Graham Rapier / Business Insider
Compared to my desk at work, this workspace is actually fairly clean and organized.
- I'm stuck working from home this week thanks to my company's coronavirus policy.
- Last week, I returned from a vacation in Japan just as cases there (and in the US) were starting to spread rapidly.
- Working from home is the worst, but I'm determined to make the most of the week.
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It's been one day and I'm already going a little stir crazy.
Last week, I was informed by a manager that any Insider employees who had recently traveled to countries affected by the quickly spreading coronavirus (Japan, in my case) were to work from home for two weeks from the date of their return. That means until Monday March 9 for me, despite being in the office for three days after my trip.
A few of my coworkers were jealous, but I hate working from home. Distractions are plentiful, company is nonexistent, and there isn't any free coffee. I cannot emphasize enough the lack of free coffee. There are also some tools, like the Bloomberg Terminal, that we can't access remotely. I'm sure I will be nagging some coworkers to help me find information.
Complaints aside, and left with no choice, I was determined to make the most of my temporarily remote status. After all, some 24.8 million Americans - both full-time and self-employed - work from home on an average day, according to 2018 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
So I asked my Twitter followers for their advice. The responses ranged from what you might expect: Establish a routine, avoid stretchy pants, and put on a show or podcast. Some of the advice was more extreme: Get a dog.
To be clear: this "quarantine" is simply out of an abundance of caution by my employer. No federal, state, or local governments had implemented rules for people returning from Japan at the time of my return. Still, it left my roommate wondering "what am I supposed to do if you DO have the virus?!"
Here's my plan to survive four more days of exile:
Get outside of the house at least once a day and make sure you get some exercise! Also, if you're interested in cooking and baking, this gives you an opportunity to try more time-intensive recipes.
- Emily Canal (@EmilyCanal) February 27, 2020Jameson
- Frank Chaparro (@fintechfrank) February 27, 2020Open your blinds. Create a dedicated work space. Establish a routine. Pace when you are on calls (crush your daily step goal). Do one thing every day from your house to-do list that you usually have to do on the weekends (or never get to). Always play awesome music.
- Mack (@mackmckelvey) February 28, 2020