It’s been a funny old year and with a complete shift in the way we work across many industries, working from home has become the norm for almost a year now. I’m a property manager, so working from home when I haven’t been able to visit the apartment blocks and estates I manage has been a challenge to say the least.
After a long old week of working away at my makeshift desk in my bedroom, I thought I’d put together a fun post about the things you’ll know if you work from home.
1. Getting up is harder than usual
Ever since I started to work from home, my bedtimes have gotten later and some days I roll out of bed dangerously close to my start time, turn on my laptop and start working, still in my pyjamas and my hair a mess. Without the real need to present myself to the world, I just think to myself when my alarm goes off “oh I might get dressed today..” only to roll over and press the snooze button until it’s too late to bother. I always have the good intentions of waking up early to get a work out in, but that’s not happened since the summer and with the weather being all gloomy I quite frankly, can’t be arsed.
2. Re-wearing the same outfit no longer feels inappropriate
I feel no shame in admitting to re-wearing outfits over and over since working at home. So what if I want to wear my Spooky Bitch hoodie (shout out to my fellow Redhanded listeners!) over and over – it’s not like anyone’s going to see me right? Rather than investing my cash in fancy clothes to go out in, I’m finding secondhand loungewear online (Vinted has become one of my most used apps) and my wardrobe is starting to bust open – it’s probably time for a sort out.
3. You only put makeup on if you’ve got a Zoom/Teams meeting booked in
The majority of the time I cannot be bothered to put makeup on, but will rush around my bedroom/makeshift office before a video call to make sure I don’t terrify everyone with my pale skin, covered in acne scarring from the lack of sunlight over the last year. Aaron always knows when I’ve had a meeting that day as he usually gives me a sly look and says “So… had a meeting today then?”
He knows me too well.
4. You get so wrapped up in work you forget to take a break
I’ve gotten a lot better with this, but at the beginning I would work right through to 3pm and wonder why my belly was rumbling so much. I’m now a stickler when it comes to taking an hour for lunch, but I can’t say I take as much care about finishing at 5.30 each evening.
5. If you ever speak on the phone, it usually ends with a conversation about COVID
Work conversations will normally end with some mention of Covid “so are you still working from home?” Or “I’m isolating at the moment because Auntie Jackie’s sister’s brother’s boy tested positive and I saw them when I popped to Aldi to pick up some pots to make some banana bread over the weekend.” Disclaimer: the second one is not a true conversation, but you get the gist.
6. Wrapping a dressing gown around you is the norm
The desk in my bedroom where I spend most of my time is right next to the window with a major draft, so wrapping my dressing gown around me is something that happens on the regular. If I’ve got a video meeting booked in, I’ll wrap it around my waist, sit down and be content in the knowledge that nobody will know.
7. You envy those that have “proper” home offices
My makeshift office has been great and I’m pleased with the set up I’ve managed to put together however… I’m getting cramped and finding that our small flat is not the ideal place for a working from home set up. My office is in my bedroom and after we decided to get ourselves a king size bed last year, there’s even less room in my “office”. I cannot wait until we move into a house this year!
8. You’re constantly worried that your boss might think you’re not working
Okay, I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to working and as time has gone on, I don’t have this thought as much as I used to, but when you’ve spent your whole working life in an office to suddenly be thrown into a home working environment, it’s hard not to worry that your boss thinks you’re napping in the morning rather than answering emails.
9. You find you’re actually more productive than in the office
Following on from the above point, I’ve found I’m actually more productive working solo – I’m a chatterbox, but when I don’t have the same distractions, I’ve found that I hammer through much more work than I would have done sitting at my desk in a busy office.
10. Internet connections and servers are the bane of your life
There is nothing worse than being halfway through an email, spreadsheet or word document than losing connection because of your internet deciding to have a moment or getting kicked out of the server – I don’t think I need to add any more to this point.
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