Covid-coworking - When solo working and office working collide

Things I have learnt from Cohabit-working.

When the worlds of the loner self-employed and a ‘proper job’ weirdo collide!

Me, I’m a creative who is very happy to spend her time alone in her workshop, never worked in an office and frankly the whole idea sounds awful. Him, well he works in an office what’s more to know?

We are currently on day 5 of our co-working isolating adventure and I thought a little lighthearted round up of how we were coping would make a welcome relief to the doom and gloom.

So if tonight marks the start of your journey, kids off school and your other half now working from home, here is what I have learnt so far.

He has a work voice, its unnerving!

I will be the first to admit I have a phone voice, but surely a work voice isn’t a thing? I mean who can keep that up all day. Well my friends I tell you, he’s got one and it’s unnerving. In a 'I’ve known you for 17 years what else don’t I know about you' way!!

Said work voice travels, especially when there is a sleeping baby in the house.

Honest to god if she wakes up I will blow torch your face, darling!

(Did I mention she isn't sleeping much at night)

Lunch breaks

When the same lunch you’ve been eating for days is questioned you wonder what tasty banquets have they been having at work while you’ve been living off toast for all these years.

They spend a lot of the time ‘on calls’

I hate the phone, I will block my best friends if I can get away with it, phone phobia is half the reason I work for myself.

Conference calls are 90% asking if they can hear each other… For the love of god Nigel take it off mute!!

And from what I have learnt office work is a lot of talking about what to do, another call scheduled to talk about it some more, and at the end of that call they all agree to come back in a few hours and talk about it some more. And I thought I was queen of procrastination!

 The timeline of our week

Day 1, I’m very welcoming and have opened up my workshop for you to work from.

I am such a good host, I have even let him share the Haribo that came with my envelope delivery. All is calm and we are totally smug about nailing co working life.

Day 2-3 I learn I am very protective of my space and how it is seen.

The first conference call he took in my workshop, 2 separate people asked why he was working in the shed. THE SHED!!

Errrr actually it’s a beautiful instagrammable workshop, hes just angled the camera wrong so you don’t get the full beauty that is my peg board!

Day 3 – GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SPACE.

This morning he asked how I would feel if he added an extra big screen to my desk as one screen isn’t enough (what!). I have a iMac, you can use that, no its not right im thinking of hooking up the tv from downstairs up here….. I gave him THE look, he shrank away and it’s not been mentioned since.

SO thanks for asking, we are all getting on swimmingly and finding this time we have been thrown together such a blessing!