WFH
Although the heat wave in NYC has subsided, I will be spending anogher day working from home (WFH). Technically, I am working at home (WAH) but my savvy corporate friends have taught me to refer to it as WFH. So a text may read, “today is a good day to talk WFH.” I am happy when I see that because the days of calling people at their place of business have disappeared. I can’t remember the last time I called someone’s office phone. I rely solely on texts and emails to communicate during the day with friends who work at an office. Even at York, I tend to text those with whom I want to reach—texting things like, r u in yr office? I wouldn’t want to waste time walking down the hallway and I don’t have people’s extensions in my head anymore. I must admit the 4 digit extension should be easy to remember but I don’t call anyone on a regular basis so even a 4 digit number takes up too much space in my brain.
So back to WFH. My brother asked me how my WFH summer is going. He had some insights to share from his years of WFH. Interestingly, he didn’t talk about how to be organized or how to be more productive, but spoke of the need to socialize. I am happy to report that I had learned that back in the days of the lonely dissertation writing. I would get up and write, often listening to taped conversations with my dissertation advisor, Dr. Liora Schmelkin, who had suggested the taping process. I used the tapes to jumpstart my brain and would draft for a few hours. I rewarded myself with lunch out at a local establishment where I could sit at the bar. The bar scene was pretty lively and everyone knew what I was doing. A sandwich and a few sodas later, I was ready to return home to resume working. This work model still lproves efficient for me as my brother reminds me of the need for human contact. Despite the obvious distractions, the office environment still holds some benefits, including access to like-minded individuals. I haven’t found my lunch place yet this summer but I do have my neighborhood pool where I can go and relax for a bit. The conversations revolve around simple things like the temperature of the pool and the status of the camps using our facility. . Although I am eating at home, the pool is my reward for accomplishing tasks. I am able to motivate myself to work knowing that in a few hours, I will be able to jump in the water and swim some laps, my favorite form of exercise/relaxation.I don’t spend a lot of time talking but the pool break is quite effective.
I suppose I should just be able to work, knowing I have a task to complete but seriously, no one is watching. Is it that easy to work from home? So I am wondering how other people “reward” themselves?
