Being a global safety company we were ‘thrown’ out of the office in the earliest stages of Covid-19 rampaging across the planet and I have now been working from home full time for 6 months.

So thought a good time to capture what’s been happening for me during this time as a reminder in years to come. Who can forget the toilet roll rage, shortage of flour, the nation becoming bake off fanatics and learning to cook at home, limits on necessities in supermarkets, Thursday night clapping for carers, tuning into watch the daily C-19 briefing from Downing Street, the Internet struggling to stream at full capacity due to millions logging on to work, doing home fitness workouts, ZOOM calls, Netflix binge-watching and catching up on unopened emails from last decade or new emails from companies you last traded or engaged with 3 years ago offering you fast home delivery.

Doctors, nurses, delivery drivers, teachers, key workers all doing their best. Parents trying to home school. Workers setting up an ‘office’ at home. Public transport deserted and running on skeleton crew & timetables.
No meeting or hugging, only go out for food and medicines.
Do wash your hands, keep your distance and stay home.

What a roller coaster ride Covid-19 has provided for the world with countries at various parts of the ride on opposite ups and downs with borders opening and closing, local lockdowns and when we could venture abroad then 14 day self-isolation imposed as infections rose in certain countries. Will this ride ever end or even flatten out ?

Personally I have faired pretty well, being asthmatic I have mostly stayed home, I’ve only been away from home in last month to meet others for outdoors dining or be active – shooting, running, SUP, surfing, cycling.

Having previously been self-employed I have a ‘home office’ already set up with desk, wi-fi, multiple screens in a room I can shut the door and walk away from at end of working day. If you have a dedicated work space, good internet, minimum distractions or interuptions and an endless supply of coffee life is good!

WFH has gone from a perk of a job to a necessity, lockdown has proved that marketeers can still flourish and it seems that productivity has actually increased. Suppose most of us are used to working online and remotely with our global teams. With everything from sales 1:2:1 meetings, exhibitions and events being cancelled the majority have gone online meaning our team have been one of the busiest as we pivot from reality to virtual worlds. Daily TEAMS calls, weekly CEO company emails and a virtual global team walk have allowed us to be more connected than ever.

Luckily work has informed us that we won’t be phased back in to the office until the new year and for our marcoms team that will be March so looking like a whole year out of the office working from home.

Where we are now with handwashing, sanitizers, mask wearing, social distancing, pre-booking, test & trace, continued work from home, self-isolation is our new ‘normal, but as we have seen in the last 6 months rules and restrictions can be changed in an instant.

2020 has seen the overuse of previously unheard of or rarely used words and acronyms which are now part of our daily dialogue, such as: unprecedented, extraordinary, Covid-19, WFH, global pandemic, herd immunity, contact tracing, U-turns, lockdown, epidemic, PPE, social distancing, vaccine, ventilators, confirmed positive case, death rates.

Good things to come out of Covid-19 experience
Great Outdoors – luckily summer 2020 has been a scorcher and allowed us to explore locally finding hidden footpaths and enjoying whats on our doorstep..

Spending time at home with husband and dogs, getting around to DIY and decorating – very excited to have a new front door.

Virtually everything has an online version including F1 as E-sport, virtual triathlon and running events, PE with Joe Wicks, book clubs, Les Mills BodyPump on demand and many instructors doing Facebook live sessions which gives a group vibe, Facebook Lockdown fitness groups and one of my favourites home gin tasting.

I have been on the water a lot more and occasionally in it when falling off SUP while challenging myself in a SUP yoga session. Exploring Bristol harbour with guided SUP tours and local lakes. Also perfecting my pop-up’s as I discovered The Wave, inland surfing at Bristol and been a few times this summer.

Got a bit addicted to TikTok as an entertaining distraction seeing daft dogs, human mishaps, dancing police & paramedics, distant travel memories.

Not so good:
Lack of spontaneity – need to plan and book ahead, taking your mask and sanitiser.

Hesitant to go back indoors for sports, not ready to return to the gym & pool but I know the weather and dark nights will force me soon enough.

Missing swimming – as triathlons including ironman Copenhagen have been cancelled, all races have been deferred to 2021, I also deferred my swimming lake membership. Swimming maybe my first venture back to the gym when the local roadworks are completed.

So here we are in September and ready for the next ride on the Covid-19 roller coaster as schools and Universities open up again, those who can or want to are encouraged to return the office, test & trace is now reporting that cases are on the rise but deaths are at the lowest for months, more countries are added to self-isolation on return from holidays, local lockdowns are on/off and whispers of a second wave are getting louder as autumn approaches. What next ? who knows.