3 Changes at Work in 2020

After an unusual year, I decided to gather my thoughts and write down the main changes in my work life in 2020.
To be honest I had a good year. I’m lucky enough to have a stable job, for which I am thankful. But the lockdowns and regulations came with their fair share of side effects. So here’s my top 3 changes at work in 2020.

If there’s one thing we cannot deny, it is that our social life has changed massively in 2020. It is true for both our private and work life and they are closely related. Let’s have a closer look.

I had to do my work without my most cherished thing when working, sociability. My job as consultant allows me to communicate with a lot of people, would it be colleagues or customers. And I like it. I like giving and taking trainings, I like brainstorming, I like sharing the latest anecdotes and experiences, I like the coffee-break, I like the friendships created during a game of table football, I like seeing my colleagues and customers. The lockdowns and homeworking regulations took that away from me, and it strongly impacted my motivation at first. So I had to find new ways to thrive at work, to share with colleagues, but I still cannot wait to go back to an office full of life !

More than just a social change, it’s also a technical change. We now have to do all our workshops, trainings, communication through a screen. And you have to respect the complexity of it. We can be grateful that this is happening with tools such as Zoom and Teams available to a large audience.

Last but not least, private social life was also impacted. I don’t believe we are made to stay 100% of our time with the same person. Luckily, my partner works outside, which gives us time to be on our own, to breathe, and to have things to share when we come together again. I’m also fairly happy not to have kids yet, I think it would be another challenge altogether. Some colleagues of mine like homeworking more than I do. I’m pretty sure this special year is going to increase the tolerance for homeworking later on, which I think some people are grateful for. Though I now have to invest a bit more in office furniture !

This time of change brought its fair share of opportunities and complications.

The one thing I struggled most with during 2020 is motivation. A couple times since March, I felt down. I felt like I was performing badly. I felt stuck in the repeating routine. So I had to find new ways to thrive again.

Setting objectives outside of my work, to be able to focus on work-unrelated subjects. Some examples would be restoring my wardrobe, creating new private blog posts, taking good care of my dog, reaching out to old friends.

I also needed new challenges for work, new opportunities to help me boost my motivation.

Nothing unrealistic, just little things to keep me looking forward. All these together helped me thrive at work.

It took me a while to choose my new office chair. I was working on a normal wooden chair, and after a few months, my back made it clear I would need a new and more ergonomic chair. So I went online and started learning basic things about them. The adjustment, the quality, the price. I quickly realized proper ergonomic chairs are expensive. I was really attracted by brands stating they have fully ergonomic chairs with loads of adjustment, for a fraction of the usual price. However, unless they found a cheap revolutionary end-to-end flow, they had to cut some discreet corners. So I tried to gather the really important points for choosing an ergonomic chair.

First and foremost, the greatest tip you could find anywhere : find a local reseller and GO TRY THEM. There’s no better way to know what fits you best.

But let’s have a look at more things you should look into when buying an office chair :

Again, if you’re looking for a chair, first test a few to make up your own mind, your back will thank you. Videos and blogs will only guide you at best. Don’t forget that a lot of reviews are sponsored in some way.

I would also recommend you have a look at the other parts of your desk setup, including the desk height, width and thickness, keyboard and mouse, screen(s), lighting, environment, etc.

Overall, it took me more than 6 month to figure things out. I’m getting better at working from home. I found ways to separate my private life and my work life without the drive home. I improved the environment in which I work.
And most importantly, I found new motivations to enjoy my work, just like blogging, which also helps my overall happiness.

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