Hi everyone! Whew… I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m getting whiplash. I have been talking a lot about change lately, and I think we can all pretty much relate. Between the kids being home from school,  shorter work hours, and staying at home as much as possible I didn’t know that I could handle any more changes. And I think we’re all getting a bit sick of hearing about it. But two weeks ago, another big change happened.

If you have been following my blog, you will know that aside from my full time job I also freelance part time from home. In my post The Balancing Act I let everyone know ultimately my dream is to work from home full time. That is always something I’ve wanted to do, however after my mom passed away I decided to really push for it. Having to leave the state for her funeral really hurt the paychecks, but more importantly having some work to do would have kept my mind busy when I had nothing else to do except be sad. Ironically, on my mom’s birthday I got my first long term contract. I was overwhelmed with emotions, as you can imagine.

An Unexpected Surprise

About a month ago I applied for a contract position with a reputable company. That was right at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic here in the United States. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything back. A couple weeks later, I actually received an email back from them asking me for a phone interview. Whaaaaatttttttt!!? Really, even with all of this going on? I was so excited, but didn’t want to get my hopes up. The platform I applied through had let me know that there were 50+ applicants, not to mention by this time millions of people have just been laid off. We set up the interview, though.

During the phone interview we talked for about an hour. Half of the time was on the phone, and the other half through skype (audio only). As we were talking, I think we could both tell it was a good fit professionally. Well, guess what? I got the job! He was hiring for a couple other positions, so a few others got jobs as well. My job will be a supervising position overseeing some of the projects that are already going on, appointing new projects, and working on projects of my own.

Why I am So Excited For This Opportunity

First and foremost, I want to say that I feel so extremely blessed that this opportunity presented itself, especially at this time amidst COVID-19! Not only that, but I have been working the last two years to land another position like this. This position will allow me to get back to what I do and love. This position is also a lot like the one I had in IL before “The Big Move”. The major difference is that instead of going into an office every day, I will be working from the comfort of my own home. It is also a different product type, but I am confident that I will be able to do my job without worry.

I am starting with part time hours. Once I get to know the company better, and get acclimated I will be moving into full time hours. So not only am I getting back to what I know and love, I am one step closer to my ultimate goal of working from home full time! Half of their employees are located at their headquarters in VA, and the other half of their employees work remotely. Which means they are not new to the remote game either.

How This Will Affect My Current “Schedule”

If you read my last post Rerouting Our Routine During Covid-19, you’ll know that I haven’t quite nailed a new routine yet. So the term “schedule” is used very loosely here. A new job is another big change to add.

Since taking this new job means I have to be available during business hours for the time being, I had to cut the hours at my traditional office job. One of the hardest parts of all this was talking to my current employer. I really enjoy working with and for them, and they have become an extended family of sorts. Professionally, though, it’s just not where I want to be. Honestly, I was shaking when I had to talk to the owner and I felt really bad. In order for me to grow professionally, it was something that had to be done.

Getting back to my schedule, I will go into the office at 8am and stay until noon. Since Bubs and I usually go home for lunch anyway, after we eat I will retreat into my home office and work on my contracts for the remainder of the day. I have noticed though, that some days when we leave the office I don’t have any time to eat if I have to jump on a call right away. Those days are a challenge because I get really grumpy when I don’t get to eat, or shall I say “hangry”.  Other days I have more time to eat and get settled before starting work for my new job. I have been able to end my days though at a reasonable time, though. Usually between 5 and 6 pm is when I close my home office for the day.

Getting Used To A New Norm

I think my body is finally starting to get used to a new “schedule”. Waking up at my “normal time” to go to work in the morning has really helped  a lot. Although I really liked sleeping in for an hour during that week, that is one of the biggest things that threw me off.

I am still getting used to my new afternoon schedule. I love it to pieces, but it is still an adjustment. Since working from home in the afternoons, I’m finding that I have to remind myself to take breaks. I have a habit of getting lost in my work, and losing all track of time. For this, I set myself some alarms.

Soon enough, I am hoping that my home office will be my full time office, and not just in the afternoons. When that time comes, it will be another major adjustment but a good one. One step at a time, I am getting there.

For those of you already working from home, regularly or because of COVID-19, how are you doing? Do you enjoy it, or do you prefer the office? Let me know in the comments!

Feature Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels