Like many readers of my Editor’s Diary, I am beginning to adapt to the very different experience that is working from home.
And I find that there are pros and cons to my new situation.
My cats, for example. It’s lovely to be able to see so much more of them, but they are very enthusiastic about “helping”.
They have a fascination for my laptop and keep trying to walk across my keyboard. They also LOVE video conference calls!
Matilda recently showed her disdain for a high-level strategy meeting by continually wafting her tail in front of my screen, much to the delight of our pet-loving head of department.
And the “Friend” features team meeting was enlivened no end by Zorro standing meowing on top of the toaster in my kitchen (yes, really!) in full view of the camera. Yvonne said it was the best features meeting ever!
The commute to work has also changed.
Before, I would drive through gorgeous scenery for half an hour or so between my home in Fife and the office in Dundee. Now my “commute” is the trip down the stairs to the kitchen table.
I miss the physical separation between home and work life that those miles represented.
The journey was also ideal for mentally planning the day ahead in the morning, and processing all that had happened on the way home.
The temptation of biscuits
Another pro: no packed lunch to prepare every day. But a pretty big con: the temptation of biscuits, and far too many cups of tea so close to my kitchen-table desk!
I no longer have to give too much thought to wearing smart clothes.
People can only see what I look like if I switch my laptop camera on while on a call! But I’m grateful for my stash of warm jumpers, as my house is not as well heated as our lovely offices.
Most of all, I miss the company of my colleagues. We really are like one big family in the “Friend” team, but we’re making a point of keeping in touch with each other.
The important thing is that we’ve now proved we can successfully produce the “Friend” from home.
Which means we can keep all our readers supplied with feel-good stories and features to see them through this crisis!
Some things never change.
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Angela Gilchrist I am the former Editor-in-Chief of “The People’s Friend” magazine. My passions include cats, Highland ponies, good books, vegetarian food and long walks in the Scottish countryside. My favourite place to get away from it all is the magical Isle of Skye.
