One of the strangest parts of the last couple months has been trying to figure out a new routine. (I almost said “hardest” instead of “strangest,” but in the grand scheme of things, many people have had a much harder time over the last month.)
I’ve never really had a set routine in my professional career.
February 2003 to April 2005: Newspaper reporter. My schedule was at the mercy of, um, the news. (Mostly long School Committee meetings.) I filed all my stories from the office, usually while eating a meal I’d delayed.
April 2005 to June 2019: Technology journalist, research analyst, and content person at a PR agency. At several roles and for several companies, my schedule was fairly flexible, with the option to work from a couple days a week. Some companies wanted this firmly scheduled; others just wanted an email or other notification that morning. In one role, I was a remote worker with a set start time to my day. Dress code was mostly business casual, but there was no fashion police. My routine was that I didn’t really have a routine, and it worked fairly well.
June 2019 to mid-March 2020: Conference producer. This role, for reasons I don’t fully understand, required me to go into the office every workday, with set hours every day pr my contract as well. I also needed to wear dress pants and button-down shirts, except for casual Fridays. I initially welcomed this, as it brought some structure to my work schedule, but it wore out its welcome.
Mid-March to early April: Suddenly a full-time remote conference producer. Glad I remembered to bring home my mouse and laptop charger. Regret leaving behind the mouse pad with the wrist guard. Miss my second display. No longer wearing dress pants or button-down shirts. Work day bookended with meetings.
Early April to present: Feeling like a lost child wandering through an unfamiliar department store. Up and working at 7 a.m. some days while staying in bed past 9 a.m. other days. Calling it quits at lunchtime some days while working well past dark other days. Wearing jeans some days and Simpsons lounge pants other days. Running before work, or after work, or during work, or maybe not at all. Eating too much some days, and not enough other days. No real meetings on the calendar.
Lest you worry: I am getting assignments, hitting deadlines, and generally feeling good, all things considered. Only once in the last month have I had cookies for lunch. I’ve been outside (either running or walking) at least six days a week since mid-March. I’m not talking to the cat any more than I usually do. (She doesn’t listen anyway.) Caffeine intake is no different than usual, and sleep schedule is (mostly) circadian.
My concern isn’t Getting Things Done or Keeping a Clear Head. Rather, it’s swinging the pendulum somewhere between a regimented schedule and a free-for-all. It’s been particularly strange due to the inability to leave the house; the temptation to take on additional work is strong because, well, what else am I going to do these days? (That said, we did order some puzzles this week.)
I want to resist that temptation. The new routine I see for myself is full-time remote work without much externally imposed structure. If I’m combining a too-big pile of cobbled-together assignments with the sudden and wonderful ability to go outside, see people, and do things, I can imagine myself in a world of hurt.
I have a few steps for myself, and I’m writing them here so that I have no choice but to commit to them.
Resubscribe to healthcare newsletters. I used to begin my day with a scan of the news – more than I cared to, really. But I did it out of necessity. Now I can be more selective in what I read, and it will be a more relaxing start to the day than whatever I am doing now.
Give myself time to write. I don’t (yet) think this will come down to, say blocking off the entire morning or afternoon. For now, it’s more about doing it in large chunks of time, as opposed to wedging it in between phone calls or waiting until the end of the day and hoping I can finish my deep thought before dinnertime.
Get that second display. Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone? The improvement to my productivity will be well worth the investment. (I had no idea that external monitors were so cheap.) And while I’m at it, I just might get another nice mouse pad, too.
Stand up. Some days, once 3 p.m. rolls around, I move my laptop over to a vacant shelf on my bookcase and work while standing up. I don’t always remember. I should – it helps me focus a bit more and lets me stretch my legs.
If you have tips for developing a routine while you work from home, I’d be glad to hear them.