Pivot or Perish: Work Life During the Pandemic

“I can’t possibly do all of this accounting work at home,” I said when closing the office because of COVID-19 was no more than a possibility. “I need my files.”

I have more or less made a career from taking apart organizations’ problem financial records, finding where the accounting went off the rails, cleaning up the books, and putting them right again. It’s a big reason I was hired for my current job. This clean-up had taken me almost a year, and I have the reams of paper and drawers of files to support my work.

I even offered to come into the office in the very early stages of the pandemic. What a trooper? No! What a coward. That was me trying to cling to what I knew and felt comfortable with. And then the virus hit Westchester County and New York City like a bomb. It spread like wildfire and proved it had staying power. The governor ordered all businesses closed and almost all people to isolate.

I had one option. Bring my job home and make it work.

I left the office with a company laptop and cursory instructions on how to log on to our system. I hit some bumps the first time I tried to sign on. I sent out a call for help and waited. For days glitches plagued me. On the day I lost about four hours worth of work, I let panic push me down a rabbit hole - “I’m letting everyone down,” I thought. “They’re going to think I’m using this time as a vacation!” They didn’t. They were having the same problems.

At the office

At home

I knew our world had changed but I had expected a smoother transition into isolation. Predictability evaporated and I was caught off guard. Relying on familiar routines no longer worked, and feeling cut off from the world only amplified my frustration. My blood pressure rose until my lower back ached.

I had to make some adjustments if I were to keep my sanity and health.

I do what I can with the resources I have, no more. I show up on time at my computer every morning. Discipline is good. I stopped trying to work faster than my laptop allows. Tasks take longer, but I’m getting the work done. Along the way, I’m discovering better ways to do some of it.

Most amazing to me — I can do everything at home that I did in the office!