I’ve been one of the lucky ones since Covid upended the world. I was able to transition to work-at-home with my job(s). I’ve also had some luck building my business over the last six months. I signed a partnership agreement with a freelance client and now officially check “self-employed” on my tax forms.
As I’m sure others have discovered it can be hard to stay focused at home. The distractions of other family members, laundry, dirty dishes, the dog that needs walking, soccer practice, making dinner…there are a dozen things every day drawing our attention away from “work.” With the restrictions we’ve all faced in terms of social distancing there’s little to no escape or separation between the home office and home.
One of the ways I keep my brain engaged in my purpose is to have separate computers for work (technical writing, internet surfing, reading the news, social media) and writing. When I moved in to my current apartment – a 450 sq ft studio – that became difficult to maintain. Working full time on a laptop, sometimes 12 or 14 hours a day, is not easy for me. The small screen. The smaller keyboard.
There’s also not much space to spread out in 450 sq ft. so it’s good I live alone.
I have adjusted. I bought an ergo wireless keyboard and mouse for the laptop. I have dual monitors for my work computer. When the weather is conducive I’ll work out on the patio and now that we’re phasing back into pre-Covid life I’m looking forward to returning to the library or hanging out at the coffee shop.
On the plus side, I recently bought a house and it has an office! I’m really looking forward to having a dedicated work space. My daughter will be moving in with me while she’s in vet school and it will be nice to share space again.