What I’ve Learned After Working From Home for the Past 6-Months

I want to start off this post by acknowledging how much of a privilege it is to work from home. Many front line workers who work in health care, transportation, food services, and other positions don’t have the same luxury. They have to physically show up to work each day and are bravely doing so during a global pandemic. Before March 2019, I had previously worked from home for 2-years as a freelancer. I came across an article from CNN about what people have learned from working from home the past six months due to the coronavirus and wanted to put in my two cents.

I do my best work from home! (Surprise, Surprise)

This wasn’t a big shocker for me but I quickly noticed how much I had missed working from home when my San Francisco office shut down in mid March 2020. I already had the luxury to work 2-3 days from home per week and usually went into the office when I had meetings with my manager or team meetings. I work in software sales so the majority of my work is done on the phone with potential clients, over email, and all I need is my laptop and access to the internet. When I was in the office I had to reserve a call room or find an empty corner to take sales calls because of our open office where the sales team was right next to our Curriculum team and engineers. We couldn’t easily take calls on the sales floor and it became a hastle to get my work done.

At home I have the house to myself because my husband is still commuting to his office. I’m able to have my dining room table as my ‘office’ and can take calls easily, sprint through emails, and attend Zoom meetings with members of the team without any of the common office distractions. I would often be unable to have laser focus in the office due to working in an open space, being located near our kitchen, and being in the noisy financial district of San Francisco where there always seemed to be a dozen fire trucks going by throughout the day. It was wayyy too noisy and working from home is such a blessing that has allowed me to work in spurts, be focused, and not worry about being distracted by coworkers.

I’m Able to Create a More Sustainable Work/Life Balance

When I had to commute to my office, it would take about 1.5 hours each way due to taking a bus, catching the Bay Area Rapid Transit (train), and walking the last couple of blocks to my office. Just thinking about that now drives me insane! I was wasting 3 hours every day to go to a location that wasn’t essential to me being successful in my role. That was 3 hours wasted that could have been spent exercising, reading, or spending time with family. I now have the flexibility to start working before 8 am to take sales calls, schedule a break to walk and exercise, make my lunch at home, and spend the last few hours of my day working outside.

Working from home has taken out the most annoying parts of working and the rat race that drives people crazy. I have no commute, don’t have to rush to choke down my lunch, and I can walk around my neighborhood around sales calls and meetings to help keep myself relaxed and grounded. I’ve reduced the stress that I had before when I had to schedule myself around public transit and squeeze in time to exercise. I’d often be tired coming from home in the evenings and get a few hours of quality time with my husband. I’m now able to sit on my patio, talk to my husband on his lunch break, and bring my best self to work. I’ve figured out a great balance each day that would have been difficult to achieve if I still had my pre-COVID19 3-hour commute.

I’ve Prioritized My Health and Well Being & Don’t Care About Peer Pressure

Before working from home I’d often feel obligated to attend work functions, go to networking events, and spend time with people in the city. Networking is extremely important and sometimes I’d stay later in the city than I wanted to. It was important for me to build those relationships with people in my field. Now that I have regained time in my day and am working from home, I pay closer attention to what I eat, how much water I drink, how much I exercise, and do my best to keep a steady sleep schedule. Since most concerts, events, and clubs are closed, there’s no reason to stay out late. I used to enjoy seeing live music and going to the movie theater but that has been replaced by Netflix, walks around my neighborhood, and listening to podcasts. I focus on what makes me feel good each day and don’t feel the pressure to attend events or attend happy hours like I used to before. There is no peer pressure to keep up with the Joneses because the Joneses had to cancel their trip to Australia due to COVID-19.