Among the innumerable changes that the novel coronavirus (which I call the Corona Fires) that causes COVID-19 has brought about is a massive increase in the numbers of people working remotely. As I explained in my last post, “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!,” modern technology is something many people now have an additional reason to be grateful for.
I worked from home for five years in the early-2000s, and am almost two years into a second stint. The first go-round was when I was in my early-30s, and I had a kid (Thing One (the Older)) during that time. I’m now a late-40s father of a teen and tween (Thing Two (the Younger)) in public schools.
I’ve seen and learned a lot related to working from home. And maybe I have a bit of advice for those of you Dear Readers who have never before worked from home. Maybe. For those of you pursuing FIRE, here are a few pieces of advice.
Set a schedule
I’m pretty strict with myself when it comes to having a work schedule. So, each day at roughly the same respective times, I wake up, start working, eat lunch, and stop working. There’s room for flexibility, but I treat the day working from home just as I would a day working outside the home. There’s little question from everyone else in the house as to when I’m in work mode and when I’m not. And, knowing that there’s an end to my workday, I seldom feel like I must constantly work.
I recognize that not everyone is as anal as like me. But I think sticking to a schedule when working from home is very helpful. Note that finding a schedule that works for you — if it’s not dictated by an employer or client (or, I suppose, an especially insistent cat) — may take some time. Be prepared to stumble around trying to find it.
Exercise
Before my first stint working from home, any exercise I got was done after work, in the early evening. That was tough. By that time of the day, both my motivation and energy level were flagging. A low bar to be sure. But I digress.
Once I started working from home and had more flexibility in my workday, I’d often exercise during the day. The best times for me were around 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. First, those were great times for a morning or afternoon break. Second, I found that my motivation and energy levels were high at those times. And third, when I’d take a bike ride (my preferred means of exercise), there were fewer people and vehicles on the roads or paths. That made for a much more enjoyable, and typically safer, ride. My body — which one would not be faulted for thinking is made up of a disturbing amount of Miracle Whip and Cheetos — thanked me for this change.
Take care of family
When Thing One came along during my first stint working from home, we faced a question when The Missus decided to return to work: put Thing One in daycare or not? Deciding that it made little sense to go the daycare route, Thing One remained home with me.
At first, because of her limited ability to move around and fairly long morning and afternoon naps (which I initially took as a sign that she was a loafer, but later was set straight about), it was relatively easy to care for her and get work done. But eventually, she started crawling, walking and going stir-crazy at about 10:00 a.m. So I enrolled us in a neighborhood parents and toddlers group. That class was fantastic. By the time it ended, Thing One had had her fill of activity. We’d then come home for lunch, and Thing One would nap. When she woke up, I’d play with her a bit or give her some toys. Then The Missus would come home and I would run out of the house screaming and flailing my arms about take me off the daycare clock. This worked well for all. And it saved us a ton of dough.
Now that I’m working from home again and the kids are older, I’m no longer in the kid-entertainment business. But there are plenty of appointments and meetings they have to get to during working hours. With my flexibility, I can take care of almost all of that at times during the day that don’t get filled up quickly. The Missus consequently doesn’t have to leave work, and burn through or past her paid time off.
Grocery shop in relative peace
I recognize that in The Time of the Corona Fires going to places that attract a lot of people, such as grocery stores, is discouraged. But eventually we’ll each run out of food. A run to the grocery store — for those who don’t outsource our shopping to delivery services — will then be necessary.
Even with more people currently working from home, I’m pretty sure the average grocery store won’t be as busy during the workday as in the evening. That’s good. First, you should find the shopping experience a little more pleasant because you won’t have to navigate through a sea of humanity. And second, with fewer people consequently shopping in the evening the crowds throughout the day will be smaller. That hopefully should slow potential Corona Fires transmission in grocery stores. So on one of your breaks during the day, consider ambling over to the grocery store and get yo’ stuff. But do it quickly. Then get the heck out of there and back inside your home!
Dress down
I know there are people who need to get dressed up for work to put them in the work mindframe and to do their best work. I . . . am not one of them. Sure, I can and did look professional when I worked in a workplace. But it didn’t help me in my work. Working from home, my “dress code” is as follows: shorts and a t-shirt. I like to call it “modern chic.” Hasn’t in the least hindered my work product, which is just as poor as ever.
Enjoy working from home by being as comfortable as you wanna be. If that means shorts and a t-shirt, welcome you to the club. I’ll teach you the secret handshake later. Well, actually I won’t. We’re not supposed to shake hands now, what with the Corona Fires and all. If it means dressing up in something more professional, go nuts! Ditto if you fall somewhere in between. Whatever works for you. But no need to buy new work clothes or to send your clothes to a dry cleaner.
I would, however, discourage you from working in your birthday suit. Or at least going outside in it. Just because the world is topsy-turvy at the moment doesn’t mean that anyone has any more desire than before to see you in your natural state.
Get your side hustle on
Got a side hustle or want to start one? It’s way easier to do it when you work from home. First, you’ll have more time to do so. At the very least, the time you used to spend commuting to/from work will be freed up. Unless, I suppose, it takes you an equal amount of time to stagger from your bedroom to the place in your home where you intend to work. If that’s the case, you’ve likely got problems I’m probably not equipped to help you with. But if you are willing to pay handsomely for unhelpful advice, hit me up and let’s chat.
Second, because you’re likely to find (as I and many others have) that you’re more productive working from home rather than in your regular work setting, you may be able to free up even more time.
And third, when you take a break while working from home, you need not put on appearances to make it look like you’re working instead of randomly surfing the net, which, let’s face it, is probably what you were gonna do. Instead, you can use the time to work on your side hustle. No one will be the wiser.
There are lots of money- and sanity-saving benefits resulting from working from home. You’ll likely discover them as you go along. Enjoy the ride.
Of course, there also may be some unforeseen challenges that result from working from home. Beware those, Dear Reader!
