This past week was a series of firsts in my remote work journey. Just when I thought that my office virginity had returned, it was time to go back into the office. It was just for a series of meetings, but my working-at-home streak was broken. And that’s ok. This time it was different.
In the three years that I’ve been working remotely, this is the first time that I’ve traveled for work. It’s also the first time that I’ve been back in an office. And most importantly, this was the first time I’ve met one of the teams I work with face to face. It was interesting in many respects. Because I’m not going back to the office regularly, this was a special event. It was a bit chaotic, but I think it was representative of how work should be done when people interact in person.
Intentionality
if I was in the office regularly, people would either look for me or check my calendar to know whether I was there or not there and move on. They could always catch me later. But in this particular case, my presence in the office was a fleeting opportunity. Most of my time was scheduled, but in between, I was bombarded by everyone who wanted some of my time while I was there, I’ve rarely seen this type of interaction in traditional office settings. It was a bit frenetic, but it was also focused, and we got things done in real-time. That doesn’t always happen, even with remote work. So I think it does highlight the importance of in-person gatherings. But again, if it hadn’t been as intentional, I don’t think it would have been as productive.
Always a Tradeoff
The tradeoff for this concentrated office goodness was the dreaded commute. It was everything I expected it would be. It was long, with lots of traffic, but I did manage to get two audiobooks done in the process. So it was productive in that respect.
When I was in my 20s I thought nothing of going to work on a Friday and then driving 9 hours to visit my family. Come Sunday, I would do the drive in reverse and be back in the office on Monday. This past week, leaving for the office at 6 am and getting home at 9 PM was a reminder that I’m really out of practice. I don’t miss the commute. We get too used to the work norms we set for ourselves. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Seeing the Possibilities
I love not having to go into the office. Once you’ve gone remote, it’s hard to go back. I went through this 25 years ago and eventually got sucked back into an office setting. A few years away from it give you a new perspective. I was fully expecting some office PTSD but it didn’t happen. Maybe it’s because I knew it was an isolated event, but I’m glad that I did it.
This trip into the office gave me a better sense of what is possible when we get together intentionally. We shouldn’t just get together as a default. Get together with purpose, whether that’s at a coffee shop or in an office regularly. Intentional gatherings are more productive and more energetic. They also cut out the fluff that often permeates the office and gets in the way of a lot of things getting things done.
There was also a batching aspect of my office visit. We did a whole bunch of things at once that would be much more spread out in regular office interactions. Much like charging a battery, intentional interactions can give you the energy to work remotely until you need another charge. This time was more of an experiment, but there will be a next time. Now that I know what is possible, there are opportunities to improve the process and make our intentional interactions even more productive.
