With everything that’s going on at home and board I thought it would be interesting for you guys to see how this crisis has effected my job and presumably fellow nannies. I imagine my circumstances, while having slight difference are still somewhat standard for others in this same line of work. Anyway in this brief post(well it was supposed to be a brief post) I will cover how my job has changed and how it hasn’t changed since Covid-19(CCP).
Different but the same…
First off as a live-in nanny(which is different from a live-out nanny and which I have covered here) has been very good in the since that I haven’t had the learning curve that many of you have had to go through in regards to working at home and juggling everything that means.
Learning how to prioritize what needs to get done when; how to work 9-5 alone and in the confines of your own four walls. To wear pj’s all day, or get dressed and actually attempt to look human. How to still get exercise and not gain the dreaded pounds with the TV and fridge so conveniently located next to you. And since you’re not seeing anyone for the foreseeable future who cares if you eat all the pizza??(Not that wearing pjs all day is wrong. Nor that eating all the pizza is bad, but maybe not wise??)
Being spared these troublesome questions, since I have worked where I live for the last two years now, has left me somewhat out the loop of my friends. They are all struggling to find that balance and productive contentment in an “at home” setting. With that being said I thought I would just briefly share a few things I have learned about working at home. (These things have helped me so I’m not going to say that they’ll absolutely work for you. But if you’re a morning person with a bit of OCD and an obsessive people pleaser they might work for you!)
- Set a routine- Now you could do this in your head like a sane person. Or write out a calendar and write down everything you need to get done just so you can have the thrill of checking it off, like me. Whatever floats your boat. My daily routine basically looks the same everyday, because I’m obsessive like that.
- Get dressed- Or at least change from your pjs to your sweats. I feel totally gross and super unproductive if I wear me pjs all day. Even if I get a lot of stuff checked off my to-do list, if I’m not wearing actually clothes it feels like all my accomplishments are null and void. And I have randomly selected Wednesday as the day I actually get dressed dressed and put on makeup(which I haven’t been doing at all to be honest) I’m not sure exactly why Wednesday, but… I’ll go with it.
- A daily to-do lists- Sort of attached to the above point, but every work day I make a list of things I need to get done. This ensures I have tasks to get done over my 6:30 am to 4:30 pm work day. I tend to get my biggest tasks done early just because that’s when I have my peak of energy. But I want to make sure I have productive activity to do all day, which to be honest is normally never a problem.
So what’s different?
- School work- Having the twin, six yr. olds attending 5k five, full days a week and then suddenly not has been a bit of a challenge and has probably been the biggest change. However since my boss already home schools her two older boys and being a homeschool kid myself it hasn’t been too bad. In fact we’re having fun. Maybe I’ll do a crash course post on homeschooling for all you haven’t had to do it before. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in.
- Off hours- I am a homebody and enjoy my me time, so I don’t mind the solitude too much… except at night when I’m tired of talking to myself. It has been fun though hanging with my sister(so blessed she’s here with me) and my work family. We’ve been playing games and just hanging out.
- Pay/employment- A big change that hasn’t happened to me, but definitely could be looming ahead for any nanny. My position as a nanny is a luxury in a way, so I can imagine that me and my fellow nannies know that our jobs depend on our bosses and in the end might not be considered a necessity. My boss owns several businesses and with the way the economy has stopped it has made all small businessmen worried. I am so thankful for my employers and how they have been very transparent with me and so far so good. I know some who are not so fortunate.
These have been the biggest changes for me personally. I hope this was at least interesting a killed a few minutes of your time.
Lots of love,
Tally
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