My Own WFH Experiment

Last week, on March 16th marked 3 years that we all went home due to the COVID lockdowns. At that time, I had a beautiful office that we custom designed on the 9th floor of an historic building downtown Jackson with a kitchenette, our own bathroom, and lots of beautiful natural light. I loved being able to look out and watch the changing seasons from the 9th floor, walking our dog at lunch, taking advantage of the vibe being in a downtown office and many other things.

Fast forward to February 2023. My formal dining room had long since been converted into an office and until this time, I had a beautiful view out my window. Now we have help cleaning our home every few weeks and the vacuum cleaner outside my office means I had to plan accordingly around her schedule to make my calls. They are building a new home just a few yards from my office window that is noisy and very distracting. The Schwan's delivery guy had a change to his schedule and now he wants to show up and ring the doorbell during my work hours. Lots of distractions that were wearing thin on all the other benefits of working from home.

So, I rented a one room office from an acquaintance and decided to give it a try working from an office again and here's what I found after going back to an office everyday for the past month. The first week I was giddy. It was so fun being around people again and having choices to run out for lunch. However, I also now remember the time investment of packing my work briefcase and laptop, my breakfast, snacks, and lunch and anything I might need for the day (like my laptop charger) every day. This extra 20 minutes combined with a 12 minute commute doesn't sound like a lot, but it meant I no longer could spend 15 minutes reading, journaling, or doing my Babbel French lessons in the morning. It also means getting home later pushes my workouts later into the evening then if I just leave my desk in my home office, walk into my living room to turn on a yoga episode, or throwing on my shoes to go for a run.

What I learned is that I don't want to be in an office everyday. This morning it was raining. I can work from home and not hassle with an umbrella unless I want to, not because I HAVE to. What I learned is that my life is better with flexibility and with the option to stay home and crank out work here when I need to. I work longer hours at home but I also have the flexibility to stop and do things that add to my overall quality of life and my happiness.

This mirrors what I am hearing from my candidates as I have recently done some searches for full remote positions. I am also completing a search for a fully in-office role and the vast majority of the people I have interviewed this past year like what a hybrid work schedule gives them: the best of both worlds.

And now I know that for myself as well.