Today marks the fifth month of working from home for me. And yes – I’d rather be in the office among creative minds and energy, I’d rather leave work and routinely practice at a yoga studio or meet up for drinks with friends at a cute wine bar or have a dinner date at a new restaurant, I’d rather have some place to be during the day that is more than 20 feet from my kitchen. I feel semi-numb working from home by myself all day (let’s face it, the dog is passed out on the couch, she’s not with me) and often staying home as soon as the work day ends. But that doesn’t excuse my zoning out during digital meetings.
I snapped to attention when I saw this post by yoga instructor Bonnie Weeks. What really stuck out to me:
“If you’re signing into a meeting but leaving the screen off and not participating—a stuffed toy could do that. Showing up … is engaging with wherever you are. It’s not just showing your name or your face, but being part of the conversation.”
This is my reminder to turn my video on.
This is my reminder to be on time.
This is my reminder to pay attention, when it’s so easy to look at my other screen and multi-task.
This is my reminder to turn off my “mute” button, and say something.
This is my reminder to be useful, to share, to contribute to my team.
This is my reminder to be a part of it all – even if it’s not the scenario I wanted.
