It’s been over a year now since the UK started its first lockdown.
It’s been a year where we’ve had to learn why the R-value is important, how to wear masks properly, but also where a huge amount of office workers have had to learn how to work from home. All. The. Time.
I was fortunate that I was already set up to work from home, but I only did it once every three months to keep my remote access justified.
It was easier to get my job done in the office, and better for stakeholder management if I was in every day. The gym was at work, and squeezing into a busy train at 6:32am every day was just a part of my life.
Until Covid-19 arrived.
I don’t think when we packed up to leave the office on the last day we had any sort of understanding about the impact it would have in the UK and how long we would be working from home.
We’re over 12 months in yet with no plans to return to the office as yet.
I’m quite a textbook introvert. So after a year, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learnt.
1. Don’t try to fight change
I was quite anxious about how to do my job from home. My manager was quite old school and wanted me sat next to him every day.
I thought if I wasn’t able to do certain parts of my role, I would seem more redundant (and that’s not where you want to be during a pandemic).
But inevitably you find new ways of working. You find new things to focus on, new ways to communicate and new ways to get involved. You have to adapt, because the old way of working isn’t available to you anymore.
Then about 7 months into working from home, my manager moved and a new one arrived. I couldn’t think about two more different people. But it’s been ok. I have learnt new things. I have had to push myself.
I am very comfortable in safe, secure routines. I will actively try to avoid change. Introverts often are worried about making mistakes or failing, which are associated with change. But change is inevitable, and the quicker i embrace change the quicker i can get on in the new situation.
This whole pandemic has caused a vast amount of changes for every single person, but change isn’t always bad. It needs to be embraced so we can develop more as people.
2. Put hand cream next to your laptop
Everytime you’re in a meeting, you now can use the opportunity to moisturise your hands.
Your hands will thank you for it, and you will start to work through that huge pile of hand cream you’ve been given as gifts over the last 5 years.
3. Plan for your energy levels
As an introvert, you’d think working from home would be way less exhausting. But in a strange way, it’s turned out that video calls can be just as exhausting. There’s lots of reasons for this, highlighted by writers far better than I could explain: ‘Zoom fatigue is real — here’s why video calls are so draining‘ or ‘Zoom fatigue’ is taxing the brain. Here’s why that happens‘.
Unfortunately, working from home is still not the introverts dream (as many extraverts would believe).
It’s still exhausting to have to join meetings over video calls instead of face to face, it’s exhausting having ‘catch ups’ with colleagues and that’s not counting the social events over Zoom. At this point i have to confess i didn’t even attempt to dial into my work Christmas party.
So you need to plan things as much as you can according to when you have the most energy. A year on, i know that i like having my 1:1 with my manager and doing work in the morning when i’m feeling most alert. I prefer to then have calls in the afternoon, when my brain feels a little fatigued by concentrating on work, and instead I can chat with a colleague or do my IT or HR calls.
4. Don’t use being an introvert as an excuse to disappear
I don’t ever want to turn my camera on. But actually it’s good etiquette to turn it on.
It’s more polite for the person who is presenting to see you. Yes, if it’s a huge call or they’re sharing screens and you know they won’t be able to see your face, then sure I switch my camera off. But generally I stop myself from keeping my camera off.
Bonus is you can’t stare at your second screen and answer all your emails or go on your phone so you’ll probably be able to take a lot more from the meeting.
Also working from home doesn’t mean you don’t need to talk to people now. If you’re not going to bump into people around the office now when you’re getting a drink or having your breakfast, you’re going to have to create those opportunities more intentionally.
It would be the easiest thing for me to stop talking to anyone who I don’t technically need to know.
But if I want to do a really good job, if I want to keep relationships with my colleagues, if I want to be aware of who is struggling and might need a bit support, I need to make some calls.
I can’t say, ‘well i’m an introvert and so calls are really hard work for me’. That’s not an option (but again point 3, plan according to your energy levels, a couple a week or something – be sensible!)
5. Try not to feel guilt when everyone else keeps talking about how much they can’t wait to get back to the office.
Most of the team I work with are all extraverts who can’t wait to get back to the office or ‘normal life’ again. But honestly, the thought of opening up makes me feel quite unsettled. I’m a bit nervous to get on a train or sit in an office all day.
Just because some people can’t wait to go back, doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you if you aren’t rushing back.
If you’re an introvert, you’re probably naturally less of a risk taker and to be honest, going back to normal seems pretty risky to me right now. I don’t want to pass covid onto a colleague, a church member or one of my family. I’d feel awful.
At the end of the day, being an introvert is the way you are, and even if an extravert may struggle to understand why you feel the way you do, doesn’t mean there’s something wrong. It’s good to have extraverts and introverts, we tend to balance each other out.
Both need to make sure they manage their weaknesses.
The introvert does need to put themselves in social settings sometimes, even if they’re uncomfortable and an extravert does need to follow the social distancing rules even if it’s the most frustrating thing for them.
6. Plan a way for you to switch off
You don’t have the train journey now to read a book, or a car journey to listen to a podcast anymore.
A lot of people are finding the work/life balance lines very blurred. You’re probably going to need to do something to signify to your brain you’re done working now, to stop you answering emails into the evening.
That’s going to be different for each person. I know it’s cliche but I found yoga really good for the first 6 months of lockdown. I was so tired from calls, just relaxing and breathing was really good for slowing my brain down.
I’d recommend 30 years of yoga with Adriane for any yoga beginners:
Other things that have worked well for me is going for a walk, putting on a face masks or doing a short workout video.
7. Work hard to stay in contact with your friends.
You’re probably sick of zoom, but you need to keep up with your work friends friends. So do video calls or phone calls with them regularly.
I can happily stew in my thoughts but never verablise them and it’s good to talk with friends so I have to talk about things.
Introverts are also classic overthinkers, so if you don’t have those friends you can talk to about things you’re worried about, or have a rant when you need it, you could get too lost in your own head and lose perspective.
8. Keep up your hobbies or ‘me time’
At the beginning of working from home, I thought ‘I’m so tired in the evening from all these calls, I can’t read – I’ll just watch something on Netflix‘.
But I discovered that an evening on Netflix made me quite sluggish and I felt quite under accomplished when I went to bed.
So I downloaded an habit tracker app and put on some things that I should try and do in my free time. Playing the piano, learning a language, reading secular books and doing calligrahy were some of mine. All things I want to do or enjoy… but didn’t feel like doing.
I started doing some of them after I’d had my tea, and I’ve felt more refreshed from an evening of reading, than an evening of endless episodes of a TV show. I get energised by reading. I just needed to nudge myself at the beginning.
I was so tired of working from home, I’d forgotten to do my hobbies. But with a bit of discipline, I’m enjoying my free time more and feeling like i’m achieving more. Including starting to get through my huge reading pile (which i suspect deep down I will never do).
Lesson learned as an introvert
Working from home isn’t my ideal working situation, but especially through the last year there is much to be said about focusing on the things you can be grateful for.
I’ve learnt more about myself and how to push myself out of my introvert comfort zone, but doing it in a sensible way.
It’s taken a lot of effort, but there is no development without effort. Nobody changes by living in their comfort zone.
