Lessons in working from home from my Grandma

My grandma has never 'worked from home' and yet she has probably given me the best advice for adjusting to this new normal.

She jokes that since my grandpa died and her symptoms of MS have continued to impact her, the last 7 years of her life have been excellent preparation for her isolation. She has a few things she sticks to that keep her motivated, give her purpose and help her stay sane. I used to think many of them were silly - I now have a new found respect for her approach!

Here are the three that have super helpful for me:

1. Routine is important: My grandma can't go out much (even pre-COVID), there is her once a week community bus trip to the supermarket and a regular coffee date. But many days she doesn't leave the house. Despite this she gets up at the same time every day, she does a series of (what I had considered rather unnecessary) chores and goes to bed at a regular time. The routine gives her structure, helps her regulate sleep and provides her with purpose to each day. I've realised I need to create a new WFH based routine that helps me get fresh air before the onslaught of zoom meetings, that limits my consumption of COVID-19 news stream and helps me adjust to this new normal of being at home .... all the time.

2. She gets dressed properly every day: My grandma gets up puts on an outfit that is both comfortable and makes her feel good, she matches jewellery, often puts on some lipstick and then goes to the living room…. I used to think this was crazy - Grandma who cares what your hair looks like don't worry about it. But she cares and that is important. The last two days I have done meetings in a combination of running leggings, weird jumpers and some more formal shirts to look professional from the waist up. Not getting out of my PJ's or exercise clothes all day used to be my dream! But it has left me feeling messy and all over the place. I'm now learning from Grandma to strike the balance of being comfortable but also feeling good, somewhat put together and ready for a work call where I'm not afraid to put my video on.

3. Her house is clean and organised: My grandma dusts her house in a week more than any person should in a lifetime. She likes to sweep leaves from her driveway on a daily basis. Again I have always thought this was a bit nuts.... But as I walked past my unmade bed, on the way to a pick up the notebook I couldn't find, my stress levels went up I realised that having order around that house is even harder now I'm in it all the time - and it has never been more important.

So I am working on implementing these three things! Would love to hear any other ideas particularly ones on how to stop my dog barking at the exact moment I need to unmute my mic and speak on the zoom call...