I had a brief moment of bliss last week. I was lying on a huge beach towel in the back garden, grass tickling my toes, sun baking down on my back, listening to the strains of Ocean Drive by The Lighthouse Family wafting over the garden fence. It was spookily like being 13 again.
Except instead of revising for end of year exams, I was doing this:
Yes, I was working. In the garden.
I don't care how blasé and grown up we all are, you've got to admit that it's quite cool, haven't you? I don't get the chance to do it often but if there's a project that needs some serious planning and I know I won't get a moment's peace in the office, the boss is usually quite happy to let me have the odd day at home. It's bliss. Just me and Oscar.
He was always very fond of helping me revise and he's still equally interested in what I'm up to now.
He is not helpful. But he is extremely cute.
Alas I couldn't spend the whole day out there with him. My morning was spent planning and writing, my lunch time was spent sunbathing but I did eventually have to head indoors and fire up the laptop.
Any real working-from-home types probably have a neat office set-up going on. I had to shovel bits of sewing machine and Tudor costumes out of the way in order to make a bit of space on the dining room table.
I was quite cosy though and really productive! It's astonishing how much more work I can get done when I actually have peace and quiet. I cope pretty well with constant interruptions in the office (which is good, because it's always like that. I'm lucky if I get 5 minutes to myself to concentrate on something). But oh, the bliss of being able to work on one thing at once and not have my train of thought derailed by the phone or an urgent email or an "Alex, do you know where XYZ is?".
13 year old me probably didn't ever imagine a world where working from home was an actual thing but 30 year old me still finds it madly exciting. It's such a treat! If only I could do it all the time. I reckon I'd be some sort of superhuman work machine if I had that level of peace and quiet. Or I'd become a recluse who wore pjs all day and existed solely on coffee and crisps. Yeah, it's probably safest that I have to go to the office five days a week, isn't it?
Ahh I am pretty jealous.. in my previous job I had to physically be there to answer the phone between 9-5 but now I sense the possibility may offer itself up to me! I even did some excel training at home which was amazing, sitting at my kitchen table with the cat on my lap and no one to interrupt!xx
ReplyDeleteI bloody LOVE working from home - I don't really get the chance to here because I need to be on hand too much but I miss my research days when I could do it quite often.
ReplyDeleteThe pets definitely make working from home more fun though - it's an added element of excitingness!
After your first two sentences re the sun etc, I thought you were going to follow them by saying 'And then I woke up.' ;)
ReplyDeleteSounds good!x
ReplyDeleteEr- Tudor costumes? Why?!x
Ah I wish I could work from home! Although I'm pretty good at getting distracted, so maybe that wouldn't work... :)
ReplyDeleteI dont think I had a complete thought or spoke a complete sentence at work today... :/
ReplyDeleteI hate working from home, there is always something I'd rather be doing than work so I get distracted.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could blog in the garden! I hate that it keeps me indoors glued to a computer screen most of the day, but then again when insects start buzzing around, I'm glad to be indoors!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing it for a few months now and it still seems like a treat. Cats love nothing more than walking or sitting on my keyboard, or they just sit in my way so I can't see. Good for honing touch typing skills though!
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