So I’m in to week two of working from home. We’re not completely locked down yet in the UK but the government did issue some new restrictions on movement this evening to try and comabt the spread of covid-19.
As of now, people should only be leaving their homes for necessities such as food shopping, medical reasons such as collecting prescriptions, or to care for vulnerable individuals. All non essential businesses and public spaces have been closed and gatherings of more than two people will be dispersed. I have no real issue with the restrictions, if anything I think they’re a little late. People have not been taking this pandemic seriously and been gathering in large numbers in public spaces, bars and restaurants. Anyone that is capable of working from home should be doing so and only those designated as key workers should be travelling to work.
The other thing you will want when working from home is a designated workspace.
I have only left the house once over the last week, and really have no desire to. I am one of the lucky ones, I can still carry on working from here and it has very little impact on my productivity. I do require remote assistance in the office from time to time but other than that I’m pretty self sufficient. I have been working from home at least one day a week for the last couple of years, and so I have tested and proved I have all the required connectivity.
The other thing you will want when working from home is a designated workspace. While it’s not a requirement, it will really help you to stay focussed and productive.
When I started working from home, I found it incredibly useful. I found the lack of distractions compared to an open plan office enabled me to stay focussed and increased my productivity massively. I could get more done in a day at home than two to three days in the office.
Working from home permanently is a different proposition. After a couple of days, the novelty wears off. I haven’t left the house for just under a week now and I’m starting to feel the metal effects of isolation. While I have enough work to keep me busy, I’m starting to find the days are blurring together. I’m also finding the lack of social interaction mean that I take less time away from my desk, this is making me feel more tired at the end of each day. I do take breaks and step out in to the garden for a smoke, but with no outside interaction my mind stays focussed on work.
No doubt that this is just temporary while I mentally adjust to working from home full time and get in to a routine. It will be interesting to see how this changes over time, depending on how long we remain in self isolation.
Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe everyone.