I thought it would be fun to use today’s post to get to know you a little bit better. Since March, everyone’s work situations have changed so much. I’m curious to know what work is like for you right now, so would like to ask you a few questions! Feel free to answer as many (or as few) of them in the comments.
What’s Work Like For You?
- What do you do for a living?
- What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
- What is the best part of that?
- The worst part?
- What is something big that you working on right now?
- What are you most proud of right now?
- What’s a big goal you have for this year?
I’ll go first!
1. What do you do for a living?
Full time blogger / influencer / podcaster!
2. What’s your work setup like right now?
I work from home which is something I’ve always done, but I used to get a change of scenery at least once a week… I’d have meetings in the city, work out of Soho House, or just go to a coffee shop to not be at home! Lately I have been working from my dining table instead of my desk. I don’t know why but it feels like a change of scenery (and a better decision than working from the couch which always leads to being less productive.
3. What is the best part of that?
Tyrion, good snacks, freedom, not having a boss, and being able to do a mid-day workout.
4. The worst part?
Sometimes the days just feel like they stretch into nights and I am not sure what day it is! I also wear a lot of hats and sometimes I forget to do the important stuff (i.e. accounting, invoicing, filling out vendor paperwork). The amount of time I spend filling out paperwork (usually to get paid, which is important lol) for the brands I work with can be really time consuming and annoying!
5. What is something big that you working on right now?
Right now, gift guide planning is probably my biggest / most time consuming project. I want to make sure my gift guides are really unique and interesting. (This year’s are all price point focused and they start going live 11/10!)
6. What are you most proud of?
I’m really proud of my last Amazon collection! And my more recent post about not wanting kids. I was really nervous to publish it but the responses were so wonderful, and it’s makes me happy knowing I’ve helped normalize something like that, and/or helped someone feel less alone.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Right now I’m really working on establishing better boundaries between work and life. Work is going really well but life is… a little blah. There’s not a lot to do to fix that, but when I’m stuck at home at night I will often reach for my laptop to do more work as opposed to a book, movie, or going out for a walk. I’m also very excited for my pajama collab (more on that on my highlights on Instagram) and my Spring dresses with Amazon the Drop. One thing I realized this year was how much I enjoy working on product collaborations. I’m learning a lot and it’s also a lot of fun.
photo by Carter Fish.
I write for a lifestyle magazine, which is fun because it’s kind of like blogging – but man do I hate having a set work schedule and 9-6 days! I don’t know how employers think it is possible for someone to work nonstop for eight hours!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Love this post! With how everything changed in the past 7-8 months (has it really been this long?), it’s a great check in!
What do you do for a living?- I work for a large retailer
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Working from home now! Loving it and thriving
What is the best part of that?- I get to hang with my cat Poe and can fit in runs and the gym in the middle of the day
The worst part? I miss being social and interacting with people and I’m close to food. all. the. time.
What is something big that you working on right now? Fundraising for my next marathon!
What are you most proud of right now? self care- really listening to my body and doing what feels right
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Figure out that next career step
1. What do you do for a living? Finance – specifically business banking treasury management
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH
3. What is the best part of that? Comfy clothes although sometimes it’s business on top for video conferencing and sweats on the bottom. I also enjoy no commute time.
4. The worst part? My son is schooling 100% virtually. We love it and he is doing very well but it can be a lot to balance work and his schooling at the same time.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I’m really focused on my growth plan right now – what’s next for me in my career and my plan to get there.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I’ve worked for the bank for 14 years in various positions but started this position just 3 weeks prior to our Stay at Home order. I’ve been learning a new job remotely during a pandemic. I’m really proud of my ability to pivot and learn in a new and different way.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? I want to learn how to turn my mind off at night – how to not worry about my to-do list in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.
What do you do for a living?- Insurance Operations (Property Casualty account management)
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH
What is the best part of that? I have three kids who are in daycare (ages 1, 3, 4.5 ) so its nice to catch up with “house chores” and prep dinner during lunch break or any down time that way I feel more settled when I pick them up.
The worst part? I feel more pressure to “do it all” since I am at home. I need to get all my work finished to prove I am working hard remotely and I feel the need to make sure the house is clean and tidy and laundry is up to speed since I am at home all day.
What is something big that you working on right now? Getting an insurance certification- a year long course.
What are you most proud of right now? I think with all the stress and sadness in the world I am still managing to be a good mom.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To reach out to family and friends more to make sure they are doing ok, so often times I get so wrapped up in my life and my kids I forget to reach out to people who I think are fine, I just want to check in more… that and stop worrying so much 🙂
I loved reading where you’re at right now. Felt like getting a survey from a friend on AOL in 1999. I initially filled mine out with no plan on submitting, but then I realized it really helped me get some clarity! I didn’t realize how much I loved my current work situation. Something to feel grateful for this year! Thanks for doing this.
What do you do for a living? I’m a leadership trainer/facilitator at adidas. Basically, I help leaders become better people so they can be better leaders. Just trying to be the company’s Oprah-on-staff.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Fully remote! I never thought it would work because the vibe that we create in live workshops is so amazing. We have deep, emotional conversations and tackle personal topics and it’s really cool to be able to have a space for that at work. But it has transitioned really well to a virtual setting.
What is the best part of that? Work-wise, it’s great for the company because we’re able to cover more of the world. I’m based in Boston and my colleague is based in Portland, OR so we typically only cover our own offices. Now, we get to facilitate together AND cover all of the Americas. In some workshops, we even have other countries join so we get to be fully global. It’s so cool to hear that people in Pakistan, India, Turkey, Colombia, Germany, etc. are dealing with similar issues. We’ve tackled Covid to social justice to imposter syndrome. We’re all the same!
Personally, I love working from home. I’m a natural introvert but have a super extroverted career. (On top of my day job, I’m also a comedy performer and teacher.) I get to stay home with my pets, but I still get to connect with people all day long so I don’t feel like I’m losing any social interaction.
The worst part? NOTHING! I could stay in this set up forever.
What is something big that you working on right now? Christmas. I’m decking the halls as though I’m Martha Stewart preparing for a giant photoshoot. I’m planning out my rooms and ordering new stuff and it’s all going up on Halloween. I’m also preparing an outfit for every day in December, and festive activities I can still do with my friends outside.
What are you most proud of right now? I broke off a relationship that had been on/off for the past nine years. I was really sad the day it ended, but woke up the next day feeling empowered and free. Then I put a dresser together by myself. That’s my version of Beyonce’s Lemonade.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To enjoy the holiday season (I’m usually performing in holiday shows every single night and don’t get to spend much time with friends/family or do anything festive) and I’m feeling really creative right now. I’m writing more, and I’m feeling inspired to find ways to transition my comedy voice to a more sustainable platform. Not that live theater will ever go away completely, but I think things are going to be different. TikTok is probably not my platform, but I’m seeing opportunities on IG and elsewhere that are really exciting for me.
Patty, ditto your sentiments about virtual collaboration! I’m a consultant who specializes in design thinking and “co-creation” and it’s been a big shift in terms of virtual workshops. Love the more connected aspect and no longer having geographic constraints, but man do I miss not having to translate every activity into an “online friendly” version 🙂
Agree!!! If I never have to brainstorm another virtual icebreaker, I’d be SO HAPPY!
Steff, me too! Just curious – have you found any good tips for virtual collaboration?
Haha Patty seriously!
@Mer, only just! With my project teams and people I’m working closely with, I’ve started to use Zoom/Webex as a conference room like we would in the office. We open a video call and have it open for a few hours. You can come and go, get a snack, work in silence, chat, bounce ideas. It’s been a life saver for me and when we take out the “formality” of video calls and you no longer feel like you have to sit still and be polished, it’s so much less emotionally and physically draining. My close team has found this to be so so so helpful and effective for us. Even if I’m not super close with whoever I’m working with, I suggest this, and it might be a little awkward in the beginning but so far it’s working. Anything can pass on that you’ve found to be particularly helpful?!
@Steph completely empathize with the awkwardness, but just as with anything you’ll find your flow. I’ve found invision super helpful in the absence of real whiteboarding sessions. Besides that, just constant communication.
This is such a fun idea, thanks Grace! Looking forward to reading through what some of your other readers do as well!
1. What do you do for a living? I’m an architect, working on healthcare, commercial, and education projects.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) We have been working in the office practically the whole pandemic, minus the month of April when we were given the option to work from home. We have a small 10 person firm with an open office in our downtown.
3. What is the best part of that? I live close by, so I have a very short commute!
4. The worst part? The open office, definitely. It can be distracting when you’re trying to get something done and people around you are being loud. Also, sitting next to someone all day without any barriers, you start to notice every little quirk and it starts to drive you crazy. My mental health definitely benefitted working from home for one month, so I’m really missing that setup!
5. What is something big that you working on right now? Most of our big projects have been put on hold a little bit this year due to Covid, so I’m mostly working on smaller renovation projects and small offices.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I finally earned my architect’s license this year! The last step in achieving licensure includes 6 exams, which was a lot of work to study for. Really proud of finally passing all of them!
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? In general, just getting myself back into a good routine! I stopped going to my gym classes regularly because of Covid, which I used to do in the mornings before work. Not going has thrown off my morning routine, which then affects my whole day.
1 -What do you do for a living? I’m an investment counselor for a multi-family office
2-What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’ve spent most of the year working from home, but have been spending 2 mornings at the office for the last month.
3-What is the best part of that? It has been really nice to spend more time with my family (and kitty is also happy to have us around). Since I don’t waste time travelling to the office, 2020 has been a really good year in terms of sleep time!
The worst part? We spent 5 months quarantined at home and it really got hard at some point to not be able to take a walk outside, see my family and friends, etc
5 -What are you most proud of right now? I’m super proud of my multitasking this year. I work, have managed to cook all year, help my kid with her home-schooling and have even managed to stick with my yoga 3 or 4 times a week.
What do you do for a living? Account Executive, Global Professional Services Firm
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH 100% since March
What is the best part of that? So many things! Less time spent commuting and preparing to go to the office (packing lunch, hair/makeup), I can workout mid day, more time with family, time to fit house chores in here and there, much slower pace in general. Overall TIME I have gained so much more time.
The worst part? I miss my colleagues and lunches with them.
What is something big that you working on right now? Trying to focus on growth and prospecting for new business in this new world.
What are you most proud of right now? How amazing in general my life is and how grateful I am for holding out for the partner that I have now. We combined households 4 months before quarantine and it was such a gift that it worked out that way. We have built a great life together and I feel like this time that we have had together with my kids as a family has been so great to build our bond.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Focus on us and enjoy some self care, we have been indulging in some treatments for skin and laser hair removal. Continue to save for an incredible vacation once we can travel again.
I love the community you create here and the opportunity for all of us to get to know each other a little better! Here’s more about me:
1. What do you do for a living? I am an Assistant Director of Admissions for a small, private liberal arts college. I am regional, so I worked from home full time long before COVID.
2. What’s your work setup like right now? Again, not too different from how it was before! I did recently move my desk from our dining room to our spare bedroom, so that’s the biggest change I’ve made these days 🙂
3. What is the best part of that? I love working from home and I’m not sure I could ever go back to a real office! I love getting to wear leggings all day. I love that I can go for a run or to a yoga class whenever I want as long as I don’t have anything else going on. I love that I get to spend time with my cat all day. I do have to sacrifice the social parts of going into an office, but not having the mental stress of waking up, getting ready, commuting, being somewhere that isn’t home for 9 hours, and then coming home and trying to squeeze a bunch of little things into what should be relaxing time every day more than makes up for it!
