Jo Edwards: Working from home

If you have read our blog post about the coronavirus then you will know that for the past week or so the MadeByShape team have been working from home due to coronavirus. Luckily we were able to pack up our computers and setup at home, unlike a lot of people who have had to stop completely. It has been strange to get use to working from home, with its own benefits and negatives.

Workspace

At home me and my partner share an office room. Normally I use this space for video games, painting or web browsing, but now it is my new work office. It is a great space to work, I have all my collectables and art round me. My dog, Pebble, has her bed under the desk and my partner who is also working from home (pro or con we'll see in a few weeks lol). I know I'm very lucky to have space to work, some of my colleagues are having to use kitchen tables or share space at a dog groomers. 

Workflow and Deadlines

In the morning we'll have a group call on zoom and discuss our day's jobs and checkpoints. We keep track of our work through Trello. We each have our own list where we have to write up a checklist for certain times of the day. This has been a great way to keep to the deadline and it puts everyone's mind at ease to know what we are all working on. The past week I have been working on a showreel/mini video showcasing our best work with fun animation and music. It has been really enjoyable and I look forward to your thoughts and feedback. I have also been developing a new site for a client called Oxygen who develop luxury accommodation. Unlike working on the showreel, Oxygen was a new challenge for me. When giving an overall deadline I access whether it has new and challenging areas to build. Usually the simpler tasks balance out these harder challenges. Working from home though I have to give more specific deadlines, for 10am, 2pm and 4:30pm each day. I found it difficult to estimate workflow especially on areas I'd never done before. In the end I did meet my overall deadline and have come out stronger and more knowledgeable on setting checkpoints, rather than just a final deadline.

Pros of working from home

Biggest pro for me is getting an extra hour in bed, wooo! I am not good when it comes to mornings and I hate coffee, so being able to wake up later and have breakfast later in the morning is great. It is also great to miss out on traveling to and from work, saving time and money just having to go down 2 flights of stairs. Another pro for working from home is being able to focus on my work with no distractions. I just wake up, get ready and crack on with my day's work. I also enjoy that I can have a variety of lunches now, like a fish finger butty. I've been enjoying my lunches in the sunny garden. Most of all though I get to spend every day with my dog Pebble, who frequently helps me out or serves as a hot water bottle.

Negatives of working from home

Even though there are many pros to working from home it has been a strange experience for me. Every day being at home, having work and home life under the same roof. If I didn't have a garden I'd probably go a bit mad. The mind needs to know when to shut off and it's hard to do that if you know you have a deadline and your work is sat right in front of you. I miss the team bants, general chit chat and communal lunches. It's nice to catch up and socialise. Working from home I tend to make lunch, eat and then go back to work. I don't properly have a break. Another negative for me is the workflow. At work we can easily see and communicate on what work we are doing, whereas working from home we have to use Trello to write what we're working on and our deadlines for them. I feel this is creating more pressure for myself because so much trust and responsibility has been given to me and I don't want to let anyone down. Hopefully in the next few weeks I become more confident in my work.