I was never a fan of working from home. It is a routine that I have built over the years to wake up and get ready to go to work. The mantra was always to show up at work no matter what, and early riser gets to catch the worm first. However, since California is in “shelter in place” territory now, I have to adjust with one thing that I hate the most – working from home. Before that, let’s try and understand why I like to work in the office.
It’s the OFFICE. It’s a place designed for people to work comfortably. I’m spoilt with the standing desk, dual-monitors, and the comfort of the space provided at the office. Apart from that, I enjoy the daily human interaction where you do fist bumps, high five, and sometimes just walking to your colleague for a quick chat. Most importantly, in my brain, I have subconsciously categorized office as a place to work, which leaves my home as a place to rest.
Now that we are in lockdown mode, I have to rewire my brain to adjust to the new working condition. I have to set up a new office at home where I can effectively work for at least 8 hours. Do I take out my laptop and work on the couch for three to four weeks? Is it that simple?
The answer is no. During the first few days, I moved from the bedroom, the living room, and ended up in the kitchen. Then I realize that this is not sustainable, so I decided to find a permanent spot to call “home office.” The idea is to have a straightforward and minimalist setup where I can work effectively. After going back and forth around the house and the garage, I found items below to be essential when setting up a workspace.
1) Decent size table where you can fit one laptop, mouse, and enough room to put your coffee mug and probably a few documents.
2) Comfortable chair. I do plan to sit for 8 hours, so I need something better than a stool.
3) Table lamp.
4) Speaker because I love music.
5) Headset – to answer calls.
So far, the new setup works well; however, I do miss the interaction with my colleagues. It seems rather odd to schedule a quick five minutes meeting to have a casual chat, but we are entering the territory of the unknown. So its better to try something new rather than assuming it will not work. I have, in the past, made virtual lunch, regular weekly calls, and to a certain extent, this may be the new way of practicing how to work in the future. Companies have been working on Virtual Reality, creating avatars for us to work remotely, and probably now is the best time to roll the pilot version.
Stay safe and happy working from home.