4. The worst part? Kind of like I mentioned above, the lack of being around other people. While I do enjoy my own company I am a pretty extroverted person and there are definitely parts of being in an office around others that I miss. I try to keep in touch with my colleagues a lot during the day and I am always making plans to be with friends whenever I can!
5. What is something big that you are working on right now? I manage the entire application reading process for our office which is a huge undertaking! This is my second year in a row doing this so I feel pretty comfortable with it, but it takes up a big chunk of my day every single day.
6. What are you most proud of? My ability to even do this job from home! Hiring me was a leap of faith for the college, but I have managed to exceed expectations the entire time I’ve been doing this. I guess it boils down to my motivation and work ethic- those are the things I’m really proud of!
7. What’s a big goal you have for the year? This isn’t work related, but I have 2 big goals that I’d like to complete by this time next year- running a marathon and completing a 200 hour yoga teacher training (which my boss has graciously agreed to give me time off for next summer). I would likely not be able to do either of these things if I didn’t work from home and, quite honestly, if I didn’t work for the college I work for. Have I mentioned how INCREDIBLY lucky I am?!
love this! I also work in higher education, and pre-covid working remote was never really considered an option. Now we all now we can largely do our jobs remotely which I think opens up more options. I’m considering a cross country move in the future and hope that I would be able to keep working for my current university, though time zone might be a change.
This is so interesting to read!
What do you do for a living?- I´m an elementary school Spanish teacher. I also tutor on the side and work at a bookstore on weekends.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)- I am in school 5 days a week but some kids come in two days a week and are remote the other 3 and others are completely remote.
What is the best part of that?- I´m in school and get to see my colleagues and some students in person
The worst part? It is definitely the most stressful and time consuming my job has ever been. Trying to teach kids that are at home and at school at the same time is incredibly difficult. There has been very little accountability for students and it´s hard to teach them as much. The pressure can be completely overwhelming.
What is something big that you working on right now? Pretty much just surviving, coming up with new ways to reach my students.
What are you most proud of right now? Maintaining a positive attitude at school. I try to stay positive and upbeat as much as I can and be there for the students.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I really am hoping I can have a more balance life, maybe somehow be more social??? distanced of course. Not sure how that will work
You sound like you’re doing a great job, and your students are so lucky to have you!
This is so fun, Grace!
It’s so interesting to think about those who’ve always worked from home and how much even THAT has changed since March!
What do you do for a living?
I’m a merchandiser for Lou & Grey…and run my blog/social media channels, It’s Casual.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
WFH 🙁
What is the best part of that?
During slower times, I’m able to catch up on lots of blog work.
The worst part?
The biggest mission of Lou & Grey is to give our girl ALL OF THE FEELS. So it’s hard to pick fabrics without seeing them a lot of the time. I miss assorting a line in person with our samples. Now we’re assorting through a sketch deck with color chips that were sent to our homes. Oh, and the connection/conversation/”light bulb moments” that happen in-office with your team!
What is something big that you working on right now?
Day job: We’re working on perfecting our Spring/Summer/Fall lines for 2021. Since Lou & Grey closed as a freestanding business and now only being sold in LOFT stores, my job is to make sure we still feel like a separate brand within LOFT…while appeasing both the L&G girl AND the LOFT girl.
Blog: I’m really drilling down on my newsletter and making it a point to GROW it!
What are you most proud of right now?
Where I’m at in my career. I freakin’ love what I do. I left a job at a cool company because it wasn’t true merchandising and I landed this DREAM job at Lou & Grey.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
I started my new job in February and then March happened…so I really didn’t have a chance to show all of my capabilities in person. It’s a big goal to prove myself to my boss and upper management (who are incredible), and continue to work my way up the merchandising ladder.
Wow!!! What a cool job- Merchandising for Lou & Grey. I love Lou & Grey!!
THANK YOU!! It truly is a dream job. So glad to hear you love our pieces. Just WAIT till 2021 hits 😉
So interested to read this! I’ve been following the move from freestanding Lou & Grey to back under LOFT (so sad that my fave store in MA closed). Excited to hear that it will still be its own distinct brand. Wearing my joggers now!! 🙂
What do you do for a living? Content Marketing
What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home
What is the best part of that? No commute (2 hours I’m getting back each day, which I can spend with my son when he gets home from daycare)
The worst part? I miss my co-workers and teammates. And the convenience of the office cafeteria haha
What is something big that you working on right now? I’ve gotten back into blogging so right now a bunch of fun gift guides!
What are you most proud of right now? Balancing work & being a new Mom
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Honestly just to make it through… 2020, am I right?
What do you do for a living? Client Services in Finance!
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I work in office 3 days a week/work from home 2 days a week.
What is the best part of that? I honestly like the balance. I get to interact with my coworkers, but I also still have a couple days that are more relaxed.
The worst part? Irregular schedule- it makes the weeks kind of odd!
What is something big that you working on right now? My Master’s degree online 🙂
What are you most proud of right now? My husband- he just started a new job!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Organize/minimalize finances and possessions.
What do you do for a living? I work in software development
What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home (until at least next August!!)
What is the best part of that? Seeing my husband and dog more, saving $$$ on lunches/eating out, no commute!
The worst part? Not seeing coworkers, not being downtown for work
What are you most proud of right now? surviving 2020 😉
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Trying to really get more efficient working from home and sprucing up our house
I work for an animal welfare organization, doing consulting work with animal shelters. Primarily my goal is to help them improve their operations and save more animals. My position is always remote, but typically I would travel frequently. We’re just starting to travel again for shelter visits, but it is much slower than before the pandemic.
The best part of my current wfh situation is that I was home enough this summer to actually grow a garden and flowers! The best part of my job is getting the chance to visit animal shelters all over the country and the most difficult is that the travel and face-to-face interactions are the best way to accomplish my goals and I’ve had to find new avenues for connecting.
1) I work at an ad agency in account management (full time)
2) I am currently working from home (my kitchen table to be specific) rather than my company’s midtown office
3) the best part is not being squished in a cube for 10+ hours a day with very little personal space
4) Living alone and working from home…even an introvert like myself needs to be around people sometimes
5) Just a lot of end of year project requests from my
Clients that weren’t planned for previously
6) Living and working through this weird and unprecedented time seems like an accomplishment in itself!
7) Setting myself up for a better 2021 regardless of the outcome of current events (keeping my health/wellness at the forefront, prepping for emergencies, doing the best I can at work, checking in with loved ones regularly, increasing my savings and committing myself to a creative hobby)
What do you do for a living? Attorney
What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home at a desk in my bedroom most of the time; going into the office about once a week.
What is the best part of that? Not paying for work parking; flexibility when I’m not busy (i.e. no face time requirement)
The worst part? It’s lonely!
What is something big that you working on right now? A cert petition in the US supreme court
What are you most proud of right now? Getting this job! I just started
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Become a go-to person for appellate partners
I love this post/ idea so much!
1. What do you do for a living? I am a school psychologist in a middle school.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) My school is 100% remote for right now. My “office” set up is in my bedroom. I use a small rolling desk with a sofa chair with an ottoman used as a “table” with my planner/ notebooks.
3. What is the best part of that? I love being at home and am able to get more house related things done between work tasks. I am able to have a more calm morning routine and balance all my daily tasks without feeling burnt out by the end of the day. Also no commute! When I was working in person I left the house at 6:20am and did not get home until 5pm.
4. The worst part? The lack of personal connection is difficult since the main role of my job involves doing counseling with students. Teletherapy can be awkward to do on Zoom between forming connections students who I have never even met in person before and dealing with tech and wifi issues.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? Closing on a new house and preparing for an upcoming move.
6. What are you most proud of right now? My fiance and I bought a house! We live in Brooklyn and it is a bittersweet moment to be leaving, especially since we haven’t been able to enjoy all our favorite neighborhood spots.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? Spending less money on clothing and prioritizing spending on my new home and things that will enhance my health/ wellness (i.e. new furniture, creating a wardrobe room, products for a home gym, maybe a peloton).
What do you do for a living? Policy Adviser for a Government in Canada
What’s your work situation like right now? Work from home
What is the best part of that? Comfy clothes, more sleep, and more variety in work day lunches
The worst part? Miss communications that could have been avoided in person, being far away from friends and family, indoor spin classes, and thinking about all the cancelled plans.
What are you most proud of right now? I started a new job 4 weeks before we started our lock down…so learning a new role, and integrating into my new team. I have really been enjoying it and I am proud of well its going despite everything.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Figuring out some career and housing goals and thinking about what it takes to get there. Also traveling once that is safe to do again.
1. I was an account manager for a camera brand, but my position got eliminated on Oct 1. Yay covid and the changes in the industry.
2. I worked from home before and during covid and I’m hoping once I find a new job that that continues. I like the flexibility.
3. The freedom to decide how to structure my day and flexibility to work during the day/night to schedule around things I want to do.
4. Not having a real relationship with people I worked with and feeling like hq ignored the field team.
5. Well, yesterday I applied for unemployment for the first time in my life (I’ve been working for 23 years). And I’m starting to work with some sort of employment coach.
6. I was really proud of the relationships I built with my clients and accounts and I know they miss me and weren’t happy with the change.
7. I guess my goal is to really take some time to figure out what I’m good and and what I like to do and channel that into a new career.
1. Realtor
2. I have a home office and I have for years. The pandemic did not change this but I no longer go into our brokerage office. I used to go at least 2x a month or more.
3. Reading break for lunch and any other down time!
4. I get sick of my condo. But real estate was essential in DC. I worked the entire time. Which was scary as hell but I also am grateful. Real estate is commission only. I’ve had an incredible year and not everyone has been that lucky.
5. Revamping my website. Uf.
6. I’m most proud of hitting my sales goal for this year.
7. Pay off as much debt as possible
This is such a fun idea! I enjoyed reading about everyone’s unique situations and goals for the year. Thanks for sharing!
What do you do for a living? Food Scientist for a spices company
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Our company is fully back in the office (~150 people, yikes!) but we worked from home during April/May
What is the best part of that? My job is really interesting and allows me to be a bit creative. Unfortunately I also have to do benchtop lab work. I only say unfortunately because I was thriving working from home.
The worst part? After spending 2 months WFH I realized just how much of an introvert I am. Being around people all day, every day is quite exhausting for me.
What is something big that you working on right now? I am really focused on growing my passion project AKA my blog. I have been blogging for a couple years, but this year has given me extra time to focus on growing my audience, content creation, etc.
What are you most proud of right now? My house! I moved in December 2019 and it has been fun/rewarding to make it into a place that feels like home.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To figure out what I want/need from a career.
Love this, Grace! <3
1. What do you do for a living? I'm the Director, Product Management at an NYC-based tech startup that recently launched (compelld.com, @compelld on insta)
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I work from home (usually from my sofa).
3. What is the best part of that? DEFINITELY having my two giant rescue pups around me all day! Ugh I love them so much it hurts.
