Reset your work life
From the flexibility of the ‘new’ world of work to the sense of community and collaboration of the ‘old’, here’s how to cherry-pick the best of both
Do you remember what your routine used to be? Did you rush from a crowded commute into a day of emails and meetings, grab a quick drink or exercise class and then head home to bed, exhausted? Perhaps that’s looking quite appealing right now – I’m sure there are parts of your old work life that you miss. But what I want to know is, in your pre-lockdown life, did you ever have a minute to stop and ask yourself, ‘What part of this am I choosing?’ I’m guessing not. It feels like we were all on the same treadmill for years. On autopilot, moving along the ‘career path’ in exactly the same way as everyone else – until the pandemic hit and everyone woke up. Lockdown fundamentally changed everything, especially our relationships with work. Many of us spent years trying to
negotiate flexible working, businesses struggled to keep up with changing technology, and we all navigated office politics. Then, overnight, home-working became a given, we had to catch up with the latest tech and… what office?
In the first lockdown we made sourdough while the sun shone, and scrambled to maintain something close to a typical day. More than a year on, we’ve figured out working from home – and it’s started to feel scarily like normal life. We know when to mute and when to speak in a Zoom meeting, our bosses have (hopefully) worked out what information they need to share, and we’ve managed to stay connected. In spite of the difficulties that we are all facing, we mostly have this working-from-home business nailed.
Lockdown was a totally new environment, and we were on our own, forced to find our own way. And as we made those first steps into independent working, we found things that made it just that little bit easier. Morning meditation, a long walk at lunch, no-email hours – we each developed our own coping strategies. I worked out that by 2pm my brain just isn’t focused on ‘deep work’ any more, so I try to schedule all my meetings in the afternoon and also use it to do mindless admin work or, even better, just go for a walk. I know I’m not alone in finding ways to get by and reshape my day around what I need, and identifying what feeds my soul and helps me stay motivated.
So, what now? Some of us may already be making tentative steps back into office life, or figuring out what our freelance set-up is going to look like going forward. No matter what your job is, things will be a bit different. Perhaps your company plans to encourage flexible working, or maybe all your meetings will include an online component. There could be different business priorities now, and your team might have changed. Right now, it’s all to play for.
What’s clear is that work and life aren’t two separate things; they are intricately interwoven. And if your work isn’t making you happy, chances are your life isn’t all that happy either. I spoke to some incredible people when I was researching my book, The Reset: Ideas To Change How We Work And Live, from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to Alex Mahon, CEO of Channel 4. One of the most important things that came out of those conversations was the idea that if you reset how you work, it might just change how you live. There may not be many days left before you’re hurled back towards your old nine-to-five, so now is the time think about what you want to be different.
Whether you’re in an office or you’re freelance, this is your moment to radically reset your relationship with work. It’s about consciously considering what’s essential for keeping you engaged and motivated, and what you could do without.
The question is, as we emerge from the cocoon of lockdown, and reintegrate with our new working lives, what are the things about this past year that we want to take with us? What’s possible now that felt impossible before?
‘WORK AND LIFE AREN’T TWO SEPARATE THINGS’