As April is now coming to an end and we are heading into May, I find myself thinking back to a blog I wrote in 2016 quite a bit, The Truth About Working From Home. With the pandemic happening worldwide, quarantine, and social distancing, the meaning of working from home for people who are already working from home hasn’t changed all too much, right? We should be used to this already, as I’m sure many of you readers have already heard before. The truth of the matter is, it depends on the circumstances and thus is not the case for me and many others new and old.
Working From Home Has Changed, A Lot Actually
I’m sure it is no surprise already, but a lot of buildings and offices have closed down, and many employees have now found themselves working from home. Some may enjoy this quite a lot, where others might find it very stressful. After all, it is not easy getting work done when you are surrounded by family all day, especially when you have to keep attending virtual meetings and conference calls.
It has only been roughly a month or two (longer for some), and I still hear some of my friends having a hard time adjusting to their work schedules. Working from home has changed, and it has changed quite a lot and for many reasons. We went from something that can be enjoying and rewarding to a lifestyle we now have to adapt, and like any lifestyle change, it takes time, and some times a lot of it.
Working From Home Is Now The New Lifestyle
Working from home is now the new lifestyle, for some of us anyway, and what do I mean by that? In the blog I referenced earlier, The Truth About Working From Home, I mentioned that it could be challenging to separate your work from your personal life, especially if they are so tightly close to each other. During these times, that’s quite the case for many of us already. If not, it’s more than it originally was.
Many of the businesses and agencies I work with have now gone to working full-time, and by full-time, I don’t mean a 9-5, I mean they are working every waking moment. With projects now delayed, and in some cases due date have been bumped up, a lot of people are taking advantage of the fact that they can work from home and are blazing through work to not only get caught up but stay ahead of the game and making sure they are planning for the future.
This is now the lifestyle they have chosen, and I don’t blame them. Now that I don’t have to spend so much time traveling, I find myself some days working the moment I wake up until I go to bed too. Thus leads me to my next point.
I Took The Small Things For Granted
Never had I thought I’d say I miss going to the gym. For someone like me, going twice or three times a week was enough to get myself distracted a bit and zone out while spending time in an environment away from home, especially since I don’t see my friends as often. That one or two hours I spend away was just enough time to distract myself from thinking about anything work-related. Even the long walks I would take with my dog to the park was just a simple escape to get away from the computer, but those were things that I could always do. At least then, now not so much, and not so much without worrying.
The small stuff that I took for granted was the things that kept me sane in many ways. I find myself now always in work mode, not because I can, but because it is now hard to keep up with the demand of the agencies and businesses I work with who are operating around the clock.
So Has It Changed?
In short, yes, working from home for me has changed quite a lot as for others too, especially for those who are new. This won’t last forever, but at least for the time being, it is here to stay for a while.