4. The worst part? I'm an extrovert so I used to love soaking in the energy of going to an office… even just riding the train! I missed the subway so much during the earlier months of quarantine I actually dreamt about it.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? Since we just launched earlier this year, everything feels big for us right now! But, we're about to launch a feature that makes it super easy to ask friends and family for suggestions and aggregate them all in one place. We studied the processes that people use today (send out a text in a group text, an email, post on your insta story, etc.) and found there were lots of inefficiencies when it came to actually using that info when you needed it, so we're super excited about cutting down the time/effort required by ~75%.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I'm super proud of what we've built so far. We're a small but mighty, female-lead team who are trying to create something during a truly wild year. I'm very proud of my team.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? We have some aggressive growth goals that won't be easy to hit but we have some fun ideas on how to get there.
Thanks Grace! xoxo
What do you do for a living? I work in Marketing & Fundraising for a local non-profit that deals with mental health, sexual assault, and trauma.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Back in the office since after Labor Day.
What is the best part of that? Interacting safely with my co-workers.
The worst part? Wearing a mask anywhere in the building when I’m not at my desk. (Fully support wearing masks, but obviously would prefer a world where this isn’t necessary.)
What is something big that you’re working on right now? Designing a printed newsletter to send to our entire database with updates about our amazing staff from this past year.
What are you most proud of right now? I tripled the amount of grant funding I secured this year, which is no small task when the economy is up in the air.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To get promoted further in my Marketing role.
This is so fun! Thanks Grace! ❤️
1. What do you do for a living? I’m a Product Manager / cat mom!
2. What’s your work situation like right now? Home for the foreseeable
3. What is the best part of that? Cat on my lap at almost all times, home workouts, being able to call my mom whenever, and being able to wave at my husband from across the room all day
4. The worst part? I want to wear more clothes that feel more put together but I am constantly covered in white cat hair ugh no black sweaters for me
5. What is something big that you’re working on right now? Taking the time to remind myself that it’s okay that my career hasn’t skyrocketed to the success I want it to at the age of 26, and to be proud of myself for where I’ve gotten so far
6. What are you most proud of right now? Finally landing a job with the title I wanted after 7 months of unemployment
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? Learn as much as possible and smash my way up!! And to go at least 3-4 months without interviewing for new jobs lol
What do you do for a living? I’m a high school English teacher. It’s the most fulfilling job there is.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) It changes. We had the opportunity to go back to in-person learning. However, we are in the midst of a remote learning stint due to Covid cases. I am currently working from home and from the school (it just depends on the day).
What is the best part of that? The schedule for remote learning is much more forgiving on teachers. I enjoy having small breaks in between each class to chat with my teacher friends, get ready for the next class, make more coffee, etc.
The worst part? Not seeing the students in person. The best part of my work day is my students. They’re struggling at home and I love being with them at school.
What is something big that you working on right now? Building up my savings account and slowing down/creating a better work-life balance.
What are you most proud of right now? The fact that I am able to show up for my students everyday and be a happy, calming presence when life is anything but that.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Make it through without getting burnt out. Doing whatever it is that makes ME happy and fulfilled.
What do you do for a living?
I work in finance in corporate America.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
Working from home since March
What is the best part of that?
I love it. I always want to work from home. I love being with my dog and husband all day. I love not having to get ready and commute to work everyday. I love being able to go for a walk during lunch. Honestly, this is what I was made for. I am a major introvert so this aspect of the pandemic has been a blessing.
The worst part?
Work hours and expectations have gone up. Everyday blends together.
What is something big that you working on right now?
Our company’s budget
What are you most proud of right now?
Honestly, just proud I get up everyday and work. Life is a lot right now. I’m grateful to still have a job. Thousands of people in my company were furloughed or let go, so I’m grateful to have a job.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
To find a new job. I have been miserable in my job, but told myself I needed to wait a year before looking again. My last company had massive layoffs so I took a job without really looking around. Ever since I took the job, it has not been what I was told it would be. This past May was a year and I was going to look for a job but the pandemic through wrench in that. I am now starting to look again.
What do you do for a living? I work in graduate admissions for a nursing school.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Fully remote.
What is the best part of that? Spending time with my husband (also fully remote) and dog. Wearing comfy clothes, working how and when I want, the ability to run errands and get other things done during the day. Saving time and money on commuting, lunch, etc.
The worst part? Same as the best part? Haha. I enjoy working working from home and hope to have a flexible schedule when it’s safe to do so, but it’s been hard to keep a routine. I also miss my coworkers and *sometimes* I miss getting dressed for work.
What is something big that you working on right now? Reading applications. Our deadline is approaching and that means reading for most of the day.
What are you most proud of right now? We had no idea how COVID would affect our application numbers, but they are higher than last year!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Get back into working out. I was very active before COVID and then promptly did nothing for seven months. With the colder months coming, I my mental and physical health can’t afford to do nothing.
Absolutely love this post! I work in tech sales and I actually just started in September, so I have never worked in my actual office before. My work from home space is a desk I’ve put in the corner of my bedroom right to a big window. The best part is definitely being able to wear minimal makeup and comfy clothes all the time and also, it’s motivated me to keep my bedroom pretty spotless since I’m in here so much. The worst part though is feeling a bit isolated and disconnected. It can be hard to form relationships with coworkers in an entirely virtual space. I’m proud and grateful though to get to be in this space and to get to be beginning my career right now.
What do you do for a living?
I am a lawyer
What’s your work situation like right now?
I have been working from home since March. Although, I occasionally will conduct a deposition or mediation in person (with masks)!
What is the best part of that?
I enjoy working from any location and in comfortable clothing.
The worst part?
I miss the camaraderie of the office and actually going to Court (as opposed to logging into a zoom hearing). In addition, the Courts were closed for months, causing a weird shift in work load.
What is something big that you working on right now?
I am currently preparing for my first trial.
What are you most proud of right now?
I am most proud of my adaptability this past year and my work ethic.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Better work life balance!
1. What do you do for a living? Kindergarten teacher
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Teaching remotely, but we’re about to start in-person instruction next week.
3. What is the best part of that? Not having to ride an hour on the subway to work everyday. Also have the opportunity to run outside every morning before school starts.
4. The worst part? Teaching kindergarten on zoom is incredibly difficult. So much of my job is hands-on, eyes-on so there’s just so much to innovate and rethink.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I started an online M.Ed program this summer, so I’m continuing to plug away at classes.
6. What are you most proud of right now? That I’ve created strong connections with my K kids. They are so incredibly happy when they log on to Zoom and see me and my co-teacher.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? Honestly, just to get through this year with my physical, mental, and emotional health in tact. And maybe get a dog. But I’m learning that trying to adopt in a dog in NYC is just as challenging as dating hahaha/
1) I am currently a law clerk for a federal judge. Just started 2 months ago!
2) I go into the office, which I like because it gives me the structure I need to be productive.
3) interaction with the judge and learning more about all areas of the law.
4) the office is usually pretty quiet, so it gets a little lonely sometimes
5)nothing big specifically, the work just never stops
6)I’m most proud of getting this job in the first place. Federal clerkships are very prestigious and hard to get. I’m proud that I worked hard in law school and earned this much-coveted law job. I don’t take it for granted.
7) no specific goals, but I just want to learn as much as I can during my year as a clerk. I’d also love to watch an entire trial.
1. What do you do for a living? Turnaround/Restructuring.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH but it was that prior as well, though we don’t work onsite at clients as much
3. What is the best part of that? Flexibility in my schedule!! I can work out at 3pm, I can go to an appointment any time of day, etc
4. The worst part? Various projects are definitely harder to work through remotely, especially when starting on a client and not being able to see operations in person (also makes it so easy for them to hide something from us!!). But really nothing, I want to stay remote FOREVER!!!
5. What is something big that you working on right now? Work-wise, overhauling our CRM software and redoing our proposal booklets- two things that have been on the back burner since I started 3 years ago.
6. What are you most proud of right now? Personally, my awareness of the self care I need in my life daily and taking the step to start meds. Had a rough breakup this year along with the isolation of COVID so my already decreasing mental health plummeted
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? To slow down and savor the holiday season. Nov-Jan is a busy time in my role and I don’t want it to overtake my life like usual!
How fun! I love talking about career with smart women. Thanks for opening this up, Grace!
What do you do for a living?
I work in state government affairs. I manage a 5 state region for a large infrastructure provider. Essentially, I manage the company’s relationships with local and state government officials.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
I have worked from home since I started with the company, but have always traveled quite a bit throughout my region. I have not traveled much since March and have had to learn how to build relationships through emails, phone calls, and video calls.
What is the best part of that?
My company and boss really have my back and have not made me feel pressured to travel before I have felt ready. In some ways, it’s more efficient to get deals done remotely rather than flying to another state three times in the course of a month.
The worst part?
I am a HUGE extrovert and I never cared for working from home. I like having colleagues to chat with and share ideas with.
What is something big that you working on right now?
Unfortunately my biggest project at the moment is covered under a non disclosure agreement, but overall in my entire region at both the state and the local level I have been working to leverage federal CARES Act funds to increase access to high speed internet in the rural areas that likely wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in remote learning and remote work.
What are you most proud of right now?
My company emerged from restructuring this summer and an essential piece to emergence was state regulatory approvals, which were the responsibility of my group. If we had not been able to get those approvals, my company would still be in restructuring!
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
This year, my number one goal is to secure a partnership with a local government to help them reach their goals for either internet speeds or availability.
I love this!! What a cute idea.
What do you do for a living?: I’m an engineer, and I work in the construction industry mostly in safety.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.): Right now I’m working from home, sometimes going into the office (a few times a month)
What is the best part of that?: I love working from home! I love being with my dog all day, not having to commute, and being flexible with when and how I work.
The worst part?: I miss my work friends!! Long work lunches and afternoon coffee breaks.
What is something big that you working on right now?: We are working on our annual safety audits right now, which is gathering a lot of documentation, prepping people, and a ton of work but very satisfying when it’s over.
What are you most proud of right now?: I applied for my professional engineering designation this month! For awhile it wasn’t something I ever thought I would do, but I’m proud and happy that I did.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?: Professionally, things are consistent and stable, and I am content with that. Because of that, I’ve been trying to put more time into my personal relationships (being a good friend) and dating (which I never do) this year, so my goal by the end of the year is to feel confident and secure in those because I’ve realized this year how important those relationships are and work really is just work.
What do you do for a living?: Postdoctoral fellow at at University
What’s your work situation like right now?: Work from home
What is the best part of that? Spending time with my dog, no commute in the cold, not spending money on random coffees/lattes/lunches out!
The worst part? I miss spontaneous brainstorming sessions with colleagues and I miss teaching in person. Not having real time feedback to know when something is or isn’t working is really tough on me and the students.
What is something big that you working on right now? A grant to study the experience of loneliness and isolation on racialized and ethnically diverse older adults in nursing homes. Starting something new is a lot of work but it’s nice to see the team and project coming together!
What are you most proud of right now? I saved money and bought myself a treadmill. It sounds silly and materialistic but I live in a cold climate (we got snow in early October) and I love running but don’t have the desire to to it outside. I saved and was able to purchase one without putting it on a credit card and it’s improved my routine and quality of life.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Start my new grant projects and get pregnant. My husband and I made the decision to start trying a few months ago and I am hopefuly!
