It’s such a long time since I worked in an actual office, I can barely remember what it’s like. We still had a fax machine! We didn’t use it much by then, but that does help date my last few days in a traditional office setup. It would’ve been summer 2007 that I bid it a fond farewell.
Now I consider myself to be a work-from-home veteran and as my working day is no longer bookended by school runs, my day can stretch right the way from early mornings to late nights, if I want, and the benefits for me of flexible working have changed. At the same time, now more than ever, the lines between work and life are getting blurry as we’re spending so much time in our homes.
I’ve felt that work/life balance has been an outdated concept for some time. Sometimes you love the work you’e doing and you get paid for it. Some times you’re doing work you love and it earns you nothing. Some times you’re doing worky tasks that fall under the umbrella of home life. Some times you’re working on personal projects for personal fulfilment that end up doing great things for your actual work too.
It’s all life.
It all needs balance.
As energy levels can run pretty low this time of year, and with everything else going on.., working from home can be incredibly intense and focused and our day can stretch well beyond what would usually be considered a “normal working day”.
A 9-5 day in a regular office wouldn’t be 8 hours of solid work. When I worked with Toggl, I knew agencies that only aimed for 4-5 hours of project time a day. The rest of the day was just other stuff – emails, meetings, impromptu chats, settling in, making coffee – all the work around the work.
When we work for ourselves, we get to set our own boundaries and we can shake up the working day and our routines as time allows, life dictates and our energy levels permit. I’ve been experimenting with this over the last few weeks, writing a daily plan that includes a blend of work and home tasks, plus fresh air and exercise into the mix, and any life admin that needs taking care of. I shared a few examples in a brief foray on Reels.
With the daylight hours so sparse, I’ve found a simple switch around of walking the dog in the middle of the day or stopping work mid-afternoon to step out and see the sunset, can be a much-needed boost. Or doing work in several shifts over the day, interspersed with other stuff – meeting a friend for a run, prepping dinner into the slow-cooker, making some bread, running some errands – then heading back to my desk for a few hours early evening is enough to shake things up a bit.
21 December 2020