I haven’t written a Brown Cow blog in quite a while, but thought that this new working trend was something that I knew a bit about.

In our current national situation, with the outbreak of COVID-19, a lot of working people are waking up to a new reality… they don’t have to go into work. In order to help stem the spread of the virus, businesses, as you probably already know, are asking their employees to stay and work from home. A concept that most people have dreamed about. “Finally, I get to work from home!” Although, this dream-come-true may end up being more of a nightmare when it’s all said and done.

I own and operate a one-man-show design company, and have done this for over 10 years. I have worked out of my house this whole time. In the beginning, I felt the same way that most people are feeling… like it was the dream-come-true. But after the first few weeks, reality firmly set in. I had spent the previous 15 years working around people. Actually, people was my business. I was used to being a part of a team… the leader of teams. I was used to working in an office setting, having office hours, and… an office. After the honeymoon period of working from home was over, my new reality came crashing in!

First of all, I was a dad of young kids. Our oldest was in school, so that wasn’t as much of a big deal. But our youngest was only 4. And, my wife worked outside the house. So, I was on daddy-duty from the start of the day until around 5:30pm each day. There I was, trying to sound professional on the phone while making sure my 4 year old made it to the potty… and wiped! Also, I was used to working in big chunks. Well, not any more. Now my new normal was based on working in much smaller chunks. Chunks of about 30-40 minute blocks. I had a young child that needed snacks, lunch, potty breaks, more snacks, entertainment, and finally… more snacks. I felt like I had two jobs now, instead of just one.

Next, being in your home all day allows you to see other small jobs/chores that need doing. Just when you get into a groove and feel like you are really getting a lot of work done, a quick bathroom break can easily throw you off course. By simply walking out of the bathroom, you catch a sideways glance at the dirty clothes in the floor. A split second quickly turns into 15 minutes. You start a load, and then are reminded that the dishes probably need to be taken out of the dishwasher. There goes another 10 minutes. This goes on and on throughout the day. Getting back into the groove of work now takes a lot of effort and focus, to the point where you just say, “I’ll get back to it tomorrow.” Not only that, but your spouse can easily give you a “to-do” list as well… since you are the one at home all day. So it’s pretty important to create business hours to help keep you on task… as much as that’s possible

And last, is something that most work-from-home ‘wanna be’s’ don’t even think of. Sure the grass seems greener on the work-from-home side of the fence, but there is a real struggle that happens to, I believe, most (if not all) work from homers. Loneliness. As I said earlier, I was very used to being around people on a consistent basis. And, I was used to sharing responsibility with a team. The complete burden of the entire business wasn’t upon my shoulders, I shared it with my fellow teammates/co-workers. But that changes for those of us who own small work-from-home businesses. We end up wearing many hats, and no one to share the load with. Also, you don’t see people very often. I can easily go a whole month without actually seeing another person. Not to say that I don’t see people at the store, or on the weekends. I do, but during the 9-5… nope. I have talked to myself more in the last several years than I have my whole life before working at home. I’m really glad there aren’t cameras watching me on a daily basis. I might look like that I’ve lost my mind! Working from home can be a lonely business.

For those of you who are still in the honeymoon stage of working from home, allow me to give you this simple advice: working from home isn’t the ultimate dream that you’ve been led to think. It’s still work. In some cases, it’s more work. Yes, you get to do that work in your pj’s or comfy clothes. You don’t have to take a shower every day if you don’t want to. And, you are saving some money on commuting. But, there are some real hurdles that you will face. Working around kids being home and chores to do, can only be the beginning. In my opinion, the biggest pitfall is the loneliness one. I have to purposely schedule lunch meetings/gatherings with friends and peers every week to make sure I don’t go stir crazy. Not only does it get me out of here, but it also gives me a support system. People I can share my struggles with, those who are struggling with similar issues. Having someone else to talk with allows for the burden to be shared. It’s super helpful. Some of the newly work-from-homers may not truly experience this factor, you may end up in constant contact with your co-workers. But, then again, not being able to see people in person due to this virus, could start making you feel a bit lonely. Maybe even to the point of feeling like you are all alone.

Just remember… you’re not.

scottJ

owner/artist Brown Cow Design