This is so fun – thanks for coming up with this!
What do you do for a living? I work in finance at Amazon
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – WFH
What is the best part of that? – Easy commute and easier to take breaks / do things around the house
The worst part? – Not being in the office! I recently started my new job at Amazon and have never even met my team in person.
What is something big that you working on right now? – Mostly getting acclimated to this new role
What are you most proud of right now? – Onboarding entirely remote! New and really challenging concept
What’s a big goal you have for this year? – I’ve gone through significant changes this year (new job, a big move across the country) so just trying to settle in now
Love this it reminds me of the cupofjo comments 🙂
1. What do you do for a living? – I work as a Salesforce tester for a big 5 consulting firm, for their federal government projects. We are working on a big system for a govt department.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – working from home since March.
3. What is the best part of that? – I do like the no commute, and as an introvert I feel less exhausted by the end of the day. in early March before quarantine I got in a fender bender on the way to work, I’m really happy not trying to race to work on time in the morning anymore. I’m also staying at my parents house and we have lunch together during the day which makes it feel like the weekend a bit 🙂
4. The worst part? – no separation.. I don’t have kids, but have had to work weekends lately and it sucks. It was nice to leave the office before and be done with work.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? – my mom and I got really into embroidery so I’m currently working on a pillowcase and we’ve done a lot of tea towels!
6. What are you most proud of right now? – I paid off one of my student loans a couple of months ago, ahead of schedule, my goal was the end of the year 🙂
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? – it was to pay off my loan which I already achieved. Working on #2 now.. hashtag private liberal arts education, lol.
Hi Grace! I love this post idea. Right now I’m doing an AmeriCorps program in Vermont (recent college grad here). I was supposed to bring lots of nature programming to schools and then COVID struck and schools closed. That meant I had to come up with tons of virtual projects that I wasn’t really excited about. I have felt so lazy and dispassionate during the whole quarantine and felt like I’d never have a job I truly love and worse, that I’d never like working!
The quarantine has made me rely even more on reading, which I’ve always loved. After finally going into a library last week for the first time in months (masks and distance!) I walked out of the library so happy and it hit me–all I want is to be a librarian! I recently decided that I will go to grad school for a masters in library and information science when I am finished with my AmeriCorps program. So my goal is to incorporate lots of literacy/archival projects into the remainder of my service and use that to get into a top library science program! (oh, and get a great score on the GRE!)
Thanks for bringing inspiration to us all through your blog.
I love this post!! Will share mine:
What do you do for a living? Cat scan technologist (in radiology ) at a hospital
What’s your work situation like right now? I work 3 ten hour days from 7a 5:30p mon/thur/fri
What is the best part of that? I normally work 4 8 hr shifts (7:30-4) but with covid and kids virtual I needed an extra xtra day at home to be with them. So the best part is getting 2 days off to help my kids .
The worst part? Getting home at 6 and being dead to the world but still having to help with homework ,
Dinner, sports. Also we are super busy at work . Not just covid . This time of year is always busy with sicker patients .
What is something big that you working on right now? Surviving 2020 . Does that count ?
What are you most proud of right now? My kids and how they have handled this year . It hasn’t been easy for them.
What’s a big goal you have for this year. Trying to be a better mom. Less screaming and yelling and trying to relax more instead of being so uptight lol.
I’m a vice president at an opera company! Which, now that we’re unable to stage live performances, means that I’m a vice president of an opera film production company. The administrative staff is all working remotely, but our production, artistic, and music staff are all on location doing various film shoots. For me, I’m at home. The best part of this is that for the first time in my career, my nights and weekends are mine – no more 18+ hour days in heels, no more working 30 days straight with no day off. I don’t take this pause for granted, even though it is so hard in so many ways. The worst part is that a big part of me really misses the social aspect of my job – cocktail parties, black tie events, being dressed up all the time, and the energy and excitement of the theater, especially on opening night. There is nothing like it, and I miss it desperately. Right now, we have a big raise target to support our digital work, which is taking up quite a bit of my time and energy. It’s been energizing to reinvent everything we do and to figure out how such an old art form can exist and thrive in a digital 21st century space. Long term, the implications for the arts sector (visual and performing) are really exciting to me; it’ll be fascinating to see what sticks. My biggest goal for this year, honestly, is to keep the company open, which requires a substantial amount of contributed income (which my team is responsible for). Now that we can’t rely on ticket sales, it comes down to us to keep all 600 of our employees employed until we can open our theaters again. It’s incredibly stressful but also very rewarding.
Grace, I love this and I have loved reading the comments, so far!
What do you do for a living? I am the Operations Manager for a Private Wealth Management Firm.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) We moved to 50/50 WFH/WFO in September.
What is the best part of that? I like to have a few days at home to focus and have quiet time and then have a reason to get dressed up and go to the office a few days a week. The blend is really working great for me and my mental health; I have learned through COVID that I don’t like 100% of either. It’s the mix for me!
The worst part? Going to the office can still be scary; we had a COVID+ case announced yesterday so today we are all at home while the office is “Deep Cleaned” and it is hard to know if that is enough and if we are safe.
What is something big that you working on right now? My division is essentially a start-up (we launched 3 years ago) so everything feels big and everything is evolving very quickly.
What are you most proud of right now? I am really proud of the leadership I have shown throughout the pandemic with both my Team and the Company as a whole. I was instrumental in forming a COVID safety committee when it was announced we were going to have to return to the office. I feel really good that I am caring about the health and mental health of our Team.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? My Big goal is to be a little less A-Type and to focus on myself more rather than on all of my work. I need to take care of myself so I have the energy to work and take care of others. That seems simple, but it is definitely challenging for me to implement.
I agree with you learning you don’t like 100% of either working from home or office. Before COVID, my company was pretty strict with WFH (aka, not allowed) so I always romanticized the idea of it. By April I was so ready to get back to the office, but now that I am I hate waking up early and putting on normal clothes (& shoes! who knew i’d learn to hate shoes lol).
What do you do for a living?
I am a user experience designer.
What’s your work situation like right now?
I have been exclusively working from home since March. And I just started a new job!
What is the best part of that?
I love being able to fix breakfast and lunch in my kitchen. No commute. And quieter atmosphere.
The worst part?
I miss the casual interaction with coworkers that is hard to replicate online. And starting a new job remotely makes that even tougher.
1. What do you do for a living? I am self-employed and own a boutique digital agency.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’ve worked from home for the last two and a half years. Still working from home now!
3. What is the best part of that? I love getting to see my husband at home more often (he’s WFH now too) and it’s nice to wear comfy clothes all day.
4. The worst part? Feeling very little separation between work/life right now and I’m really exhausted. It’s hard for me to stop working because I feel like there’s nothing better to do right now.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I’m about to launch a huge apparel collection that I’ve been developing with a client since April.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I’m really just proud of sustaining my clientele through this tough year and have helped them through a lot of challenges.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? I really want to raise my rates across the board which is an intimidating goal, but it has to happen.
What do you do for a living? I’m an event planner for a small trade association outside Washington, DC
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – Full time working from home
What is the best part of that? – Getting an additional two hours of sleep since I don’t commute, hanging with my cat and husband, and being able to exercise at home
The worst part? I miss seeing the few friends I have at work, but we text constantly, so really I’m ok with being home everyday!
What is something big that you working on right now? My budget and calendar for next year, which is really hard to do in events rights now!
What are you most proud of right now? Listening to my body and mind when I need a break from all this!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I’m participating in the 21-Day Happiness Project with Politics and Fashion and I’m excited to get started!
What do you do for a living? I’m an Engineer at a Construction Management company, specifically working with Virtual models of buildings and integrating technology into our company’s active jobsites and project pursuits
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Going into the office one day a week, from home the rest of the time until January when I transition to a project and am on site 100%.
What is the best part of that? Comfy clothes and more time for workouts!
The worst part? It makes communication really difficult because everything has to become a video call so that I can share my screen. (I spend on average 1/2 my day on video calls)
What is something big that you working on right now? I recently began running our department’s 3-month training program for on-site engineers! It’s a lot of responsibility and puts me in charge of a group of people, which is a great opportunity.
What are you most proud of right now? Being able to transition (relatively) smoothly into this new training role since we had about 2 weeks notice and it’s a very intense program.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To get excited about transitioning to a jobsite…I love my current position and I’m dreading leaving a little, so trying to find the benefits and bright sides!
What do you do for a living? I’m an archivist at a private, nonprofit library/museum
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’ve been back in the office since July. Our staff has the option to WFH if they can, but since I am working directly with collections, I have to be in the office to perform my main job functions.
What is the best part of that? I missed my co-workers and I am so glad to be out of the house and back working at my institution.
The worst part? Museums have been hit very hard by the pandemic, and we go to work every day with lots of uncertainty for our jobs and the future of museums. Please support your local arts & culture organizations if you are able. We are all hurting so badly right now, even though visiting a museum is a fairly safe (and fun!) activity during the pandemic, especially now that the weather is getting chilly. At our museum, we limit numbers so folks can distance, we have hand sanitizer all around, and we require that all staff and all visitors wear masks.
What is something big that you working on right now? Nothing big, its enough to make sure that daily tasks and job functions are happening.
What are you most proud of right now? I’m proud of myself for making the best out of a shitty situation/year, still finding times that are joyful, and I’m proud to have friends and family that all do a great job taking care of each other.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I’m not ready to think about 2021 yet until I know how 2020 ends up. Ask me again on New Years Day. 🙂
What do you do for a living? Work on the strategy side for an accounting firm
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH both pre and post pandemic. I was surprised at how different WFH feels during the pandemic knowing you won’t be able to go anywhere before/after work. I didn’t expect there to be such a difference.
What is the best part of that? Since I was previous WFH, it’s been nice working with others who are also remote and seeing the flexibility that provides to everyone!
The worst part? Feeling a bit stuck inside. My partner is an essential worker so he goes into work regularly and gets to engage with people, but there are some weeks where I don’t even leave our neighborhood!
What is something big that you working on right now? Getting ready for the holidays! My parents are visiting for a month (they built in quarantine time) so getting the house ready for visitors!
What are you most proud of right now? My partner and I moved cross-country this summer. Proud of our quick adjustment to a new location and our support of each other in the process! It’s been more fun than scary 😉
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Finding safe ways to meet new people and find connections in our new city!
I love this and how open you are with connecting / understanding your readers. This feels like a fun 2000s survey – I love reading everyones answers! I always tell my friends it’s bizarre how little we know about each other’s day to day work lives since when we talk about work it’s usually about something / someone that is bothering us rather than what we enjoy.
What do you do for a living? – Financial data & analytics, specifically as a customer success manager at a commercial credit bureau.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – we were WFH March through July. I live in Chicago but our office is in the suburbs, so they were eager to reopen when they could since most employees drive to the office. There’s only about 10 people in the office now (vs. 50-60 pre-COVID). We have more flexibility about working from home now so I’ve been going into the office just a few days a week.
What is the best part of that? – I LOVE routine (lol) so I’ve been enjoying separating my time between work & home which helps with boundaries. Also with the flexible WFH, I am able to visit my parents for longer than a weekend which is so nice.
The worst part? – I loved cooking breakfast / lunch for myself while WFH and has made me realize how much I hate meal prepping & packing my lunch lol.
