Unexpected Perks of Working From Home

I've always wondered what it would be like to work from home. My original passion was to become a writer and I thought the flexibility and freedom that must come with working from home would be liberating. Especially as a single mother, I wanted to be able to be fully present for my children while also ambitious and dedicated to my career (I know that struggle is shared by many and isn't going away anytime soon!)

This unexpected shift to working from home due to the global pandemic has given me a chance to see what working from home is like. And while I, like many of my colleagues, am eagerly anticipating returning to the office and getting back to "normal" - whatever that will mean now - I have to say I appreciate the silver linings of this situation.

This is my personal list that may grow or change as the days of isolation continue. Have you all experienced similar insights?

1. Optional clothing: I have seen some fun memes surrounding the "Business on top, party on the bottom" perk of working from home! For myself, I live in a beautiful student housing complex in sunny Claremont, California, so this means I have my blinds pulled up and windows open all day. Since I've chosen to stay inside as much as possible, the sunlight and fresh air are necessary for me to feel productive and energized. This also means that any of my neighbors can easily see if I'm walking around in my undies. So I don't. But I have totally worn shorts and jeans and no shoes and do not mind at all. My daughter on the other hand opts for pajamas all day every day since she doesn't have to show up at school for now. I'm fine with that. So long as she showers.
2. Eating what I want when I want: No more packing a lunch, walking to get takeout or "working lunches" that force me to spend money when my budget specifically forbade me from eating out. Now I can grab whatever is in my kitchen at my leisure. In fact, I don't even have to eat lunch at noon! I can eat whenever I want (unless I'm in a ZOOM meeting) and if what I want requires a little kitchen prep, that's fine. This newfound liberation has been eye opening. And hip widening. Sometimes what I want is pasta and Oreos.
3. Feeling closer to my daughter: The entire time I've had children, I've been in school myself working on one degree or another. Up until this point, helping my children with their homework already felt like a stretch and now the boundaries of time are stretching a bit thinner. Remarkably, however, my patience seems to be growing. I don't think I need to say too much on how this crisis is forcing us all to face our own mortality a little bit more than we might usually. So I find that, though I still feel pressured, stressed, and anxious to my usual neurotic degree, I am not snapping as much as I used to and I am being more present with my daughter. Whenever either one of us starts to get frustrated with the other, we rely on humor to bring us back quickly. For example, I remind her that she should be nice to me because I'm the only one that can hug her right now. And she reminds me that I am the most boring person imaginable to be with during a lockdown.
4. Setting boundaries: Not everyone is reacting the same way to our current circumstances. For myself, I've decided to fully limit any contact with the outside world unless I am running out of food or shampoo. As an added bonus, I have a solid excuse not to go running! But when friends who are anxious for some human contact suggest getting together, I've suddenly realized a newfound conviction in saying no. Not because I don't want to spend time with them, of course, but because I don't want to risk my health or theirs. And I am a people pleaser for sure, so saying no is not something that comes easily for me. This boundary setting has emerged in other unexpected ways as well. Many people are not working from home right now and I count myself blessed to be doing so. But I do sometimes need to remind people that just because I'm not at work doesn't mean that I'm not working and therefore I cannot drop what I'm doing to talk about the latest episode of whatever is hot on Netflix right now. Well...I could I suppose - but I don't want to and that's the point. It's okay for me to set these boundaries.
5. Shared experience: As a recruiter, I stay in close contact with our applicants. I absolutely love the case-management aspect of my job - making sure our applicants are aware of changes to our programs or our admissions processes, checking to see if they need help with their statement of purpose, or if they would like me to send a reminder to a recommender. Since working from home, the conversations have opened up in a new way because, I believe, we all know that we are all going through a tough time right now. I feel so touched that applicants are asking me how I'm holding up, how is my daughter doing with completing school from home, and generally wishing me and my family health and happiness. And I must say I am so inspired by the many people with whom I've been working recently who have been directly affected by COVID-19 and who have reached out to let me know that they are still applying to CGU, they still can't wait to be a teacher, and they want to know what has to be done. Or their goals have not changed, but their timeline has due to these circumstances outside of their control and they thoughtfully reach out to have a conversation about their options. My heart is warmed!
6. New challenges: I have had to learn new ways of doing things! I've never known so much about ZOOM, for example, nor have I before needed to engage an audience over a virtual platform as I do now. I am a life-long learner for sure, so I kind of find this challenge exciting! I'm curious to see what else I will learn because the situation demands adaptation. To all of the teachers out there who have had to learn so much so quickly so they can serve their students remotely, you have my utmost respect!
7. Inspiration! Finally, sprinkled amongst the doom and gloom of the daily news are stories of hope, gratitude, altruism, community, and innovation. In the housing community where I live we usually have Friday night movies in the common area. Now our student housing director streams Friday night movies but also Sunday night stand-up and week-day meditations. Our Career Development Office sends out frequent emails that include lists of internships that are still open, informational interviews with companies that are still hiring, and strength based workshops on personal branding and marketing. Our faculty have started inspirational podcasts, TAs are leading lectures while bouncing babies on their hips, and our students have collaborated across the community to bring us the latest news on how the coronavirus outbreak is impacting our area. New research projects, some by my very own classmates, capturing the experience of people around the world are being conducted across disciplines. When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

I'm curious to hear if others have had similar experiences or insights after unexpectly working from home for the past several weeks. Please share!