LIFE LATELY

What 2-days of working from home made me realize…

It’s summer time and unfortunately nannies too need a vacation. So on Monday and Tuesday this week I worked from home to accommodate for our nanny being away. I have worked outside of the office for a longer stretch before, but usually it was either because I was away at a conference or on a working vacation to Charlotte, NC. May be my memory is failing me but this was really the first time I worked from my home for 2-days in a row after having Asha. Yeah, I know I’m late to the game…

Besides the occasional slowness of the internet and my fixation on the dirty dishes in the sink, I’d say that it worked out really well. It took a bit of juggling to make sure Asha was entertained and fed but overall it was a productive day. I love making lists, so of course I kept one for all the things that I liked as they happened.

What I loved:

  • Excellent coffee and tea selection. At work unless I am meeting someone for coffee I usually don’t make a trip to a coffee shop by myself. Instead I stick with the generic office coffee and tea selection. Last two days at home however were very good for the caffeine addict in me. I was happy to have access to the good stuff.
  • Lighting a candle. Something as simple as having a candle lit makes such a difference in my mood and stress level. Since candles are not allowed at our work, I was happy to take advantage of this luxury while at home.
  • Taking a yoga break. Asha was asleep and I had just finished a pretty long and intense conference call. So I basically rolled out my yoga mat and took a 10-minute vinyasa break. I can’t tell you how awesome that felt. It was even better than the good smelling candle. I can’t see this happening at the office which lacks privacy.
  • Listening to an actual radio. I guess this one is not that big of a deal since I listen to the radio on my phone at work. But, it felt great not to have headphones in my ears all day and to walk around and still not miss any of the radio show.
  • Fresh lunch. I didn’t have to think about lunch at dinner the night before or at breakfast. I literally could wait till I got hungry and see what I craved. Also, having fresh fruit around made me eat an apple instead of my usual run to Walgreen’s for Lindt dark chocolate truffles. Oh and no sharing of the fridge. I didn’t have to dig out my lunch from behind 500 other plastic bags.
  • Being barefoot. Not having to wear shoes for 9 hours made me very very happy!
  • Temperature control. It is always cold at work no matter the season. I was happy to work in a room that didn’t require me to put on my sweater or a scarf in the middle of summer.
  • Time saving. Because I wasn’t commuting back and forth (even though my commute is less than 30 minutes) I was able to start working early and to go to the gym after work.
So it’s not just the yoga pants I guess; there are so many things I loved about being home. I’m sure though that on the 3rd day I would have started missing my coworkers, that view of the Chicago Loop, and putting on my nice work clothes. May be a couple of days every few weeks will be a good way to enjoy the best of both worlds.

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