COVIDiaries: How I Really Feel About Working From Home

We're almost at the end of Day 12 of everyone's self-quarantine journey due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak. People have been stuck in their homes either working, finding some things to keep themselves busy, or just chilling.

I have my fair share of working from home and I must say: it sure is a love-hate relationship. My partner also works from home every weekday and has shared with me some of her insights about it. So I'm here to share what I love and hate about working from home.

Let's finish on a higher note so we'll begin with-

HATE:

1. Acute-napping syndrome

Much like this kid, a lot of people including myself, are finding it very difficult NOT to take a nap in between meetings or just within the day. I call it the "Acute-Napping Syndrome". I guess we get so comfortable in our own homes and cozy spaces that it's so freaking difficult to control the eyes from shutting.

2. Focus is fleeting

If it's not the acute narcolepsy, it's the diminishing focus. You just can't get a break! There are already so many distractions even in the office and now that you're at home, well, the sky's the limit.

From whatever you saw while you were people watching from the window to finding an old instrument in your home office and thought, "Maybe I should relearn how to play this", to having another of your inner battles about whether you should take another nap after this meeting or not, so on and so forth.

To add to that, we don't have kids but we have a 3 year-old shiba inu and he can be distracting too. So I'm sure, parents have their work cut-out for them.

Like I said: the sky's the limit!

3. FREE Snacks and Coffee

Two of the many great perks of working in the office are the snack bar and the coffee/beverage machine. You can take as much as you want whenever you want. Now that we're stuck at home, the snacks and coffee are no longer free. If we run out of anything, we pay for another round of snacks and coffee.

4. People just book you in... even during lunch time

It's already bad enough that people book meetings at lunch time whilst being in the office. Now that you're at home, people think everything is flexible (which kind of is) but don't we all need a real lunch time where you can just enjoy yourself and your food?

In order to refrain people from booking me at my lunch hour, I block my calendar at the time I want to take it so they can book me in for another time.

5. Work on the brain

My partner and I are guilty of this and sometimes it's just hard to stop ourselves. We take our work seriously and it's difficult detaching at times. When that happens, we come home still thinking about work. Now that we're working from home, we just think about work and it feels like that already fine line between work and home is now just a line on the sand.

So much for work and life balance, eh?

Now that we've gone over things I hate. Let's move on to the next.

LOVE:

1. An opportunity to be together

My partner and I do not work like the people in the GIF because we like having our "own space" when working. Sometimes, we do stay in the same space but ultimately, we still have our own separate working area. Even right now, she's in our home office and I'm currently in the dining area.

Having said all that, it's still nice to know that she's in the same space as me. When it's time for lunch, we can eat together. When she's had a frustrating meeting, she knows I'm only a few steps away to hear all about it. I don't have to get my phone to text/call her if I need to tell her something urgent (except when she's in a meeting).

2. A break from commuting

While working from home is mandatory, I don't have to suffer during my commute when trains are so jam-packed. It's usually fine in the mornings while people are fresh and we all smell good but it's a different story when it's home time. After a hard day's work after you've produced a lot of stress sweat and just sweat in general and you no longer feel super fresh, well, you know where I'm getting at. To add to that, I don't have to be pushed or have to push anyone further in so I can jump on this train, damn it!

But honestly, I'd rather wait for the next train or the train after that than to experience all this. Thank you, next!

3. Saved some gas

My partner drives to work every day and because she doesn't have to at the moment, we've been able to save some gas money. We only drive to the grocery when we really need to buy a lot but we usually just walk to the nearest grocery store. It's good for the environment and great for your health. Don't you think?

4. Sleeping in

I love that my partner and I get to sleep in a bit longer since we don't have to wake up early to get ready or transit/drive to work. We usually would wake up super early but now, we just have to wake up 10-20 minutes (or even at the last 5 minutes) since we're only a few steps away from work.

5. Work at home

Being able to work from home is nice because we are literally at home. We can do whatever we want, wear whatever we want, and work from whichever part of my home we want. We don't have to worry if there's something stuck in our teeth or if we haven't showered for 3 days because no one will ever know. But when it's time for the video meetings, all we have to do is dress nicely from the waist up, and we're good to go. I mean, let's be real-- don't we all do it?

These are just some of the many observations I have about working from home and I'm sure you have a lot of your own too.

Now, I gotta walk my dog and go back to work!