"...there has been an explosion of online articles recently about working from home with a seemingly endless list of tips and hints. We won’t add to that list here."
If you’re one of the very, very fortunate who has the ability to work from home in these troubled times, then you’ve no doubt been busy making preparations. Most likely there have been health and safety forms to fill in, technology to organise and configure, new software to get your head around. Then there’s the space and routine at home to manage. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a home office, if not, then it’s the kitchen table. It’s difficult. If you’re a parent and your kids are also now at home, then that degree of difficulty jumps up a few more notches. Not only do you have to work, you’ve now got to consider home-schooling. And if you have a partner who is also working from home … well, you can see where this is going.
Who can forget Professor Robert Kelly’s live BBC interview when his kids gate-crashed his home office? This video went viral not just because it was hilarious, but because it was so human. The polished facade of television momentarily fell away and we caught a glimpse of the real struggles of modern life.
Interesting aside, as I sit on my back deck writing this, my six year old just came up and asked me why I’m showered and dressed, no one’s going anywhere. I explained to her that I’m working from home. She nodded and headed off to play in her fairy garden. She’s far more adaptable than I am.
And I guess that’s the point, working from home is not perfect. Interruptions are bound to happen. Technology will fail. You’ll get side-tracked. You’ll eat from the fridge when you probably shouldn’t. You may be focussed on your work, but your attention will always be split. And that housework won’t get done by itself, will it?
Understandably, there has been an explosion of online articles recently about working from home with a seemingly endless list of tips and hints. We won’t add to that list here. What we will say is that it’s okay for working from home not to be perfect. It’s okay for the routine to be sloppy. It’s okay to be interrupted by your kids. It’s okay to find yourself snacking, or drifting, or crying in the corner.
It’s okay.
So do your best. Stay connected. Stay healthy. You’re doing a better job than you probably think.
Shaun Charles is the Senior Content Producer for the Professional Learning Hub. He has a background in the performing arts sector and for many years he taught a range of drama subjects for Griffith University's Applied Theatre program. As a writer, he has written for theatre, opera, television and has contributed articles to The Courier Mail, The Australian and Overland.