On Working During C-19

Okay, time for some real talk. I am, in my heart of hearts, so happy with this Temporarily Permanent Work From Home Situation. I looooooove working from home; I love being in my home, for me it makes working more tolerable. I'm saving literal hours a day by not commuting, and not having to pick up kids after school. Even with them here during the day, I'm happier than Before, because this is really an amazing quantity of TIME I wouldn't have had with them otherwise (never mind that we're in our rooms working or on devices a lot of the time).

However. This week, I have found it extremely hard to focus. Or, more specifically, it feels like my time working has been monumentally inefficient. I feel like I only work in fits and starts, and as a result I only really accomplish one or two tasks a day. Like, one e-newsletter composed and sent. One webpage created and published. Granted, both of those involve writing, finding and sizing photos, testing, editing, etc. - they're not just simple tasks. But still, it's a low number.

I'm trying really hard to plan my days carefully, like this:
7:30 - 9 work (do email newsletter + website update)
9 - 9:15 break - go outside
9:15 - 11:00 work (mtg, followup)
11-12 work (tasks)
12-1 lunch w/kids
1-3 work
3-3:30 break - walk
3:30-4:30 work (finalize tasks)

It seems like there are meetings nearly every day, which throw me off. 9:30 or 10 is smack in the middle of what could be deeply-focused "flow" time.

And then there are the personal interruptions. I will just sit myself down at the laptop and then the doorbell rings. Or a cat throws up. Or I have to go to the bathroom. Or a kid asks for help with a poetry report.

Maybe one accomplishment per day is enough to ask of myself during this weirdness. Maybe companies should lower their standards, and I should, personally, as well. I've seen the meme that says, "You're not working from home, you're at home trying to get work done." It's a subtle difference, but an important mind-shift. But as this becomes more permanent, I feel like I should be settling into making it as good, as productive, as before.

Probably not realistic. And again, it's fine, it's fiiiiiiiiine, this is absolutely the way I would WANT to spend my days if I could choose, but along with having been off for 2 weeks (and seeing a 2nd furlough likely in early May), it's reducing my motivation significantly.

This checks out.