I am on leave today and have the music going, candles burning, some granola in the oven and, as I potter around my messy kitchen, I have come to a realisation.
I don’t like working from home.
Yes! I am the odd one!
My home is my sanctuary and I want it to be the place where I relax, not where I carry the stress of deadlines and anything else work-related.
At the same time, work is my escape from home. You know, the place where I drink my coffee hot without getting distracted… coffee that someone else made for me.
Work is where I get to dress up and be just me. Not the mum, not the wife. Just me!
When I first started working and the kids were younger, one of my favourite things about going to work was simply talking to adults! 😂 After spending so much of my time in mum mode, work gave me a different kind of space.
I joke that I have two personalities – the work me and the home me.
Work me only needs to worry about her work, her food and her own needs. Home me, of course, cannot switch off and makes it her purpose to look after everyone else’s needs too.
Maybe they are both me, just different versions of me.
But I digress…
I don’t enjoy working from home.
I miss the banter with coworkers. The constant conversations that I then use my earphones to drown out.
Yes, I know. I have a confusing personality. 😂
I find myself being more productive and active when I’m in the office than when I’m at home.
Home is where I want to be creative. Potter around. Cook. Clean (I know – I am shocked too!), read, laze around.
So, I find myself choosing more office days than most people I know.
And then, when I feel burnt out or tired, I take time off to relax.
Well… not really relax.
Apparently I relax by doing chores and finding things to keep my hands busy. 😂
Cross-posted on the 15 Marbles blog and Substack, because some thoughts belong in both places.
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