What is something big that you working on right now? – nothing major, just working to maintain our workload which has not slowed down at all during the pandemic.
What are you most proud of right now? – I do a lot of usage analysis of our products which is tied to how the economy & lending is going. I’ve worked a lot over the past 6 months on creating the best solution to share with company’s SLT and have recently gotten a lot of great feedback on how helpful it is for them!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? – I also am a part time yoga instructor and I signed up to learn a new format in a self-guided pace so I am working to complete that so I can start teaching those classes by the start of 2021!
What do you do for a living? – Development Events Manager at an AZA-accredited zoo (so any donor cultivation events/fundraisers)
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – 100% working from home (since March) in my one bedroom apartment (and my husband is doing the same, so it’s a carefully choreographed dance when we have Zoom meetings or calls at the same time!)
What is the best part of that? – Being able to give myself little breaks when needed, especially taking my dog for afternoon walks!
The worst part? – Not really having a designated “work space” & not being able to easily connect with my team. Also, not having a real reason to “dress up” and put on makeup most of the time.
What is something big that you’re working on right now? – We have pivoted to all virtual events, so scheduling a diverse array of presentation topics and figuring out ways to change up Zoom events’ formats (pretty limiting from the start) to prevent things from feeling stale/repetitive.
Love this!
What do you do for a living?- SVP at a big PR firm
What’s your work situation like right now? WFH since March, will continue through Q1 2021 (in San Francisco; we won’t likely open up anytime soon), no kids, not a ton of distraction (other than myself :))
What is the best part of that? Way more flexibility than having to be in the office (used to WFH one day a week). I can do laundry on calls, I’ve been phone banking for Biden a few times a week in the late afternoons. I’m also eating better bc I can prep lunch myself, etc. instead of eating out each day.
The worst part? Turning my computer off in the evenings; I’ve always been very bad at that, I’m used to firing back up at 8pm and working until 1am. I also have seen a trend where I am more susceptible to having one too many drinks on a Sunday Funday bc I’m WFH the next day… :/
What is something big that you working on right now? The tech industry is business as usual, I have six major launches for clients coming through holiday into the first part of 2021.
What are you most proud of right now? Putting my time and money where my mouth is, doing everything I can to ensure this election has a positive outcome (even if that means record numbers of voters and not the end outcome I’m hoping for).
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Getting more comfortable with small things that make me happy now that I can’t travel like I used to. Pre-COVID, if I was feeling down, I would book a trip, taking 2-3 big trips a year. I was also gone two weeks a month for work travel. I MISS PLANES AND HOTELS. I’m working to figure out what makes me happy with travel off the table for the foreseeable future.
What do you do for a living? I work full-time in content marketing for a tech company, but I’m also going to graduate school to become a mental health counselor. I’m taking classes part-time while working FT.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Working from home 3/5 days. I am allowed to go into my office on a voluntary basis during a designated shift with reduced capacity, masks on, etc. The days I’m home I’m pretty much working from my couch, and I appreciate the opportunity to get out and in the office a couple days a week.
What is the best part of that? Variety and balance of working from home and being in the office.
The worst part? Still being stuck at home for the most part. I wish my grad school classes could be in person most of all!
What is something big that you working on right now? My graduate degree – ah!
What are you most proud of right now? My ability to balance both work and school and trying to maintain a positive attitude despite everything going on right now.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Making a successful transition to part-time work for my company and continuing to balance that with a greater workload with school as I progress towards my degree and achieving my long-term career goals. 🙂
Really love this post Grace!
What do you do for a living? I’m a project accountant for an architecture firm. Handle all the AR/AP, payroll, invoicing, etc!
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Working from home mainly. For the first several months of this I would pop into the office once a week to pick up checks or other mail, but with some new guidelines in place, now I work one day a week from the office for a change of scenery.
What is the best part of that? I have a blanket on my lap! Plus, snuggle breaks with my cat, and more flexibility to do other things during the day.
The worst part? Not seeing my colleagues. The little random chats we’d have at our desks, happy hours, and office events. I never realized how much I loved that stuff. I feel really disconnected from folks at my firm, which is hard living alone. Also, I live in a studio and my dining room is now an office 🙁
What is something big that you working on right now? Our firm is merging with another. I’m the point person to get our accounting/project management software merged, and its a bit overwhelming!
What are you most proud of right now? The trust my firm has in my abilities. I was promoted to associate at the beginning of the year, and they continue to assign new responsibilities to me. I also recently finished a certificate program, and it feels good to have accomplished that extra education.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I’ve been wanting to relocate for a LONG time, and of course this year’s events have delayed that. I am finally diving into job hunting (I love my current job, but long term, its not feasible for me to work remotely from another time zone). Fingers crossed!
This is so fun! Thanks for asking 😉
1. I run product marketing for a tech company – this means my team and I are in charge of informing the overall marketing strategy/positioning for our products, and we also train sales how to inbound and compete against the market.
2. I’m mostly at home, but do go into the (mostly empty) office once a week or so to meet 1×1 with others when it’s important.
3. Best part about working mostly from home is the flexibility! I spent most of the summer at my family’s beach house, worked a few weeks from my boyfriend’s family’s house, and really got to know them on a much deeper level. I’ve probably spent more time with my own parents this year than in the past decade – that part of it is fantastic. My relationship has also really taken off as a result as well.
4. Every day is mostly the same. This can make some days feel especially long. As a manager, it’s been tough to stay connected to my team at times. Some of the “vibe” is there via video chat, but it’s hard to imitate in-office life entirely.
5. Our company is attempting to go global! It’s been a fun challenge learning new markets, what’s interesting to customers across the world, etc.
6. A few folks on my team have been nominated for some big industry awards. It’s awesome to see how I’ve helped to shape their careers.
7. Promotion to VP!
What do you do for a living? I’m a 6th grade teacher in Chicago
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) We are fully remote, have been for all of Q1 and will be for Q2 (except for pre-k and students with the most severe needs). I’m doing a mix of WFH and teaching from my classroom (with no one else in the room).
What is the best part of that? When I have 7am meeting I don’t have to go very far.
The worst part? I am completely struggling with teaching, and unfortunately found that my better days are when I am at school, but I don’t think that will be an option much longer with the way positivity rates are rising in Chicago. I haven’t felt like this in my job since my first year of teaching and it is just so hard every day.
What is something big that you working on right now? I’m working towards becoming a National Board Certified teacher (the highest certification a teacher can earn)
What are you most proud of right now? That I’m working out regularly
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Survive.
I love this and reading everyone’s responses!
What do you do for a living? I feel suspended between two careers right now—I was/am/have been? a freelance writer and social media consultant, and I’m currently in grad school to become a therapist. I kind of feel like I am neither fully in nor fully out of either career. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I was already working from home, but school *was* in person for a hot second. I started in January and my first quarter was IRL but has been online since, and will be through June (booo)
What is the best part of that? That my dog is my coworker and classmate and I can work/study with my views of the ocean (obsessed with where I live) and work out in the middle of the day. I love not working for someone else and can’t wait to get back to that after my training years are over.
The worst part? Loneliness. I’m single and live alone, so I miss seeing my classmates in person, and I used to work from The Wing or a coffee shop in the Before Days and miss having a place to go to study or work.
What is something big that you working on right now? My biggest priority/thing hanging over my head right now is securing my clinical placement (eep!) for next year.
What are you most proud of right now? That, after making huge progress on my own mental health issues (I won’t say overcoming because it’s an ongoing process), I have managed to make it through most of my first year of grad school, while still working—in a pandemic, no less.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To find my clinical placement! And maybe open myself up more to love. Maybe 🙂 That was my 2020 goal and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What do you do for a living? I’m an elementary school music teacher and I have a side hustle of teaching over 20 kids piano lessons after school.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
We are full time in person learning. We get two weeks of remote after the new year for families to quarantine if they went away for the holidays.
What is the best part of that? Getting to see the kids! I missed them so much during quarantine and it’s been great getting a foundation in place if we have to go full time remote.
The worst part? I still feel isolated from coworkers! We can’t share a lounge or bring in baked goods (which has become kind of a blessing too!) or anything of the communal things we used to do. That’s been tough. I also got four more classes added to my load because we lost a teacher, so no more prep time for this lady!
What is something big that you working on right now? This is usually my busiest time and this year, it’s not. No concerts, caroling or any festivities and it’s hard not being able to sing in school with the kids. More of lots of little things like creating dynamic lessons that engage every kid!
What are you most proud of right now?
This is my 9th year teaching but I’ve had to remake everything again from scratch to fit in with social guidelines, no singing in school, and no partner activities. So I’m proud that I’m creating new lessons, games and activities that I’ve made and hope music can bring a bright spot into these kids’ days.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Surviving! Staying healthy, but having fun and trying to make each day special in a small way.
What do you do for a living?: School designer for an education reform non profit
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Working from home, aside from the occasional very distanced meeting at a school picnic table
What is the best part of that? School leaders are able to focus more fully on 1-2 hour meetings vs an entire day onsite.
The worst part? Very, very little interaction with teachers or kiddos
What is something big that you working on right now? All of my schools are working on developing anti-racist teaching stances and closing the opportunity gap. Equity work is front and center and they are committed to doing really hard, often uncomfortable work
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I think helping schools improve in systems thinking is key to addressing and reducing inequities in education and I’m trying to figure out how
This is such a fun post! I had a blast reading all the comments so figured I would add myself:
What do you do for a living?
Digital merchandising & marketing for a footwear company
What’s your work situation like right now?
Working from home – most likely for the foreseeable future
What is the best part of that?
Being home, no commute, no “ass in seat” expectation from 9-6
Being able to clean up around the house, laundry, cook, grocery shop, etc during the workday. I used to DREAD doing these chores after work or on the weekends.
The worst part?
Coworker interaction is all over Slack, feels like being a teenager on AIM again. I miss the in-person aspect
What is something big that you working on right now?
Gearing up for HOLIDAY! this is a crazy time of year for retail, especially ecomm.
What are you most proud of right now?
My work-life balance! It may sound silly to some, but it is so important, especially these days.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Staying focused and happy throughout the winter.
What do you do for a living?
Before COVID I was a graphic designer at a sports marketing and event planning company. Now, since sporting events have come to a halt, our company has pivoted to helping manage and operate COVID testing sites. So now I’m working for a university on the housing project for students who test positive and need to go into isolation housing on campus.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
I worked from home from mid-March until April and then we started going back into the office to gear up for the COVID project. I’m now working at the university which is about a 45-minute drive each way.
What is the best part of that?
It’s something new and different. I’ve learned skills that I didn’t have before and have learned how to become more of a go with the flow kind of person in the work environment.
The worst part?
I’m not doing anything close to my job before, which I loved!
What is something big that you working on right now?
I’m trying to be better about not stressing over things I can’t control. I need to remember that if plans change or if anything changes, it’ll be ok and I’ll figure out how to make it work.
What are you most proud of right now?
Helping students. I used to think I wanted to be a professor or a teacher before I caught the graphic design bug, and being able to be such a help to sick students has opened my eyes to possibilities beyond what I studied in college.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Save, save, save. This is my first job post-college, so my biggest goal is to learn how to save and how to invest my money in the best ways possible so I can set myself up for the future.
