I've been in self-isolation since March 16th, and will remain so until May 18th. Though my company knew it *might* happen, we were unprepared overall. It started very suddenly. My boss texted our group Sunday night, saying that we were having a team meeting via Zoom in 20 min. And it was like "Ok folks, so we're officially working remotely, starting tomorrow morning."
As such, week one was incredibly anxiety-ridden. While I thought working from home would be kinda fun, and "I'd have so much time... for activities!" (Step Brothers reference), it was quite the opposite. I'm actually working more now than I was when I went in to the office! There are no water cooler chats, or reasons to be late/away, or even "given" breaks, like lunch.
I guess this is a good time to explain what I actually do- I work in User Support Services (read: customer service/tech support) for a university. I basically run the call center and the student workers, and do a lot of admin type stuff and trainings and less "techy," hands-on trouble-shooting stuff. So having to answer all of the help desk calls and tickets (because of course week one started when the students were on Spring Break), was incredibly stressful for me, as was acclimating to a new phone system and remote service application.
Towards the end of the week, I realized I could (and should) schedule calls, as opposed to answering random hotline calls. That way I'd still be productive, but not working on the fly- I would be prepared for whatever the issue was and could research solutions beforehand.
Because of this, Week 2 went much smoother. I also remembered that I didn't have to answer every call that came to my phone. The system is set up as a round robin, so if I didn't answer, it would ring to the next person on the list. This allowed me to take breaks when I needed to. Worst case, I could always call them back.
And that brings me to now, towards the end of Week 3. The work part is getting easier. I'm still going over to Blue's condo Friday after work through Monday, and I love getting that time with another person.
Things I've Learned During Social Distancing/Isolation:
- I cannot listen to the news for extended periods of time. It gives me a headache and makes me incredibly anxious. I can only handle about 30 min at a time.
- I need light. Preferably natural light. This means even on cloudy days, all of my shades are open. I never thought I was one of those people who needed this before, but I've learned the hard way that I am.
- I also need sound. Music works just fine, none of that "white noise" business.
- I'm not great at time management at home. I need to set a schedule and stick to it. Writing "to-do" lists, even for work stuff, helps me stay focused and on task.
- Wearing "real clothes" makes you (just me?) feel different, specifically more productive. I used to think Blue, who worked from home 2x a week, was crazy for not wearing PJs all day. "Why not?" I'd ask in awe. I get it now. Just like going to bed and waking up at the same times every day, even changing from daytime pajamas to night-time pajamas helps with sticking to a schedule and differentiating between work and non-work time, even when you're in the same physical space for both.
- Video chats and daily check-ins with my people really do help. I used to hate video chats and even speaking on the phone, but there is something to be said for hearing another person's voice (and no, the TV doesn't count), especially when I'm home alone.
TL;DR: This time of self isolation and social distancing started out really stressful and I was incredibly anxious, but now I'm finding my groove and generally doing okay!
How bout you? How are you REALLY doing?
Linking up with Kristen!
