Taking a break from the work/home/school routine
It is now almost six months since the lockdown. And, although things are picking up for Woodruff Scientific Inc., SciVista is starting to find commercial customers and Compact Fusion Systems is getting the right traction as part of an energy company accelerator, we could all use some downtime and a break from the routine.
On Sundays the last few weeks, I have been taking the family to the Pecos Wilderness, and we have all jumped in the Pecos River, if only for a brief while. We are fortunate in New Mexico to have wildernesses so close by — being a recent transplant in 2017, we are only just discovering the good spots, places we can plan a family outing to — so much yet to discover.
School has started, and distance learning is creating some new challenges. To get my youngest to read a book with his teacher required mastery of an online interface. While I mastered the lesson-planning system and the teacher uploaded the links, I got my son to read a book to me, and rewarded him with chocolate.
On Wednesday, neither kid was able to connect other than for the shortest time because of our semirural internet cutting out. I think I can suspend disbelief for only so long. I realized that partway through a work call, after my wife had exhausted herself managing the boys, that I had two kids and a dog needing my full attention, which I gave to them for the rest of the afternoon.
I went into work to catch up. Another team member was working on an overdue project. We had loud music, and I ordered Uber Eats, and then I had the clarity and focus that I hadn’t had all day.
For a few hours in the day, at least, there was just enough productivity. At 9 p.m., I realized I had to get home — the youngest would be up in just over eight hours, and the day would effectively repeat.
So, at home we are rolling with it for now — adapting to demands and needs each day. Things are getting done.
I hear that grandparents are being enlisted into distance-learning creches while parents work. We won’t be sending ours to their grandparents in New York City or the U.K. any time soon, but we will settle into a new routine, talking about what isn’t working, what is and making small improvements each day.
In the businesses, the same is true: There’s a lot of change and we are welcoming new interns, and employees are relocating, but we talk about it all in daily team meetings and try to keep everyone on the same page. We keep the music loud and reward ourselves with regular restaurant delivery.
Now that’s a new routine I don’t mind one bit.
Simon Woodru≠ is the president of Woodru≠ Scientific Inc., chief scientific o∞cer for SciVista and CEO for Compact Fusion Systems, all based in Santa Fe.