Working from Home: Week Thirty-Nine

Today marks the end of my thirty-ninth week of working from home (mostly). Here are my takeaways from week thirty-nine:

  • Community – I miss seeing people in the Atlanta tech community. I’m looking forward to the day when we can interact in person safely. Community will be top of mind for me and many others in 2021. If working from home and other habits become the norm, people will be seeking community more than ever. I view 2021 as a time that offers a unique opportunity to create and rethink community across in many sectors, not just tech.
  • Working smarter – I spent time this week thinking about what I want to improve. I thought about what was and wasn’t working but realized I do better when I begin by defining the end goal. After I did that, it was easier to see what activities were misaligned and start figuring out what changes to make. I’ll keep doing more of this over the next few weeks.  
  • More deals – Last week Microsoft announced the acquisition of Slack. This week was busy for IPOs. Doordash debuted Wednesday and Airbnb debuted Thursday. Investors are bullish on tech companies and are paying high premiums for high growth. I expect this trend to continue with more large deals announced before year’s end and maybe into Q1 too.
  • Weather – Last week I shared how the cold weather negatively affected me. It warmed up this week and we had more sunshine. My productivity and mood were noticeably better. I know there’s lots written on this, but I’m still amazed to observe it in myself.
  • Chapter 2021 – 2020 will end in two-and-a-half weeks. It’s been a wild year, and I’m looking forward to turning the page.

Week thirty-nine was a reflective week. Next week is the last full workweek before Christmas. I’m looking forward to it being both productive and reflective.

I’ll continue to learn from this unique situation, adjust as necessary, and share my experience.