(This week’s post originally appeared on THWACK.com as a comment during the 2020 December Writing Challenge.)
As an extrovert, you’d think the opposite of me – “how are you dealing without the interaction that <you people> thrive on?” First, interaction can be found in many places. As @sqlrockstar, @ChrystalT @saschg @lbeavs @jennebarbour and @patrick.hubbard can attest, my conversations on Teams are many, varied, and long-winded. For me, it’s the exchange of ideas, more than the medium in which that exchange occurs, that scratches my extroverted itch.
I guess you could say my variation on this day’s theme is “Not all extroverts 👎 WFH”.
That said, I’m going to repeat something that I heard a lot at the start of the pandemic, but not as much now: I have been 100% remote work for over a decade. Many of my colleagues have as well. NONE of us are finding this easy. This (waves hands around at the state of the world) is hard. For introverts. For extroverts. For everyone.
Take a breath. Be kind – to yourself and to others. Continue to be open to new ways to recharge your batteries. As the sun rises acknowledge the reality that you may be as different as the day. Yesterday an introvert, today a little more extra.