The past 3 months have been weird right? My husband started working from home around the time schools closed in my area. As a veterinarian I am an essential worker so I still go in to the office, but my schedule has been turned completely upside down. We split up in to teams so if one group gets sick the clinic wont have to completely shut down. But this has meant I don’t have a steady schedule and the days and hours I am working keep changing. Then on my days off I’m catching up on charts, calling or emailing clients or trying to manage cases form afar.
My husband works for a newspaper so he’s been a little busy lately. Like a lot busy. Often working past bedtime or working through the weekend. It’s been a little hectic and I rarely know what day it is. It’s made it hard to separate work and home as we tend to work the weekends or in to the evening.
Earlier this week our youngest turned 3 years old. Even though we couldn’t have a party and family couldn’t visit we wanted it to be a special day for her. It’s the first time she’s been excited for her birthday and has been asking us for a month “Is today my birthday?”
So after splurging on an inflatable water slide pool (who hasn’t bought something crazy during quarantine?) we made a commitment to focus on our family that day. Tim let his work know he would be unavailable that day unless there were any major emergencies. Thankfully the world was relatively calm that day.
I was lucky to be off work and to not have any hospitalized patients on her birthday. And while I did end up responding to some questions from a client in the morning I was able to truly turn off my work brain and focus on my family.
The day started bright and early with Anna bursting in to our room to let us know there were balloons in the house! We made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and by 8am we were getting the pool inflated. We were blessed with a beautiful day that was bright and sunny. The girls played for hours in the pool only stopping to eat some snacks. Tim and I enjoyed sitting by the pool getting splashed and drinking Bloody Marys. Tim actually infuses vodka with chipotle peppers in a mason jar which makes for the best Bloody’s.
After lunch the girls were tired and starting to get cold. Anna, even though she’s now a BIG GIRL, let me cuddle her in a towel while she warmed up. After cleaning up we all took much needed naps. The day ended with cheeseburgers and fries outside, and mermaid colored cupcakes. To me it was a perfect day.
We made a conscience decision to not work that day but there are other things we can do to better separate work from home everyday. One thing is to have a separate work space in the house. I know that is hard to do right now if you are trying to juggle working and childcare.
My husband’s desk is unfortunately in the corner of their play room. When I am home he can be in there alone, but when I’m at work they’re right there with him interrupting his video calls. But in the evening he tries to leave his computer at the desk and put his phone down so he is not tempted to continue working. That’s not always an option if he has a deadline but many times it helps.
I also suggest putting your phone in a different room for a couple hours in the evening. For us It is so hard to not read that email or text that just came through, and I tend to stress about it until I address the issue or question. Unless I have a hospitalized or post-op patient in the hospital, there is no reason any questions or concerns can’t wait for a couple of hours. So I am trying to be better about not working during dinner and bedtime once I am home.
If you have a demanding job or are simply someone who tends to work constantly it can be hard to stop once you are home. But Anna’s birthday was a reminder to us how important it is to take the time to be 100% present with our families.
What are your tips and tricks for separating work and home if you either work from home or tend to bring the job home with you?
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