Grace, thanks for this post! I love reading all of the replies.
What do you do for a living? I work in alumni relations for a school in New England.
What’s your work situation like right now? Fully WFH since March.
What is the best part of that? I love the flexibility and freedom, and I do not miss one second of my commute. I also am far more productive in the mornings, so I can plan my days accordingly instead of always working 9-5 at a desk.
The worst part? Because I am on Zoom SO often, screen fatigue is very real. So I have abandoned my favorite fitness instructors as they take their yoga/pilates workouts online because I can’t bring myself to look at a computer screen any more than I have to (bonus side, way more outside time when I crave movement).
What is something big that you working on right now? Work consists of taking our large-scale alumni events into a virtual setting, which has been challenging and rewarding. Though nothing can replicate in-person connection…
What are you most proud of right now? At this moment I’m proud of spending free time reaching out to friends and family about their voting plans! And I’m proud of my friendships during this pandemic. I feel like we’ve done a great job of holding each other up throughout this batshit crazy year, even if we’re not physically together much.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To dedicate at least 20 minutes of each day for something that brings me pleasure (ex. read, try making a new frothy drink in the morning, walk outside, cuddle a pup, take a bath, etc.)
This is so fun! Loved reading yours and seeing all the comments come in from other readers.
1. What do you do for a living? Marketing. Currently for higher ed at a university in MA.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home (my team will probably be remote until at least next summer!).
3. What is the best part of that? My insane commute has disappeared. I used to have a two hour commute each way, now my desk is in my bedroom!
4. The worst part? No real structure to my days anymore. Plus, my commute was my reading/decompressing time. Now that I’m not on a train anymore I’ve had to redefine some of my hobbies and change so many routines.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I’m prepping and configuring the online portal students use when they apply to my university. We’re getting ready to start releasing decisions to thousands of students over the next few months.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I’ve been a client lead on a major project for the past two years and we finally finished the project! We’re already seeing great analytics and it’s going so well.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? I’d like to hit a stride where I don’t feel like I’m always overwhelmed and stressed by my work. My team has been in “big product implementation” mode for almost three years, but I finally feel like we’re in a good place and I want to focus on things outside of work.
1. What do you do for a living? I work for GoDaddy and manage a team in the aftermarket which is where people buy and sell registered domains. It’s a bit like virtual real estate.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? Working at home from my living room. I have a little desk set up against a wall.
3. What is the best part of that? No commute, being with my cat, dressing comfy and having make up free days.
4. The worst part? This is silly but we had free lunch and snacks in the office which was so nice! Not having to think about prepping for 3 meals a day would be nice.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I have been thinking of starting a sweatshirt/T-shirt business for awhile and I’m finally starting the planning/design process to see if it’s feasible!
6. What are you most proud of right now? Managing people is so hard and I feel like I’ve really learned a lot about being successful and supportive of the team. We have seen crazy growth over the last 4 months in our numbers.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? I want to pursue my side hustle idea and make it work! I would love to buy a house in the near future so trying to set up other streams of revenue to get to that goal!
1. What do you do for a living? Federal government affairs (aka lobbying) for a financial services company; based in DC
2. What’s your work situation like right now? 100% working from home, although my office is a short walk away (both are on Capitol Hill). So not much has changed in terms of location!
What is the best part of that? Not having to rush-make my lunch every morning for transport, exercising whenever I want to, going on long walks after lunch in the summer and wearing workout clothes – not sweating through silk dresses and blazers! So freeing! Torn on whether I love being in leggings/big sweaters all day vs. missing the feeling of a great work outfit and lipstick and feeling like I could run the city 🙂
The worst part? A large part of my job is in-person networking – meetings on Capitol Hill, coffees with Hill staffers, and endless fundraisers for Members. I miss dining around the city as part of my job! Most lawmakers have switched to virtual fundraisers, which means we all gather on Zoom for a stilted 45 minute conversation; hardly the rapport you could develop in person with lawmakers and their staff, especially with sidebar conversations that are nonexistant in Zoom. Some Senators/Reps have become creative and have fun meals delivered or do a virtual cocktail class, etc. but most are just plain Zooms, even though the cost to attend is the same.
What is something big that you working on right now? Prepping for a blue wave post-election and all the policy implications that may come with that – especially threatening in terms of financial regulation and more progressive proposals. But also, exciting! I like a challenge.
What are you most proud of right now? Successfully moderating a virtual panel with a national political analyst on Monday, with about 400 company attendees, including our senior leadership team.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To keep arguing (hopefully successfully!) for a title change. Or to finally make the jump to working for a Member on the Hill for a few years, to get necessary experience to continue on in my government relations career.
I love this idea! Here’s me:
What do you do for a living? Director of Marketing for a large nonprofit
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Work from home – which is a huge change because we were a very strictly work-in-office org until March.
What is the best part of that? I’m an introvert, so I love that I can choose when to engage with people!
The worst part? Sometime it’s hard to focus – and finding news ways to communicate across our org has been really challenging.
What is something big that you working on right now? A podcast launch next month!
What are you most proud of right now? I promoted a member of my team this fall, which considering everything going on right now, I’m really proud that I was able to get it through all the levels of sign off and red tape.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Boundaries! This has been huge in both my work and personal life.
I work in environmental regulation for a state agency, and am currently doing that work mostly from home; my job requires a certain amount of field work, but all my office work has been done at home since March. I like not having to pack a lunch – seriously I ALWAYS struggled with this for some reason – and being able to fit in a run or a yoga sesh during the day. But I struggle to be as productive at home as I was at the office, and I really miss interacting with my coworkers.
What do you do for a living? I lead media relations for the intelligence and surveillance sector of a major defense company.
What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home, which has meant from my couch. I’m moving upstairs to my home office in about a week. Just learned my job will be permanent work from home from now on.
What is the best part of that? Cooking all meals for myself and never wearing a real bra.
The worst part? I really miss the energy and collaboration of my office, dressing up every day, and getting out of my house daily.
What is something big that you working on right now? I wrote my first book three years ago, and I’m trying to finish the first draft of my second before the end of the year.
What are you most proud of right now? The relative ease with which I’ve held it together this year, although my confidence with that changes hourly.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Finish that second book in a strong position that I’m ready for a good edit in the new year and then agent querying in the late spring.
What do you do for a living? Business Designer/Strategy Consultant mostly working for federal clients
What’s your work situation like right now? Working from home until…I have no idea! I’ve heard conflicting rumors, but likely not until late 2021
What is the best part of that? Getting to move with my fiance for his MBA program (aka no separation), focusing on skincare over looking professional, actually getting sleep, freshly made lunches
The worst part? It is SO HARD to collaborate. I’m used to working in a highly collaborative environment with lots of communal workspace, so not having people to bounce ideas off of is extremely hard for me. My team also fell off the video call bandwagon really quickly, now just using voice calls, which makes it even harder to feel connected. From a health standpoint, I haven’t been building movement into my day regularly and have lost the motivation to get up early to get a workout or walk in before marathon calls.
What are you most proud of right now? Making more time for long distance friendships this year, which has been a bit easier since all friendships are “distanced” right now. On the work front, I somehow managed a promotion and broke a financial milestone for myself – I feel very blessed, but also conflicted knowing how many people have been negatively impacted during covid, including my close family members.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Focus on building savings and sticking to my budget. I’m getting married next year so part of the savings goal is essential for the event, but I also made the promise to myself that before I got married I’d be financially solvent/sustainable. I have achieved that goal, but I want to build up my own savings even more so that I feel extra confident on my own.
What do you do for a living? I work in international development. My agency funds programming in other countries that support improvements in health, food security, governance, education etc.
What’s your work situation like right now? WFH.
What is the best part of that? Happy not to be commuting and to have time to train our new puppy!
What is the worst part of that? No work travel! I usually take several trips a year to countries where we have programming. I was in Mali in February but haven’t been on a plane since then.
What is something big that you working on right now? Designing programs and evaluations that adapted to insecure environments
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Mastering new recipes. I’ve got Julia Child and Iranian food queued up to keep me busy this winter.
I work in global health and usually visit our international sites 2-3x/ a year including my fave- Barbados in Janaury but we’ve had a pivot and come up with ways for our students to engage with our international partners remotely. Usually my global health students spend 4 -8 weeks during the summer observing in public health and healthcare delivery in low-middle income countries.
How nice to read everyones answers!
What do you do for a living?
I run a website to teach bloggers how to run their site, and I also blog on my personal site – in my former life (before I moved from the UK to the US), I worked in accounts for a property management company and ran my site on the side. I just expanded it to selling courses this spring.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
Working from home – we just moved house so it took a while to get my office set up again
What is the best part of that?
Not going out? Not having to wear a bra? Being close to snacks? (I do love being at home but I really miss being able to just get out when I want without much thought!)
The worst part?
Not seeing people! I had a weekly date with a blogging friend and we would work together at a coffee shop which helped to motivate me, but obviously we can’t do that now (and she’s pregnant, so I’ve only seen her twice since Feb!)
What is something big that you working on right now?
I’m working on a course to help new bloggers figure out how to create their site and where to go
What are you most proud of right now?
I’m proud I launched my store this year! It’s been something I’ve been talking about for literally years but never had the push.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
I’d love to expand what I do!
Love these questions! It has been a tough year professionally and personally:
What do you do for a living? – Compliance Auditor for a Health Insurance Company
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – WFH since the beginning of March
What is the best part of that? – I get to be with my dogs all day, and I can start work earlier since I don’t need to comute into the city anymore
The worst part? – I miss talking in person with my co workers and bouncing ideas off of them easily.
What is something big that you working on right now? – wrapping up a ‘new to me audit’ and year end reviews are coming up!
What are you most proud of right now? – Not work related, but I’m going through a divorce and I’m proud that I am rediscovering myself (sounds lame but true)
What’s a big goal you have for this year? – Move into a new house (solo!) and try to take on more leadership opportunities at work.
What do you do for a living? Fundraising Professional (behind the scenes since i don’t like asking for $$, I’m a prospect researcher for a healthcare foundation).
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I work from home full-time and have been since March when my kids’ schools were all closed down (my office was also shut down since we’re all administrative and not considered “essential.”)
What is the best part of that? Working from home actually. I wasn’t sure HOW I was going to make it work, but luckily my organization allowed me to take my work computer/laptop home so I only needed to get myself a wireless mouse and some wrist rests, etc. Plus, I get to watch my kids while they are “at school” and my youngest is absolutely adorable; I’d be missing ALL of that.
The worst part? Trying to be “super mom/woman” It’s impossible so I don’t know why I even bother. I find that i take “breaks” from work to empty the dishwasher/trash/washing machine. So, not only am I working for pay, but since I’m home I’m also trying to stay on top of the housework, while managing the kids’ schooling, etc. Oh, and not being as active as I was before covid (i miss my lunch break walks with coworkers).
What is something big that you working on right now? I can’t really answer this one since I don’t work for myself or have a side gig, so…
What are you most proud of right now? Giving myself GRACE. And trying to be resilient. And not losing my MIND with all that’s going on in the world. And watching my kids being resilient as well. I am so proud of them.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Surviving the last 2 months of 2020, is that big enough?
