After the year that was 2020, I don’t know why it came as such a surprise when I got stuck in Queensland due to border restrictions earlier in January. Brisbane was declared a red zone and anyone who had been there since January 2nd was no longer welcome in Victoria.

Having left Brisbane for the Gold Coast on January 4th we immediately got COVID-19 tested and applied for an exemption. With no word from the Victorian government and after days of panic, wondering if we’d have to set up shop in Queensland and face lockdown yet again in another state, things started to ease up and it looked like our best option was to wait it out in a green zone. Of course, we did have the reassurance that we had our laptops and were well versed in working remotely. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that and we started the two-day drive home on the 18th, the same day work was due to start.

Although not required by the Victoria government, I had offered out of consideration for my team to be tested for COVID-19 upon my return. They were now all back in the office (we have a small team and ample space meaning the whole team could return) and I’d already missed the first two days back waiting for results, which meant a further two days of working from home for me. I have enjoyed working from home, but it feels different when everyone else is in. This, along with having new team members and missing initial planning meetings left me with a case of FOMO.

It did however give me some insight into what a hybrid workplace for the 21st century would look like; some of us at home, whilst others are in the office. Wrights have now initiated flexible hours with core hours being 10am – 4pm and employees making up their remaining hours before or after, dependant on what suits them. The next step is to offer the option of working from home for a day a week; it will be interesting to see how this works and how many people take up the offer. I myself am more than likely to take the opportunity to work from home occasionally as I feel like both my work and personal life benefitted from it.

I learnt a lot whilst working from home; including how distracted I can allow myself to get in the office – I’m a people person and can’t resist a little office natter, but at home we didn’t have this luxury and my catch ups with team members were scheduled, which meant I could plan out my day and really stick to it. There was no excuse for not knuckling down and having a solid hour or two go at a task.

Going back into the office, I will be protecting my time by setting aside allotted times for tasks and finding myself a quiet space to do so if needed. In turn, I will be mindful of others time and not just call out a question and respect that they could be in the middle of something.

I also learnt to work more independently and although I am very much looking forward to collaborating more and having the support of a team just a stone’s throw away, what I will be taking away with me is to take a moment if I don’t understand something, re-read the brief, the question, whatever it is…think about it, do some research, sometimes even just have an attempt at the answer. I’ve learnt to pause before running to someone for the answer, because more often than not, if you do this, you will know or be able to find the solution.

There are actually a few things about lockdown I’ll miss, such as working from home. I’ll miss being with my little family everyday (puppy and partner). For those who were fortunate enough to live with family during this time, it was a type of quality time that we will never get again, and I think that’s something to be cherished. I will also miss the simplicity of life in lockdown, not worrying too much about superficial things like your clothes or hair, your plans for the weekend and also how easy it was to stick to an exercise/health routine.

When is comes to News Year’s resolutions, I’m determined not to settle back into old habits, let’s not write the last year off and fall back into exactly what we were doing before the pandemic began. Let’s use this past year and move forward.