Hashtag Lockdown Life

Just like thousands of people across London, I've been learning a new norm and reality of having to work from home. So... my two cents on the upsides of WFH (working from home).

'What do I do?' I hear you ask... Well, I'm a comms person, and I work for a ports company in Covent Garden (yes, I know there are no ports in Covent Garden), but let me tell you, life has a been a little weird over the last couple of weeks.

I haven't travelled on a train or DLR or clipper (which as a commuting Londoner feels very weird), I've found myself actually WANTING to do housework whilst also WANTING to be outside (for people who know me I'm a sucker for a film inside on a beautiful day :p). Very strange.

So... So far working from home has had some benefits.

ATTENTION SPAN: It's better. Once I settle into work and have had a cup of tea in me, I find my concentration's better and I get a lot more done in a day...

LESS TRAVEL: In the eight days of WFH so far, I have saved over £50 just by not riding on the tube. But the best part of no commuting is that I no longer have to stand like a sardine during rush hour, with someone's armpit shoved in my face. AND I'm no longer being sneezed and coughed on because someone was too wedged in to move an arm or hand to catch it. Now THAT is definitely a benefit. And yes that has happened to me. More than once.

The other benefit of no travel is that when you 'clock off' you're already home so you can get on with whatever it is in the evening you want to do. And you no longer have to endure the arduous commute home, standing like even more of a sardine.

Speaking of sardines...

LUNCH: In being at home this last week, I've saved almost £30 on lunches and snacks. My credit card bill was SUPER high this month, and when I looked at it, it was embarrassingly mainly just me making sneaky trips to Tesco downstairs to get a tube of Pringles, or a £3 meal-deal at lunch. When you do the maths, when you multiply all that by 20 (including the coffees one gets when you're out and about) it really can add up.

This week we've been living on £1 Asda soups and it's perfect; it's not expensive, it's delicious and it's all we need! I've found we are so inactive that we don't need as much to eat as we thought. Not that I was ever active at the office... but still. And as there's no longer a supermarket right beneath me, there isn't that temptation to leave the office in order to hunt and gather (unless I find myself truly desperate).

DAILY EXERCISE: In January, I did what I'd finally wanted to do for ages; I joined a gym. And I have been using it, doing classes, going swimming. But when a pandemic threatens, a gym is one of the worst places to be, as viruses can live in sweat and despite people's best efforts to clean the machines, it unfortunately doesn't kill everything.

But at home, I've been doing more to stay active. I have a daily goal of 10,000 steps (which is so far failing) and every lunchtime I get on Houseparty with my sister and a friend and we all do a 30 minute workout together.

I've even been going for runs, because now, more than ever, it's important to stay active!

You're welcome... (Yes, that is Henry Cavill) :D

But being at home has it's drawbacks too...

HOME WORKSTATION: My workstation is currently a too-comfortable armchair in the corner of the room. And despite it being comfortable to curl up into when I'm reading a book, it's not quite so comfortable to sit in all day, everyday with a laptop on my knees. And I literally never thought I'd be missing my office chair to be honest...

BEING SOCIAL: The long and short of it is that I miss my friends. And I bet we all do. Sure we have WhatsApp, texting, Houseparty or catching up with work pals on Teams, but there's no way a call across a screen can replace the real thing of seeing a friend in person.

I've gone from talking to and catching up with my colleagues everyday to having a half an hour catch up with them on Teams every couple of days, and it's weird.

DRAW OF THE FRIDGE: Everyone has it. Everyone feels it. And despite saying you can save money on lunches by being at home, the drawback is that you know everything in the cupboard and fridge belong to you... so it's okay to eat them.

The draw of the fridge is always there...

But obviously this is a different time we are living in. Before if you worked from home for a day, you could still head out that door and go and see some friends in the evening if you wanted to... go the cinema (man, I miss the cinema)... but not anymore, not for the time-being anyway. Now we have to stay inside to prevent the spread of a nasty virus that has killed 20,454 people (as of 25 March) and that number is only going to go up if we go out and socialise.

So what does one do?

Pretty simple really...

We have to stick together. Stay home, do as the government says and stay inside, because despite being a little bit bored at home, we ARE saving lives by staying inside and minimising contact with people in the outside world.

But PLEASE STILL TALK TO PEOPLE. At our flat, we've been talking across our courtyard to our neighbours (social distancing = being social but keeping your distance), talking to the parents and beating them at quizzes on Houseparty as well as friends. We will get through this, and this isn't forever, and we can do it...!

I know I'm lucky because I live with someone, but please let's not forget those people who live alone. Even if it's just for a minute or two, call them to let them know you're here with them, give them something to smile about as well as giving yourselves something to smile about and together this isolation will be over quicker! :D

But please... PLEASE FOR THE LOVE ALL THINGS HOLY... do NOT go out and panic buy. Do not be that person. Only buy enough to last you rather than planning for the end of the world (because it isn't the end of the world). If you buy too much food, especially fresh food, it will only go to waste and will only have to be thrown out. The supermarkets have plenty, and we WILL be okay.

Fine, buy a big pack of loo roll, but rather than putting a second pack in your trolley, just tell yourself to use 2 or 3 squares instead of 4. You'll probably surprise yourself as to how much longer the roll will last!

Over and out people. Until next time!