Working from home day 5 - however long it's been on 16/04

Yes, it may have been 3 or 4 weeks now but it feels like 3 or 4 months. I have got to the stage where I don't know what day it is, thank goodness for my online calendar.

I still don't feel like I have used any technologies that are new to me and that's disappointing in a way because I thought I would. On the other hand, it might mean I am confident and experienced in using a variety of technologies, there is though always room for improvement. Obviously I have done more online meetings than normal and I have initiated my first one with my team, which was a lot easier than I'd imagined. It wasn't perfect some people where sideways on, so I will have to see if there is way of changing that. Other than that, all my work is things I would normally do in the same way as at work - administration, Heritage housekeeping, social media, enquiries, ordering (e-books), cataloguing etc.

Actually doing the work, the only differences are that I only have 1 monitor (I have 2 at work), I can't print anything (I don't do much of it at work anyway) and I can't go and pick up a physical book to check information - some of that can be done online but some, especially where it specifically relates to my library, will have to wait until we get back. 

Some of the processes, I have had to alter to fit in with my new working conditions for example we usually use physical cards to record acquisitions. For that I have resurrected an old spreadsheet we used a few years ago when we had an issue with our budgets. It records what I need it to. This is a temporary measure to get us through the crisis period. I do though have a task listed to make the process electronic and I will need the input of my team to help develop that.

I miss seeing my team the most. We are still in contact with each other through e-mail, Microsoft Teams and our WhatsApp group, it isn't the same though as popping into the main office or having someone come to my office to vent their frustrations. I should point out at this stage, I'm not devoid of human contact - I live with my family (and so far we haven't had any blazing rows, just some low level tension caused by anxiety due to the lockdown, in case you where wondering).

My home office set up isn't perfect. I am using the dining room table (we only ever use it on high days and holidays for meals), as I have nowhere else. I do have a proper PC chair, which is better than the dining room chair- I tried that the first day and very quickly realised I needed the PC chair. My main issue is that you have to go through the dining room to get to the kitchen, so it can be like a (pre-pandemic) commuter station sometimes with all the comings and goings. The up side is that I am facing the window which looks onto my front garden and the street, so I can see occasional activity. There is still life out there!

Homeworking Days 1 - 4

Like many of you, I am homeworking. I have been since last Wednesday, I have an underlying condition and was told by my employer on Tuesday I should homework straightaway.

I didn't know what to expect, I've never really homeworked before, only ever checked my e-mails and done CPD. As I could see it coming though, I had already set up my PC the previous weekend and made sure I had access to everything I needed.

Last week was so manic that I spent nearly all my time answering queries from my staff or contacting suppliers about their free offers. There wasn't therefore much opportunity to try new tasks, more an increased use of things I already use like Office 365. I also had a to do list of jobs, which didn't get looked at until 3pm (I started work at 8:30am) and only then it was because one of the tasks was to make a list of jobs that my staff could do when homeworking.

By Friday I had managed to collate the free e-resources (that I knew about at that point) and had put together a page on our VLE with links and promoted it via social media. That felt like a huge achievement.

Today I have written a blog post for our Keep Teaching Keep Learning website, at the request of my manager, about using our e-resources. I have written a job description that needed doing by the end of the month - and that is the only thing that was on my to do list last Tuesday that I have done in a week.

I figured that the first few days of homeworking would be supporting my staff if they got stuck and then would come the need to support the students, who have only started their online learning fully today. I'm hoping that in the next few days I can return to the to do list I had last Tuesday and start chipping away at that.

I had recently read that you are more productive when you are homeworking because you don't have Office life as a distraction. I can definitely say I have done more work since Wednesday than I would if I was in the Office. I have been taking regular breaks and trying to keep a routine, there has though been so many things that needed doing quickly in a very fluid and ongoing situation, that I've been taking shorter lunches and working later. I'm exhausted now but know that once everyone is up, running and confident, things will settle down and that means I have done a successful job.