I have faced a number of adjustments to my normal work routine this week. During the entirety of my work-from-home experience, I have been alone in that home. That comes with its own challenges, but being interrupted by other people in the same physical space is not among them. Sure, there have been times over various holidays and vacations when I’ve been with other people, but such times tended to be slack times. That isn’t the case right now, and on top of that my workday is extended with me working across time zones and continents.

I’m convinced the biggest cause of these current challenges is the physical layout of the space. My “office” is located in an open space between the living room and the kitchen. This is in contrast to my last few apartments that had offices in set-off areas. It has given me a new appreciation for those people who have trudged through the past few years with the kitchen table doing double duty. Having little ones crawling, walking, or running around would add an entire new degree of difficulty. I don’t know how those people have managed at all. The set-off offices also gave the benefit of a mental separation that made it easier to end the workday. This bears some resemblance to how putting on shoes instead of working in slippers aids my productivity. So much of the work-from-home experience is an internal psychological battle for energy and focus, and not needing to expend the energy required to fight that battle is yet another reason I’m convinced that work from home absolutists are incorrect (though I suspect we are currently seeing an overcorrection for most workers).