By Dennis N. LoConti, Jr., OCPA Assistant Annual Conference Chair/Area Coordinator for Housing at Heidelberg University
A few months ago, we hosted our Annual Conference with a conference theme of Balance. If the world only knew what was coming and how our everyday lives would change. The need to find balance is more important than ever.Over the last 3 months, I like many of you, have spent most of my time inside my own home. Working from home and limiting my trips out in public to the necessities. The need for finding balance in these times is more crucial than ever. Most often when we talk about balance in the realm of higher education we are referring to work/life balance. Covid-19 brought new realities to what that means and how we find our own balance.
What do you do when your home and workplace are now the same location? How do you adjust your habits and work routines to be effective in your home? Like many people, I consulted the internet looking for advice from people who regularly work from home. I setup my home office and made sure to do work in one room and live in another. To separate the two worlds.
In the beginning, I found working from home to be not much different than working from my office. As a Residence Life Professional, I live on campus, so if I needed to head into the office for any reason, I could do so. As time went on though, working from home has become more difficult. I miss our students. I miss the bustle of campus and in person meetings. I miss the things that should be happening on our campus that are not because they pose a health and safety risk.
For me, finding balance during this time manifested itself in Zoom Happy Hours. I began setting up reoccurring Zoom meetings with family and friends unrelated to work. Something that I could look forward to each week and where I knew I would get the opportunity to interact with people who didn’t also live in my house. They also gave me the opportunity to reconnect with friends that I have not spoken to in far too long. I was able to step back from what normally would have been my super busy spring semester and focus on things that I hadn’t in a while, relationships with people I loved.
If I were to give one piece of advice to all of you while we navigate the ever changing Covid-19 world, it would be this; find something that brings you a sense of balance. For me it was my Zoom meetings. For you, it could be working out in your yard, starting a home renovation project, or perhaps getting to some of those books that have been on your shelf for far too long. Take some time to think about what balance looks like for you during this pandemic and find ways to get there.