I am finishing up Day Two of working from home. It's been uneventful if not a little awkward. I earned my MS and PhD 100% online and from my house so I have some experience getting work done at the house but the last couple of days have been a little different. I am not sure if it's because of the uncertainty in many facets of life like health and finances or because our industry has been hesitant to embrace working from home until now or maybe it's because I did nearly all of the work for my classes when the sun was down. Whatever the case or cause, I haven't been able to settle in all the way yet.
My coworkers are replaced with my kids who are pretty self sufficient but still pop in with random "needs" and questions. I am not convinced who leaves the bathroom in worse shape after a morning session - my 5 year old son or an old super half way through a pot of coffee. I also don't get pulled at work to "watch me" do something random like my daughters have been known to do. I also miss sports related trash talk when not at the office although there's not much to go on outside of some NFL player movement right now. Even with some of the awkwardness of the first couple of days of working from home, I really like and appreciate the opportunity. I get to blend my work and family life in a way that lets me do the same amount of both but at times and places that are most convenient. Now that I have IT issues ironed out and have a good desk setup, my productivity is ramping up and exceeding what I can do in a typical office or trailer setting.
Once the pandemic passes, some things will go back to usual but I hope that we get to keep some of the best practices we develop during this time and use them when advantageous to us and our project teams.
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