This is an uneasy time for everyone. Our lives turned upside down so quickly. I cant help but be thankful for being a lawyer during this craziness. Fortunately, not much has changed for my practice. Sure there are new technologies that we are learning to use, there may be delays in moving things forward, the courts are slow to adapt but at the end of the day, it is business as usual to a large degree.
For me the biggest challenge has been trying to work at my regular capacity while also looking after my 11 month old child. He is a handful at this stage. Starting to walk on his own, furniture surfing, and getting into everything. He also needs a lot of attention and stimulation.
Being fortunate as we are my husband also is able to work from home. Therein lies the dilemma. We both have the demands of a full time job and do not have any help with our son. We are respecting social distancing as our parents are among the at risk sector. And we don’t want to put him, us, or anyone we know at risk.
This has meant big adjustments for both of us. We work in shifts. The shifts rotate based on our virtual meetings and work deadlines. It sometimes means a really under productive day followed by an evening of work when your exhausted. It sometimes means super early mornings to get things done before the little human wakes up. But it also means I have no choice but so spend more time with my little human and it’s kind of awesome.
It is a challenge. I love my job. I enjoy working and accomplishing things. I dislike interruptions when I am working and get annoyed when I cant just work on something until its done.
Its hard to hear your little human in the other room laughing and playing and not being a part of it. Its hard to walk away when he’s calling for his mama because this week I am his favourite person and no one else will do.
Some days its even frustrating that you cant do all that you want to do. That there are documents not yet drafted or emails unanswered. Its an adjustment. But as the weeks pass, we are now on week 5, a new normal starts to develop. You adapt to working in increments, at different times and slowly productivity increases as adaptation takes hold.
Things that have made the adjustment easier:
- Developing a schedule and daily routine
- Daily exercise and outdoor time
- Healthy eating
I read a post on Instagram that said you are not working from home. You are at home during a crisis and trying to work. That really resonated with me. To some degree we are all going to have to accept that this is not life as normal right now. There is added stress, pressure, fear, and unease. There will be days that are not as productive as normal and given the circumstances, that’s okay.
I want to look back on this time years from now without regret for spending too much time worried about not getting enough work done, for spending too much time arguing with my husband over who gets to “work” the morning shift.
I want to look back and be thankful for this extra time I get with my young son. To have those memories be at the forefront of my mind. To be proud of myself for making it all work. For grinding when needed and taking a step back when I can. This may mean staying up late and waking up early to get work done before or after my son is awake. It may mean little to no me time or us time. These days aren’t easy, and it may get worse before it gets better. The silver lining is that this is temporary. So instead of feeling frustrated and stressed about not getting enough work done on any given day, I’m thankful for the gifts this time has brought.