I just realized that I have been working from home for fifteen months now. Yes, this is due to the Covid-19 pandemic and most people around the world are doing the same thing. But I never thought I would do this. Or, get to do this.

Did I ever love going to office?

When I first started working I used to think that office time was highly overrated. I wanted flexibility to work from anywhere and envied the people who got that. I never did. Yes, over the years my employers became less interested in the hours I spent in office. But I never saw someone’s career go well if they stopped showing up. So I forced myself to show up. I usually did that at my own sweet time. Luckily most of my employers have had fluid working hours.

Working from a cafe

I used to love the idea of working from cafes. Some years ago I got a chance to do this when I was in New York City to visit my wife (who was doing a batch at the Recurse Center). I got my coffee and my MacBook and kept it open waiting for magic to happen. I never got any single thing done the few hours I tried it. It seemed to me the people who worked at cafes had some special abilities which I lacked. Probably I was too excited by my surroundings to actually do anything.

March 2020

So I realized I did function best inside an office, despite my mixed feelings towards that. I continued to show up every day at office whether I worked there or not. Then came March 2020 - the month when everybody had to pack up and go home. I was very happy and super productive for … just about three days. My back and my hand hurt. I never needed any ergonomic equipment at home so I had none. I had to buy a good mouse and an ergonomic keyboard, followed by a monitor and a desk. It seemed working from home was expensive!

Ups and downs and ups and downs

The best summary of the last fifteen months would be - they were like a slow roller coaster. I kept having good times and bad times. I hit one problem, then got out of it, and then hit the next problem. Or an old problem again. I think I am much wiser, having gone through this experience. I never knew spending all day with my own mind would be so difficult. I never knew I could feel so demotivated for so long. I had almost forgotten how much time I can waste. On the other hand, I never ate so healthy. I never drank so less coffee. I never spent so much time close to nature, away from air conditioning.

Do I want to go back?

Well, this is really hard to say. I am not the same person who I was before March 2020. Assuming that I'‘l be required to go back to an office, I don’t want to forget what I learnt at home. So here is what I want to remind my future self. Working in an office is more predictable. Working from home is not. But that is what makes it more valuable. I think working from home has much more potential for your personal evolution. You’ll be more frustrated or more happy or more thoughtful. Whatever it is, you won’t be stuck in the same place. You’ll make bigger plans than before. You’ll have deeper realizations than before. And sometimes you’ll get way more work done than you ever did inside an office.