One of the challenges of fatherhood has been having less time to complete the same number of tasks. My wife had been wonderful by trying to give me time to do my work. During her six weeks of time off from work our schedules were irrevocably changed. I would only drive to campus for the duration of the classes I was taking or teaching and then I would drive home to be with the family. This created a necessity for all of my work to be done at home.
After the first week or so we were in a fairly predictable pattern and had figured out how to get some work done on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings before her and the baby got out of bed. I also found time in the afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was coupled with work I would do each evening. I would read, write, and complete my graphic design projects at home. In many ways, this was a marvel of the modern age. Technology allowed me a great deal of time to be at home but also get all of my work done.
Habits are, however, very funny creatures. They die slowly and form quickly. All of the sudden I was getting extremely used to sitting at my own desk, in my own chair, in my underwear. I became accustomed to having a stove, pantry, and refrigerator on the other side of a wall. I, once again, fell in love with the processes of making and drinking tea.
This week I’ll be exploring some of the benefits of working at home from the perspective of a father who just returned to the daily grind working away from home. My wife returned to work this week and our one car situation leaves me stranded at the office. This week was particularly difficult as I was marauded with a new set of distractions to avoid.
So, in a somewhat therapeutic manner I wish to recall “the good life” of working at home. If you’ve worked both home and away please share your tips here (and in the future blogs on this topic) as I’m currently readjusting to my now changed work environment and schedule. I’ll be sharing my tips here as well. Tip #1: Kitchen Timers… but more on that later!