Diary of a weary Product Manager: remote working

Two in the office and the little ones said, “We’re hungry, we’re hungry!!!”

When I first wrote this diary, I was juggling work/life easily. I was just: working from home. I was helping with the first aid when required (tin foil incident) but I had my 9 to 5 locked in as my working time. ( ok half 5, boss!)

They say all good things come to an end… The wife has returned to work!

Calls are now outside, with kids on trampolines or in wheelbarrows or screaming in a pile of stones… not my fault they taste bad, wait until you try marmite – ah-ha a new idea for lunchtime snacks (noted). Meetings are now scheduled, obviously they are always scheduled but not with the wife… Now we need to coordinate slots where we can’t have meetings at the same time.

The real shocker is that kids have fixed routines and schedules themselves? Who knew? Luckily, they usually cry if they are hungry. Unfortunately, the nappy changes are random, they can be clearly detected at times but still need to be actioned, a “to do” list just doesn’t cut it.

My positive outlook:  I am putting down a solid 10/10 for the competency, Time and Task Management. Not only can I manage MY time, I can also include 3 other people. Let’s say 4 and include the dog, it will look better on my CV…. Of course, there is the management of work tasks too but let’s not go off topic.

Over the past year I have been in work mode, I was the only one in the house, new job and new people stories, funny things that happened in work stories. My wife had the funny things the kids said stories until now…  Last night (Wednesday) after a rather long-winded update on her team, I asked did I need that much detail, to which she openly admitted to boring me, just to get me back for the past year. With my new position I am late to the show, but this week I can officially say, I am working from home in a pandemic.

To close I’d like to give a big shout out to the trampoline – I call it the babysitter, I’d just like to say that since you appeared in my life (the day before lockdown) you were only hassle, difficult to understand and a LOT for one man to piece together.   ( I’m still talking about the trampoline here ) But now you have become a provider to the family in so many ways that I only recognise now. You are worth the investment pity you can’t make some marmite snacks for the kids.