The struggle
This is the second day working from home (WFH) for me due to COVID-19. I used to WFH a lot during the first few years of graduate school. I never had any problems with it (I also used to live alone), other than occasional noisy neighbors – due to the thin walls of my apartment in Ithaca, I can hear my neighbors’ conversations and TV.
Fast forward to the last 2 years of graduate school, I moved to NYC (technically, NJ across the river) and at a place that’s never intended to be a home office or have the support for WFH. In addition, I have established a very clear work-life balance and boundaries to never bring work home. I disconnect from work after I leave my office.
With the COVID-19, I WFH with my two roommates now. I have a tiny desk set up right next to my bed and a fluffy, attention-seeking cat. Unlike the days in graduate school, I don’t have to option to work from a cafe. It’s been quite difficult to focus, with others walking around the apartment, cooking at random times, walking in and out of the bathroom right next to my room, talking to their clients/coworkers, watching TV instead of working, etc. Most importantly, I am subconsciously disturbed all the restrictions and updates to activies announced by government everyday now. I have been self-blaming for how unproductive I have been and how many unexpected naps I have taken.
I came across this advice on WFH. While not all the suggestions are possible at my apartment, I will try to engage more with my collegues over Zoom, shut off the news, communicate better with my roommate to figure out the best solution for everyone to WFH, give them a heads up when I need some heads-down uninterrupted time to focus.
Who knows how long this enforced WFH and social distancing will be in place, I need to start establishing a routine and learn how to work with people as situations evolve.