Rapid Learning Curve

When you work from home occasionally, as I do, meetings can be arranged outside the times you’re back in work. However, with COVID-19 the whole paradigm has changed. We now have to meet online, by phone or by some other method. This is a whole new experience for most of us, staff and students, and we’re having to learn new technologies on the fly. I do quote Richard Branson in my teaching “The best way of learning is by doing” so maybe we’re putting that into practice.

What I have learnt about working from home is this, as I’ve been doing it for a large portion of last year. Some of it comes from online suggestions.

Keep the routine, get up, get dressed, don’t lounge round in your pyjamas. This was from an online hint giving source. As I don’t wear pyjama, or any other night attire, it may have been interesting the response if I didn’t follow routine. Seriously, it’s very easy to slouch around, but there’s definite benefits in not doing so as it give you routine in an environment you’re stuck in. Cabin fever may take over, though.

My daily commute is now thirteen seconds. On a bad day it’s fifteen seconds. Unfortunately this means that the exercise I used to get walking into and around work, about three-four miles a day now needs to be replaced by some other exercise. Now that I’m dogless motivating myself to do that needs attention.

The fridge is too handy, so I’ve been strict with myself on snacking, also making sure that I neat fresh – I do not do takeaways or ready meals. I’ll carry on with this for as long as possible. I do have frozen meals to hand, but these are the ones I’ve made myself. I made the conscious decision to do this to make myself stop do something different – i.e. cook.

When you work is also more flexible. Evenings are no longer (for me) sacrosanct. I can’t do anything else then that requires activity, so a good couple of hours after dinner allow me to write (to students, mostly) more reflectively as I’ve been thinking about their question for some time.

Posted this in two places online. These are some of the comments:

Working at Home – I’m now having a planning meeting with myself.

• Have you fallen out yet?
  • Yes
• How’s it going? Are you winning every argument? LOL!
  • No, I’m losing all of them
• It should be more cordial than usual 😀
  • Trouble is, these meetings take so long!
• I hope the caterers have put out a good biscuit selection. Don’t forget to put 10p in the pot…
  • Biscuits are OK-ish – guess I’ll have to make some to take in. Or there could be cake.
• Cake sounds good. Vote wisely or you might end up with Battenburg.
  • Prefer Mondrian cake 🙂

https://i.pinimg.com/…/e96cd6317ad1b3258c594bc76bcc549b…

• Just fallen out with myself. Not going to be talking with myself for some time.
  • Designer schizophrenia! Cool!
• Planning was not a normal work practice when I was at BCU.
  • Ah, but as we are now not in the building I feel that it is necessary to have planning meetings, as when we come to return we can document what we’ve done.
• Right. Finished the planning meeting. We’re going with what the other me said, although I disagree with most of it.
  • Well, as long as you and the other one feel relaxed around yourselves… 
• We’ll get over it. We’re having a beer together tonight anyway.
  • That sounds like a plan, John and John.
• Yes, gets confusing when we have to say our names. We often mistake each other for ourselves.
• Did you get a majority vote or did you have to use your casting vote??
  • I lost in the votes.
• I hope you’re not going stir crazy.
  • Nope. Neither of us are.
• I bet that it was still more productive than if any third party was involved!
  • You want there to be three of me? Disaster!
• Wasn’t there a Goon sketch about that?

In other news the woodburner saga has finished. It’s all installed. And paid for. Glad I used them although they were probably the most expensive as the installation took just as long as they said, rather than make the hole, wait a month and then come back to fit.

Now that the chimney is sealed off, I’m finding that the room is much warmer. Hope I haven’t spent a load of dosh when I could have just blocked up the chimney.

This evening I could really clean up – scrubbed the floor by hand to get builders’ grot from the floor. How I have housemaid’s knee. Posted this online, and got:

• Better that, than Builders’ Bum.
  • Got that too.

Music:

Boccherini – Fandango – Castanets

String Quartet No. 17 in F Major, Hob. III:17 “Serenade”: II. Andante cantabile

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