Dear Reader,
"We want you to work from home." Instead of going into the office, a friend of mine started working from home last week. She was excited about the news. In addition to helping her avoid the COVID-19 virus, there would be no more commuting, her work uniform could be pajamas and she could toss a load of laundry in while she was working, or load the dishwasher, or take the dog for a walk (on her coffee break). But after only three days of working from home, along with caring for two children, she realized that her dream of working from home, was in reality, a bit of a fairytale. Working from home can actually be more challenging.
Tips (some very amusing) from Valerie, who is on my staff and has worked from home for almost 19 years...
Have a designated space for work where you have all the stuff you need--reports, pens, highlighters and phone, handy. Nothing is worse than getting a call and having to run around the house looking for something you need, or wrestling your laptop away from your kid or spouse who "borrowed" it.
If you have a dog, they WILL bark loudly and incessantly when you are on an important call or meeting. If my dog is really alarmed by something (like another dog walking by the house), she will come into the office and bark--at me--warning of our imminent demise. So secure the dog, preferably in a spot where they can't see the delivery van or other animals, before the set time.
If you decide to wear a headset, or use the speaker function of your phone, always know where the mute button is and have it within reach. Your kids WILL run in the room, screaming, "Mom!! He just took my dirty underwear and shoved it in his mouth!" when you are on the phone with your boss.
Do your chores before or after work, as you always have done. It can be very tempting to tell yourself 'It will only take a minute to load the dishwasher and wipe down the counters.' But, you don't take a break at the office to tend to the dishes piling up by the sink, so don't do that now. And even though some laundry can easily be done while you are working, it can be distracting when the dryer beeper keeps dinging while you're on the phone with a colleague. Leave the chores for after work, or better yet, have your kids who are home take care of them.
Speaking of children...for school-age children, explain from the start that you are 'working' from home (making money to pay for Doritos and their favorite Internet game), so broken bones, blood, and vomit are the only acceptable reasons to interrupt you. "I need a snack, I'm bored, I can't find my whatever" are not. Spend your lunch period with your kids. Praise them for how well they have done respecting your work time. Then really devote that period to them, fixing and eating lunch together, playing video games, reading books, giving them your undivided attention. And then, tell them you are going back to work.
Whether you're working from home, at your desk in the office, or retired, if your local library is closed and you find yourself having "going-to-the-library" withdrawal, be sure to enter my book giveaway. Every day this week, I'll be giving away books to lucky book club readers.
Stay safe and healthy. (I do work from home and I've broken one of the golden rules--gotta go my dryer is beeping.)
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
This month's Penguin Classics book is The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.
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