What do you do for a living? Property manager for a large apartment community
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Going into the office – that hasn’t changed at all during covid
What is the best part of that? Socializing with co-workers, not having major changes/disruptions to my life and habits
The worst part? Never got to wear pandemic pants lol
What is something big that you working on right now? Annual budget for the property — it’s a huge, months-long undertaking and I’m like 95% done! Looking forward to putting it away.
What are you most proud of right now? My blog is getting more traffic than ever! It’s just a side thing but I’m really proud of it and work really hard at it.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I am in the last year of my bachelor’s program and cannot wait to finally be a college graduate! I wasn’t able to attend college after high school but now that I am a working woman who can (kinda) afford to pay for it, I’m finally making it happen and will be a 30 year old grad lol
What do you do for a living? I’m a public defense attorney in Seattle.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I go into the office/court/and jail almost every day and visit clients in jail on weekends as well!
What is the best part of that? I love my clients and co workers, and I feel really passionate about my work.
The worst part? I miss being around my coworkers all the time (we have a strict office doors closed while working policy); obviously my job is really stressful and there is a lot of pressure. I have serious felony charges and my clients often have a history of deep trauma so that can feel very heavy. Sometimes I’m just really drained. Working with difficult prosecutors and judges can be hard as well.
What is something big that you working on right now? I have a couple of cases set to go to trial soon that I am working on. I also volunteer on a nonprofit Board of directors and I’m working on planning our retreat.
What are you most proud of right now? Proud of my connections with my clients who are dealing with incarceration during COVID. Proud of getting a Peloton to try to take care of myself! Started a baking instagram with my best friend which is so fun.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? To find some joy in each day and to make some sort of 5 year plan. Do I want a child? (i’m turning 35!) Do my husband and I want to renovate or move? Dealing with some health issues as well. Just trying to take some ownership of my life and decisions instead of burying my head in work each day. 🙂
I love this post.
What do you do for a living?
-I’m a legal writer for an immigration law firm (I write immigration petitions).
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
-Working from home!
What is the best part of that?
-My cats, not having to deal with my commute.
The worst part?
-I feel like I never stop working. The pandemic has also introduced a lot of challenges in my day to day work, so I feel like I’m always scrambling these past few months to FedEx things out in a timely manner, whereas I could just email it to my colleagues before.
What is something big that you working on right now?
-A huge amount of petitions on my plate right now.
What are you most proud of right now?
-Honestly, just making it through each week.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
-Advocate for myself and all the increased responsibilities I’ve taken on to get a raise.
What do you do for a living?
Until about 3ish years ago, I worked as an advertising copywriter and speechwriter. Now I’m creative director for my family’s wholesale home decor business. We specialize in reproduction blue and white porcelain and made-to-order lamps. I still freelance and do copywriting for clients part-time!
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
We’re a very small team (5 people in a very large warehouse/office space) and the work we do is hard to complete remotely or virtually. So my routine hasn’t changed at all since COVID.
What is the best part of that?
I do appreciate the routine and being able to see other people.
The worst part?
I wouldn’t mind spending some more time at home, like doing laundry while taking a call.
What is something big that you working on right now?
Before COVID, businesses like ours depended on in person markets like the High Point Furniture show for the bulk of our orders. Now our websites are doing the heavy lifting. I just redid the site, but it’s a continuous process in keeping the site up to date and user friendly. Also have a lot of fun copywriting projects in the works but can’t talk too much about them because NDAs.
What are you most proud of right now?
Still able to remain upright and remember to shower every day.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
COVID has really helped me figure out which things in my life are important and which are distractions. I hope I can continue this moving forward. Also I’m thinking of signing up for a friend’s writing mentorship and I’d like to be able to move from commercial copywriting to maybe writing more editorials or maybe a cookbook?
I love this post and am kind of nervous about participating but also feeling like I need to step out of my comfort zones!
What do you do for a living?
I work in HR for a school.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
Our school is still remote and I am working from home. Given that I am not student or parent facing, I imagine my position will be WFH for a while – which is a double edge sword. I miss the office but I also really like WFH even though I am struggling to find a comfortable WFH spot. I have been working on my couch but my neck and shoulders have had it after 8 months, so I moved to my dining table and my back is not loving the chair. I don’t want to buy a desk and chair but I may have to!
What is the best part of that?
I do feel like I am making an impact by hiring teachers who are passionate and committed to education.
The worst part?
The pay is something I am struggling with personally. And, I do feel like I may be pigeonholed in the education space.
What is something big that you working on right now?
I am working with our leaders on our hiring needs for the future.
What are you most proud of right now?
This is my first year in education and it was important for me to hire diverse teachers especially for the STEM fields. For the current academic year, I surpassed my goal and 95% of my new hires were diverse women!
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
I want to work on my personal goals, such as getting HR certified and work on my confidence at work.
What do you do for a living? I am a senior scientist working in R&D (for the company that does the majority of COVID-19 testing in America) but I work on new technology development and implementation.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’ve been on site/in office the entire pandemic. Scientists are considered “essential” in the eyes of corporate, so I work 8-10 hours a day in a mask/face shield/lab coat. Labs were never set up to have 6 ft between everything (especially when you work in a huge/busy lab) so, we must be head to toe PPE.
What is the best part of that? I see my small team daily. I am working on a cool project.
The worst part? We don’t see management. They get to WFH. Furloughs and cost cutting means being short staffed, but that metrics must still be met. I am a salaried employee, but I often spend 1-2 hr a day opening mail (specimens) to help the lab catch up before starting my own job. I am expected to put out as much work as if were are not in a pandemic, but also manage my boss’s team, as he isn’t on site due to management being allowed to WFH. I wear so much PPE for most of my day that wearing nice clothes, wearing make up, doing my hair has gone out the window. I feel gross covered from head to toe.
What is something big that you working on right now? Can’t violate the NDA, but a “first ever” sort of project in my field.
What are you most proud of right now? That I’ve worked out more in 2020 than my entire adult life. Thank you Bar Method. Oh and I had to have surgery and thankfully the pathology results were good.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? First it was to hit “Century Club” at Bar Method and I did that in August. Now it is to find a new job. I am exhausted by the expectations put upon me during the pandemic without any recognition.
love this Grace!
What do you do for a living? i’m an art director at Banana Republic Factory and content creator
What’s your work situation like right now? for the most part, i’m working from home. if we have a photoshoot, i will go into the studio where there is strict social distancing/mask protocols, but i’ve also art directed shoots remotely.
What is the best part of that? i’m lucky in that our company allowed WFH before covid, so i had a good desk set-up with a proper chair/monitor.
The worst part? as much as i love my apartment, it’s a studio so it’s small. i do wish i had a dedicated “office” vs. a section of a room. also my team is very collaborative and it can be a challenge to do that remotely. finally, i feel i’m spending so much of my day in meetings that i can’t actually do work until after regular hours, so work/life balance is out the window.
What is something big that you working on right now? holiday! i work for a major retail brand, and it’s all about black friday/cyber monday. as part of our holiday push, we have some amazing media partnerships that i’m excited about.
What are you most proud of right now? at my day job, my team and i have had to deal with a lot of rework and change, and i’m really proud of how we’ve handled it. i feel the creative looks so good!
as a content creator, i’m really proud i’ve been able to talk about things that i’m passionate about (racism, voting, mental health/addiction, etc) and grown my following (i finally hit 10k earlier this year)
What’s a big goal you have for this year? try to find more work/life balance. also think ahead to the next step in my career (i’ve been with BR with 8 years)
I work for a large pharmaceutical company as an associate director in accounting. I currently work from home but normally I go into the office (about a 1 hour commute) two-three days a week and also travel to conferences, meetings, and other sites for projects. I love not having to dress up everyday and working out at lunch!
Currently we are working on our 2021 budget refresh process and finalizing filing our Q3 earnings release and financial statements! One goal I have is to develop myself as a leader and serve as a mentor to my direct reports during this tough time.
What do you do for a living? I blog and write about Belize – my home for the last 13 years.
What’s your work situation like right now? I work from home in the most disorganized way possible. It’s shameful really.
What is the best part of that? Making my own schedule!
The worst part? How unmotivated I can be sometimes…okay…most of the time.
What is something big that you working on right now? Making it thru this pandemic and still being able to do what I am doing. Tourism is taking a BLOW and I might not make it – workwise.
Thanks for this 🙂
1) scientist leading early oncology projects at a major Pharma
2) working from home full time with 15 year old twin boys also fully remote. Husband out of home. I alternate between dining room table and desk in living room. I am remote for foreseeable future — my location is closed.
3) no commute and no packing lunches is best part.
4) worst part — on Webex from 8:15 to 4:30 today and most days with no break.
5) working on getting two new drugs into patients for the first time ever
6) most proud of way our family has handled the coronavirus. Everyone has been careful and limited our risk, and everyone is handling it well mentally.
7) trying to get 2 new drugs into patients by end of year.
What do you do for a living?— I teach fifth grade reading and writing in CT
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)— My school is fully in person but I have 1 student who is remote and can have more students remote at any time due to a covid quarantine.
What is the best part of that?— I have a room filled with kids in front of me waiting to be taught.
The worst part?— I miss working in comfy clothes and getting to wake up at 7:30 instead of 5:30. Secretly hoping the school goes remote soon **shhh don’t tell anyone**
What is something big that you working on right now?— Getting TEAM certified. As a new teacher in CT you have to basically write papers about your teaching practice for the first 2 years of teaching to get your professional license. These papers get scored and you can potentially fail!
What are you most proud of right now?— moving out of my parents house and into a beautiful little one bedroom apartment with my boyfriend!
What’s a big goal you have for this year?— trying to be on my phone/Instagram less and reading / hobbying more!
**this was so fun! Love your blog Grace! Keep being you! **
What do you do for a living? – VP of Operations at a tech start-up
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – Working remotely since early March
What is the best part of that? – 3PM baths!!!
The worst part? – Missing being able to get an easy pulse on my team — it’s harder to have a read on what’s going on / how people are feeling in a given moment when everything is virtual.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? – Care for myself better. Take time to workout, eat whole foods, get outside. Remember that to build the life I want for myself I also need to treat my body well.
Grace. When I first read “I wear a lot of hats” I envisioned you changing hats indoors. I don’t know why. ♀️
haha!
What do you do for a living? – I’m in Higher Education
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) – WFH since March and we just learned the Spring 2021 semester will be all online as well.
What is the best part of that? – The flexibility of my day – being able to take a 2 hour walk outside if I want, or taking a nap – and just making up the work time later in the day. Not having to take the train everyday and dealing with the rush hour overcrowdedness.
The worst part? – I miss physically being in an office with people. Seeing people virtually isn’t the same. I miss walking over to a coworkers office to ask a question and then staying for 20 minutes while we talk about randomness. I miss my coworker walking to the kitchen and stopping at my office door first to do a random dance. Lol – I also really miss just being able to interact with people I know in general. Single, not married, not living in the same town as people you know is hard. Also, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to dress – how to put matching outfits together. lol And like I tell everybody, I really miss my office chair.
Thank you for the post, Grace!
What do you do for a living?
I’m a therapist.
What’s your work setup like right now?
WFH, all video and phone therapy appointments.
What is the best part of that?
My new bed-to-desk commute, my proximity to my coffee maker, and comfy pants (i.e. pajamas)
The worst part?
