that’s weird for them.
I also have Boyfriend Pham coming home from work every day, which reminds me to clock off and head to the gym or go for a walk so I get a break from the apartment. I had none of these things the first time around, and it got me into bad habits and a bad way. This time I’m feeling happier and now that gyms are open again, healthier too. Here’s hoping that work from home remains an option for Australians after the threat of COVID-19 outbreaks drops away.