Almost all of The Canberra Times newsroom staff have started working from home this week. Here's how some are meeting the same challenge being faced by people all over the world.
Katie Burgess (federal politics reporter)
How are you managing your role from home?
I've spent the last three years working out of a bureau so I'm used to working remotely. Unlike Parliament though, I can wear pajamas when filing from our spare room. As tempting as it is though to spend the day talking on the phone in my flannels during this period of social distancing, I've been getting up and dressed as I would if I were heading into the office. It gets me in the headspace to work and makes me feel like I have my life together. It also stops the rest of The Canberra Times from judging me when we're on our morning video conference.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
I've been using the time I would have normally spent commuting to start my day with a run and a decent breakfast. My partner is also working from home, albeit downstairs, so he's been bringing me coffee at regular intervals. Our cat is making the most of the new arrangement by lobbying us both for extra snacks and scratches.
What are the challenges you're finding?
I'm on day two of working from home but on my third office chair! There's a chair graveyard in our spare room as I try to find something that I can comfortably spend eight hours chipping away on.
It's tough to cover Parliament when you're not actually in the building, owing to the Prime Minister's habit of announcing press conferences with 10 minutes warning. We are lucky though that the conferences are usually broadcast live so we can stay up-to-date. Parliamentary proceedings are also streamed live which makes covering it remotely doable.
Someone does need to be there to ask the questions though, so we are working out among our team how we handle that. I am missing the incidental interactions I get from heading to the coffee cart or the Trough, and it sucks not being able to bounce ideas around the newsroom.
I also find I'm snacking a lot more - I ate half a loaf of bread yesterday! I think if I continue this way, I'm going to start resembling Homer Simpson when he worked from home. Where's the any key?!
Even though working from home has been an adjustment, it's worth it to keep people out there more at risk of COVID-19 safe and to help keep our newsroom online during this crisis
Jasper Lindell (Sunday Canberra Times reporter)
How are you managing your role from home?
All the usual things are here at home with me: a desk, plenty of pens and notepads, a computer and a working phone line. What more could I need?
Very quickly I realised just how much I would miss the usual newsroom interactions, stopping to say hello to colleagues who I would not be working with directly. But the kind of work I'm doing goes on much the same. The writing, reading, research, phone calls, setbacks and major breakthroughs.
On my desk at home is a typewriter like the ones which were standard issue in The Canberra Times newsroom back in the day - a 15 kilogram Olivetti Diaspron 82. The typewriter sits side by side with the small, high-powered laptop and iPhone that means I can work from almost anywhere. I find the pairing is a nice illustration of how far we've come and how fortunate we are that we can safely continue working for Canberrans during a global pandemic.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
My chocolate stockpile has been hidden from me. I'm also doing my best to not wander to the snack cupboard and refrigerator too often.
That's a risk which I don't normally know in the Times' Fyshwick newsroom. Having a set start time is also part of my plan to stay on track. By cutting out the commute, I reckon I'm in a much more pleasant frame of mind when I sit down to start the day.
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I follow a similar routine to the one I have in the newsroom: I read the papers each morning, except now I'm doing it on an iPad, peruse my emails and see what the other websites are up to. It doesn't feel all that different, really. Until I realise there's no one else around to talk about stories with - then I have to wait until a video call a bit later on.
What are the challenges you're finding?
Staying focused after 3pm is the hardest part. The afternoon hours at home are long and frustrating. It's probably when I start getting distracted at work, too, but at least at Fyshwick there are other eyeballs around to encourage me to carry on with the job.
Now I only have myself to blame, so I'm really making sure I keep myself in check. Sitting outside in the garden makes for a nice interruption ... until I hear the phone ringing from my desk inside. At the moment, it's still a case of it being the shock of the new. The pattern of working from home each day still feels unfamiliar, but I half suspect it will be a rude awakening when I can return to work in the newsroom - whenever that may be.
Karen Hardy (Lifestyle reporter, Food & Wine editor)
How are you managing your role from home?
As the Food & Wine editor I've taken it upon myself to do some more cooking while I'm home. That counts doesn't it? But seriously, it's about being organised and on top of things and maintaining contact with colleagues and contacts outside the organisation.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
I love working from home. So many less distractions. Rather than chat in the tearoom, I can do washing, put something in the slow cooker etc. There's some music playing, the occasional cuddle with the dog. I'm making sure there's a walk at the end of the day too. It's important to switch off from work. Don't set yourself up at the kitchen bench, or in your bed, find a place you can separate from home life.
What are the challenges you're finding?
