My Observations During the Lockdown

During this, let's call it, unusual time, I have been working more remotely than in the office (no surprise there) and as such I've made a few observations.

Lawn Care Happens Daily

Living in a condo I don't think about lawn care much other to remark on how nice our neighborhood always looks.  One of my neighbors and friend maintains the flower beds for our building and we have a lawn service.  Recently, I've learned that lawn care happens daily and I do mean daily, including Sundays.  Each morning, I hear a lawnmower, not always on the same property of course.  Now it is obvious why the neighborhood always looks so nice. 

When you look at your website, do you think it looks good?  Are you giving it care and maintenance?

My Home Internet Was Not Great

Since the majority of work usually being done at my office with its lightning-fast internet shifting to work at home was an eyeopener. With me working and neighbors streaming - all-day - productivity was slow.  This would never do!  I got on the phone with my internet provider and voila!  I got my internet upgraded and while not as lightning-fast as my office it is still pretty good. Productive back.

Does your site load fast and perform well?

I Love My Work Office

Well, I love the way my work office is set up, the desk, the chair, the separation from home. I have a wonderful L-shaped desk with lots of writing space.  My office chair fits me perfectly and is comfortable without being the sleep/relaxation-inducing comfortable of the favorite chair at home that always, and I do mean always, lures me to sleep. The lighting is better, not perfect but better than what I have at home. Which until now I thought was pretty good. 

Is your website using white space well?  Are visitors getting eye-fatigue viewing your content?  Is your content engaging?

I Need a Better Home Office

I no longer had a fully functioning home office after I got my work office set up to my liking, I'd converted it to a guest room for family and friends.  There is a small table that I sometimes use for weekend work that was tucked away in a corner. Mostly when I was working from home, I sat in my comfy chair, yes the sleep/relaxation-inducing one, with my laptop to check mail, handle firecall issues with websites, or blogging.  Not conducive to daily work.

What processes need improving for content ideation, creation, and publication to keep you working efficiently and effectively?

I Need a Better Backdrop

With the wall hangings and brick wall, my work office has a great backdrop for online meetings.  At home, well, not-so-much.  The only "blank" walls were in the hallway which is not wide enough for my table and nightstands. The dining room table had the best light but lots of "stuff" that would show up on camera. The table tucked in the guest room, showed well, the guest room, and had two windows that were behind me causing a shadow over my face. Oh, and did I mention I needed better lighting. With the change/reconfiguration of the office, the windows are now in front of me removing the shadow over my face when on Zoom meetings.  The backdrop is the same, bed behind me, perhaps a screen would help.  

Are your visitors able to clearly see your services, your products, how you can help them?

 I Am Still An Introvert

Ok, I admit, I've never been one for video calls and meetings, with the lockdown that has not really changed. Yes, I use it for client and user group meetings, but with the lockdown, it bled over into my personal life.  It felt like I was on camera all day every day which was draining.  Don't get me wrong it was comforting to see family and friends but the amount of getting in touch coupled with work was draining, remember, I am an introvert. Once we started to figure things out like: how to work, how to shop, how to know we were ok, the feeling which might closely resemble Zoom Fatigue began to subside as the number of Zoom meetings moved to a more manageable amount. As someone who is more introverted, there was and still is a lot of adjusting to being comfortable on camera so much.  I won't say I am ready to be a video star, but I am getting more comfortable and more adept at Zoom meetings.

Have you thought about creating videos for your website?

These are just some of my thoughts, what are yours?  Share in the comments below.