How Remoting Changed My Workflow #WFH

IXTY DAYS INTO working from home, I've changed some routines and become more aware of collaborative calendaring.

SIXTY DAYS INTO working from home, I've changed some routines and become more aware of collaborative calendaring. I also know I need to upskill.

My mobile phone says I've reduced my SMS traffic by 35% since the middle of March 2020. That's because my phone no longer automatically sends text messages to tell my wife we're on our way to collect her from work.

I have no cross-talk with colleagues during 1030 tea breaks or around lunch hour. I think we need to set up some sort of chat space to encourage the brain farts I'm used to hearing.

I have a new “night shift” when I read printed pages. And I've bought a printed book for every week of our social distancing.

My weekly live on-screen workload has ballooned by 600%. I have to limit myself to no more than four hours of live presentations every day.

I need to learn how to listen better.

My late late IM traffic is up by 150%. It's asynchronous traffic.

I protect my walking time by putting it into both Google Calendar (used by the family) and into Outlook (used by students and colleagues). I need to set up a Zapier routine to ensure the Microsoft and Google calendars synchronise.

I no longer create material for third level education on weekends. We're stuck into several major DIY projects.

I know I am not unique in managing this unplanned transition to remote work. Like many in my newsfeeds, I need to set up a home office with a door, plan better routines for home schooling of children, juggle student learning, and repurpose core elements of my job.

[Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business on the Clonmel Digital Campus of the Limerick Institute of Technology.]