The attempt to translate much of makes therapy valuable and transformative – connection, attunement, trust -through a screen or a phone. I think screens tend to flatten and dilute feelings and it’s an ongoing challenge to both emote and attune to people through video. The endless attempt to do so remotely is very draining, particularly without the restorative counterpoint of in-person moments of with clients. It’s also a particularly hard time to help clients hold, acknowledge, and process their anxieties, fears, and grief.
What is something big that you working on right now?
I’m finishing up my first round of a new virtual teen group. I’m also thinking about launching parent-coaching sessions.
What are you most proud of?
Remaining present and attentive with clients and having many feel ready and able to graduate from therapy, even in the midst of the pandemic.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Honestly, not becoming a complete therapy bot and burning out. That, and finally decorating my apartment – hanging art, buying all the Etsy things, and being vaguely aggressive with candles.
Wow, this post is amazing. I love reading everyone’s responses!
What do you do for a living? Full-time writer/author
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Work from home. I call it my couch office.
What is the best part of that? I love staying in pajamas until 3pm. Not gonna lie. 🙂
The worst part? I so miss working at coffee shops. I have a lot of friends who are creatives and entrepreneurs, and we used to meet at cafes a couple times a week and work on our solo projects, but break every once in a while to brainstorm/chat. We’re in lockdown where I live (Tel Aviv) so not sure when anything will reopen.
What is something big that you working on right now? I’m preparing for my first novel to come out–in February! It’s been a long, long time dream. I wrote my first novel when I was 17 (2 decades ago) so it feels surreal that it’s finally happening. And I’m writing my first kids’ book! It’s a mystery for middle school kids, sort of Nancy Drew meets the Middle East.
What are you most proud of right now? I love this question. It made me really think. I’m proud of how present I am. I think it’s part COVID and part a lot of personal growth work I’ve done, but I used to future trip like a full-time career, and I find myself more in the moment these days.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Love. I’m ready and open for love and partnership.
What do you do for a living? Assistant Director for Global Public Health Programs at a university
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) WFH a few days a week and in the office MWF since August. Will be fully remote from Thanksgiving to mid-January
What is the best part of that? Not having to commute/pack lunch/run the occasional mid-day errands
The worst part? No work-life balance, and i’m less productive at home sometimes
What is something big that you working on right now? co-leading contact tracing for the entire university and getting our entire medical school fitted for N95s and other PPE distribution, in additional to my actual job.
What are you most proud of right now? The aforementioned contact tracing. I’m managed a team of 20 volunteers and we work 7 days a week on contact tracing. I was also recently admitted to John Hopkins to get my second Master’s Degree and I start in Janauary!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? Surviving until Thanksgiving! I just need our student body to keep it together, covid case-wise until we all got remote. I’m also training for my 8th marathon, I haven’t run one in 4 years due to injury, so I’m super excited!
What do you do for a living?
I’m a pharmacy technician for a midsize hospital (275 beds give or take).
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
I work third shift. I arrive at 8:30pm and work until 7am. We have a small staff through the night but I work alone in a clean room. I do risk COVID-19 exposure daily because I spend the first hour and half refilling automated drug machines.
What is the best part of that?
My friends, family, and neighbors all use my hospital so the best part is knowing I’m doing my best for them as well as the countless other patients that I’ll never meet.
The worst part?
The daily exposure to the virus is nerve wracking particularly since I’m the primary caregiver to my 91 year d mother.
What is something big that you working on right now?
I’m working on attaining my advanced certification as a pharmacy tech.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Write more.
Wear a mask!
Really enjoyed reading about all of you!
What do you do for a living? I’m in digital talent development for an American multinational energy corporation.
What’s your work situation like right now? My husband and I are both working from home, have been since mid-March and will be for the foreseeable future due to our office building being a 50 story high rise.
What is the best part of that? Sleeping in, a quick workout during the day if there is time, more time with our daughter due to no commute.
The worst part? Oof all day teams calls, I “jump” from call to call all day long and it’s exhausting, working from home stifles the creativity and innovation like nothing we’ve seen before, cooking 3 meals a day, 7 days a week not to sound like a jerk but I do miss the work cafeteria and coffee bar, also walking between meetings – there will be days where I don’t get up from my office chair for 5 straight hours and then I’m like yikes why can’t I walk properly and I miss my commute some days, crazy as it sounds, it was my time to listen to podcasts, audio books, etc.
What is something big that you working on right now? Increasing the digital fluency of the enterprise, it’s been a huge but rewarding undertaking
What are you most proud of right now? My daughter’s amazing growth during this time at home reading, writing, and swimming
What’s a big goal you have for this year? to practice yoga and meditate each day and right now I’m on a 50 day streak, V excited about this!
Grace this is so fun! Reminds me of those old school email surveys and I love seeing everyone’s responses.
What do you do for a living?
I work in aviation with a bizjet OEM.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
Primarily at home, in the office 1-2x per week mainly if we have any in person meetings with my account or any customers.
What is the best part of that?
Comfy clothes! Also I get to avoid Fox News on the office TV all day.
The worst part?
I really miss being able to just walk over to a colleague’s desk to discuss or ask a quick question. I also really miss traveling to the other sites I cover and seeing the people I work with there. Phone, email, and video conferencing just doesn’t have the same feel.
What is something big that you working on right now?
Q4 is always the busiest for deliveries, no different this year, so I’m trying to keep ahead of everything going on. Also I’ve fell into managing our OEM relationship with new partners we are bringing on. It’s exciting but going to be very busy!
What are you most proud of right now?
I really knocked it out of the park with one of our new partners getting them in the door to my OEM. Also keeping our win rate high with some pretty stiff price competition.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Staying on track for a promotion! Maxing out my retirement savings and hopefully paying off my car.
What do you do for a living? I’m a research coordinator at a biotech start up
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I typically work from my colleagues home
What is the best part of that? Low key, chill, relaxed
The worst part? Working a little too closely with one person…
What is something big that you working on right now? Submitting a poster to a conference!
What are you most proud of right now? I’m also getting my master of public health!
What’s a big goal you have for this year? SURVIVE
1. What do you do for a living? – I am a senior financial analyst at a top CPG company.
2. What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) Working from home until a vaccine is readily available.
3. What is the best part of that? I get to spend all day with my dog and that makes me SO happy. I also spend less money / time commuting to and from work.
4. The worst part? I’m incredibly bored and sometimes lonely. I live in a studio apartment and I hate it (older building, loud neighbors, etc.). If I were to do it again, I’d get a bigger, nicer space.
5. What is something big that you working on right now? I am getting ready for the end of the year which is big in the accounting world.
6. What are you most proud of right now? I’m happy that I’m taking time for ME. I’m doing a lot of yoga and cycling, as well as cooking and baking. I’ve exhausted all my Netflix / Hulu options so I’m moving onto a stack of books I want to get through.
7. What’s a big goal you have for this year? Cleaning out boxes of things I don’t need – whether that be reuse, repurpose, donate, toss, recycle, etc.
What do you do for a living? I work in television (scheduling programming) and I’m a blogger.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’m working in the office
What’s the best part? Getting to see my cube-mate/friend. She’s the absolute sweetest!
The worst part? We’ve had Covid cases at the office sometimes twice a week despite all of the temperature screenings when we get to work and wearing masks in the office. So we’re always worried about who will be next.
What’s a big goal you have for this year? I love interviewing inspiring women (including female founded brands, artists and authors for my blog) and I’m close to my goal of sharing 100 interviews with my followers. It’s been so amazing an inspiring to get to know so many inspiring women in 2020! Literally the best part of the year!
Ooo I love these types of posts!
What do you do for a living? I’m a full-time atmospheric scientist! I blog on the side and have been doing it for over seven years (since I was in grad school)!
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.) I’m WFH! No clue when I’ll be back in the office.
What is the best part of that? I LOVE not having a commute, spending extra time with my two cats (one sits on my lap regularly), being able to run the dishwasher or start laundry in the middle of the day if needed, making myself lunches at home, waking up later (because I don’t have a commute and I’m not a morning person), and the flexibility if I have to run an errand or have an appointment.
The worst part? There have been a few miscommunications with my colleagues because it’s so hard to tell tone of voice in messages (on Slack or email). I’m also not a huge fan of having to be on video during Zoom meetings, haha. I didn’t have a webcam for a few months and it was so nice.
What is something big that you working on right now? I have to redo a big project I nearly finished at work because of one small error (the joys of computer modeling). On the blog side, I’m trying to grow and really putting a lot of effort into it (I joined a few programs, relaunched email, am creating my first freebie, am planning out holiday content, trying to be more consistent with social media). It’s so much work, and honestly if it weren’t for COVID I probably wouldn’t be doing this because all of the money I’ve spent probably would have gone to travel instead.
What are you most proud of right now? I haven’t completely lost my mind with everything going on, and I’m also still motivated to improve my blog. I had a paid social campaign a couple of months ago that was really exciting for me! I also managed to stuff 40 lbs of frozen fries into our garage freezer that was 3/4s full of other food LOL. #proud (I’m in Idaho and take potatoes very seriously. Also not a doomsday prepper but maybe I will become one depending on how the election goes…)
What’s a big goal you have for this year? When it comes to my job, I just want to finish up the rest of my projects with no issues! With my blog, I’d like to see it trending upward. So far I’m not getting anywhere which is disheartening. And I’d like to get through 2020, of course, lol. Dreading next week…
Oh I looooove this! So interesting 🙂
Lisa | lisaautumn.com
What do you do for a living?
I work with my city’s law enforcement.
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
We’re considered essential workers, so we’ve not had a day off yet this year strictly due to the pandemic.
What is the best part of that?
Having a regular schedule, getting out of the house, and feeling like I have a purpose have all been immense benefits, despite how scary it seems at times. It’s given me consistency and, to be honest, distraction (some days) and I attribute my sanity to that!
The worst part?
It can be scary thinking about where my jobs puts me with regard to potential exposure and the social climate, but regardless, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
What is something big that you working on right now?
This is my first true ‘career’-type position, and working on developing my technical skills AND confidence simultaneously is a challenge, but truly is my biggest project.
What are you most proud of right now?
Making it in my job field (getting into my department is difficult) and still managing (most days) to show up, adult, and take care of my family (my fur kids!).
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
Working through anxieties and insecurities that are keeping me from being confident in my abilities, which in turn sometimes keeps me from progressing technically at work. I’d like to wave off 2020 feeling even slightly more capable and competent (in my personal and professional endeavors) than I did at the beginning of the year.
What do you do for a living?
– I work in marketing for a national, higher education company. To say things are busy is an understatement!
What’s your work situation like right now? (Working from home, going into the office, etc. etc.)
– I work from home almost-full time. We have a dedicated office in a coworking space, but I rarely go.
What is the best part of that?
– Not having to commute! (The “office” is a solid 30-minute drive for me, without traffic.)
The worst part?
– Not having in-person brainstorms with colleagues.
What are you most proud of right now?
– Since Covid hit, I’ve run two webinar series (9 webinars) for 1,000+ attendees each time. Both series were to support faculty in higher ed manage the transition to online teaching and creating more inclusive online courses.
What’s a big goal you have for this year?
– I’d like to start managing people (i.e. a direct report) at work; I currently manage vendor/agency relationships and processes, but not people.