What We’ve Learned Working From Home
We’ve officially made it past the one-year anniversary of the pandemic. Since March of 2020, we’ve all had to make some big life changes to adjust to our new realities. One of the biggest changes was working from home.
We asked the Parachute community what you’ve learned working from home over the past year and here’s what you had to say:
“I’ve learned that it’s important to be more intentional and present in my life. It’s easy to fall into a monotonous headspace when you’re continuously in the same physical space, so I’ve had to intentionally break up my day with activities that make me feel like I’m an active participant in my life!” - AS, 21 (Portland, OR)
“Listening to your own body is so important. Because your environment of stress and relaxation are now the same place, it can be very draining for your body and mind. It’s important to continue taking care of yourself even if it feels like deadlines are piling up. You can always make time.” - AT, 19 (Portland, OR)
“I’ve learned the importance of setting alone time to recharge and rejuvenate. It’s good to give to others, but I realized I can’t do that if I don’t give to myself and look after my well-being first!” - CV, 23 (Chicago, IL)
“I learned how to transform my space for different tasks. Since I have to do most things in my room, I learned how to reposition my tools (my laptop, music instruments, etc.) to fit my tasks. You don’t need a large space to make it versatile.” - KW, 20 (Eugene, OR)
“You don’t let your laptop battery die, so don’t let your mental battery die either! Always find time to recharge yourself - get some sleep, eat a snack, and step away from electronics when you’re on those breaks.” - NP, 20 (Portland, OR)
“Really trying to get outside and take breaks is super important to me, and taking the effort to be more social with phone calls or Facetime is necessary for my mental health as well because you don’t have as much social interaction working from home.” - SP, 22 (Chicago, IL)
“I've learned to take truly separate grind time from free time. It's a lot easier to blur those two lines together when you're in the space you usually relax in, but cherishing your free time as two separate things creates more productivity. If you always see work as time to play or play as time to work, no true effort is put into either.” - AT, 23 (Fontana, CA)
“I have learnt how important it is to distance your identity from the things you create and produce. Basically that you are not your work. It’s also really helpful to have some stimulus in your environment to remind you of who you really are.” - OA, 22 (Portland, OR)
“There’s life beyond computer screens.” - RA, 25 (San Francisco, CA)
Written by Sam Nguyen