It's all about communication and making sure there are no mixed messages or doubling up which is harder when we're all off-site. We're thinking of ways to combat this and it's nice just to see colleagues in a hangout each day. It's about being organised and on top of who is doing what.
Caden Helmers (sport reporter)
How are you managing your role from home?
We're staying in touch as a sports team with a morning conference call and a group message thread filled with story updates and mindless banter to keep things flowing.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
It's a long story, but the first thing I did to kick off life in a home office was demolish a packet of gummy bears. Beyond that, music in the background is providing good company.
What are the challenges you're finding?
We can't spitball ideas quite as freely over messages or have a laugh at each other like we usually would in the office, but our team's message thread is a decent substitute.
Sally Whyte (federal politics reporter)
How are you managing your role from home?
I have the TV on ABC News 24 and Sky News constantly, and I spend A LOT of time on phone - calling people for interviews on stories and to make sure we are keeping readers up to date.
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Also constantly in touch with colleagues through programs such as Slack.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
Wearing trackies, having a cup of tea out in the sun when I can.
What are the challenges you're finding?
It is challenging to coordinate with colleagues and to bounce ideas off one another when you're not sitting next to each other. I love having a chat and finding good story angles that way and it isn't quite the same. It's also difficult to do shoe-leather journalism - going and finding a story when you're trying to stay at home! My partner is also stuck overseas at the moment, so it's just me most of the time, which is a bit lonely.
Doug Dingwall (public sector reporter)
How are you managing your role from home?
So far it's a lot like being back at university when a lot of the work was done at home. It hasn't made too much difference to the amount of work I'm doing so far, or the kind of work I do. If I have a phone and laptop, that's enough. If anything, I work faster without the distractions that come with working in an office. But that comes at a cost, because those distractions are usually good - they relieve stress and keep things fun.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
A routine plus a few perks here and there help. I start the day before work out of the apartment, getting a takeaway coffee at the local cafe. A walk at lunchtime, and some outdoors exercise after work are also stopping me going stir crazy. I find going on walks help break up the day, so I'm getting to know my neighbourhood again. While it's quiet at home, I'm chatting to people on our communications system Slack a lot more. I'm also getting on top of the household chores in a big way, putting a load of washing on or emptying the dishwasher, it's another good way to break things up.
What are the challenges you're finding?
First, I need to set up a real home office. Right now I'm at a makeshift desk at our dining table and the chairs aren't great. We're going to assemble a home office in our spare room soon. The Ikea flatpacks are sitting there, waiting. The other challenge is feeling a bit boxed in with our small apartment, which is why I'm going for walks when I can.
Megan Doherty (news and lifestyle reporter, Private Capital columnist)
How are you managing your role from home?
It's pretty much the same and hoping to still get out and talk to people, as long as I don't run any risk of affecting vulnerable people and I keep a good distance. I can still take pics with my phone.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
Putting the washing on while I work (well, it's better than Real Housewives of Dallas, right?). That makes me happy. Keeping the radio on to feel connected.
What are the challenges you're finding?
I feel isolated of course. If the kids' school is shut down as well, it's not going to be pretty.
Chris Dutton (sports editor)
How are you managing your role from home?
Sport is lucky. We regularly file stories from car parks, cafes or stadiums ... I've even seen some sport journalists sit in the gutter to file a story. So doing it from a home office is a luxury.
What we do every day doesn't change. We're still calling coaches, players and athletes to discuss stories and ideas. We're having a daily phone hookup with our sports team to make sure we're across everything we need to be, and then everyone sets off on their tasks.
What are you doing to make it as enjoyable as possible?
Opening up all the doors and windows, letting the light in and the air to flow through.
I'm lucky enough to have a room that was already set up for an office for "emergencies".
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After clearing away about 12 months worth of documents, I eventually found the keyboard and was ready to go.
One of the biggest things for me is making sure I feel OK to step away from the computer. I'm not constantly tied to the computer when I'm in the office, so I have to make sure I step away to get a drink or walk outside.
What are the challenges you're finding?
The distractions. Should I unstack that dishwasher? What about another load of washing? The lawn looks like it could use a mow, too. On the first day I felt guilty that I didn't unpack the dishwasher during the day.
But I realised I'm technically at work, and the dishwasher wouldn't get done if I was sitting at my regular desk.
Snacks are also the big problem. There's always something in the cupboard or fridge to refuel.
Even though working from home has been an adjustment, it's worth it to keep people out there more at risk of COVID-19 safe and to help keep our newsroom online during this crisis.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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