There is a rotation of topics for the LDM Blog. A small pool, so to speak. The blog exists to provide subject matter that Marketers (or those sympathetic to Marketers and Marketing) would find thought provoking and potentially insightful. Marketers of all kinds. Some of us work under contract, others are dedicated to a single company. There’s Digital Marketing, Product Marketing, Inbound/Outbound, Content, Social Media, Video and likely many more. Some blur lines of similarity, others are worlds apart.
There are so many other details in a job description that can potentially segment us, which creates the potential of making us all so beautiful in our own special ways. That could likely be mentioned in another post at some point, however there is something that we can all relate to, and that’s work environment.
If you are an avid LDM blog reader, you may have enjoyed the last post, detailing how modern work life is evolving. 8 hour shifts, 5 days a week in a more traditional office setting are becoming a thing of the past due to the advancement of technology. While you can’t stop the way trends change, we do have the option of either optimism or pessimism regarding them. To resist or comply. I could say that most of us have been receptive to the change that has happened over the last couple years.
On the surface, working from home has its immediate and obvious perks (casual dress, zero commute, personal time management options etc.), but what are the drawbacks? It’s all too easy to ignore the setbacks while you’re busy enjoying the benefits.
Though there are likely a number of setbacks related with a remote worklife, there is one in particular that often goes unnoticed: momentum. Working from home creates a daily agenda that can combine far too many unnecessary priorities in a single work day. A combination of work and home life that perhaps ought to be separate sometimes. Even the most dedicated planner can lose sight of goals while attempting to think about work while in the comfort of one’s home.
There is a list you can form in your own mind with your own household objectives. Are the dishes cleaned? Does the living room need picking up? What’s for dinner tonight? Should I start prepping now? Sure, all these questions existed when we still had to commute for work, however when it's staring at you right in the face, it can stunt productivity. Take a Zoom call, send a few emails, then take care of certain household tasks that would be agonizing if left undone, or at least only take a few minutes to complete. When you leave your house for the day, the things you have to deal with at home are still there, you just can’t see them. Your time is split up for you to divide and conquer.
Working remotely makes me think back to having a day completely dedicated to work. Comprehensive blocks of time dedicated to work-related tasks, one after the other. The stop and start activity of daily life provides the flexibility to have an array of tasks completed, however the combination just adds to the day. Momentum is put on hold for the sake of versatility.
I have to imagine there are some dedicated people, with designated offices in their homes, who go about their day in ways that mirror the more traditional office routine. And those who actually split their time spent in an office and actually see their co-workers every once and awhile. I couldn’t be more jealous some days. While the grass is always greener on the other side, I have to imagine that they aren’t thinking as much about their personal lives amidst earning their paychecks.
So as we all try to find the ideal workspace for ourselves, it’s important to find the value of moderation. The standard of work life is changing, but it’s important to evaluate as we go. I wonder how bad the Wi-Fi at Peet’s could actually be.