Bike Random

Remote Work as an Outdoor Nerd

Well, that was fast. Remote Work will be the new reality and we are now working from home. And I mean completely and long term. As we were listening to the news over the last couple of weeks it was quite clear that things might change pretty quick. Now that the s**t hit the fan, everything feels a bit surreal. Corona happened and we are restructuring our work lives and the way we engage with people.

Now that huge crowds are flooding the stores, we are happy we already have everything we need. We prepped some food and household stuff after our spring cleaning session a couple of weeks ago and stocked up on legumes, rice, nuts and pasta from the bulk store. Also, there are enough frozen veggies in the fridge. We had no idea how helpful this would be. So now, there is no need to storm into the supermarket in the search for some noodles or toilet paper.

The Remote Work Setup

Yesterday was the first voluntary home office day . The desk and equipment needs some improvement as all of a sudden there are two people working from home. But our Coworking Space will not close before the day after tomorrow, so there is still enough time to get some stuff from the office. Better to get yourself comfortable for the long run. If you look at other countries, this situation can actually take some weeks or even months.

Fortunately, Remote Work is not new for us. We have had remote days or even weeks (when abroad or visiting the family). And we established a ‘Remote Wednesday’ at some point.

But to be honest, now that we HAVE to work from home, it feels a bit different. I think it will be interesting to see how people adjust to the new reality. This will steer up the pros and cons of remote work pretty quickly. I try to see it as an opportunity – for me personally and for our company. I can divide my time freely and already know that I work more effectively from home. So that’s a big plus.

I only see a problem when it comes to personal contacts. Communicating digitally and seeing each other on screen only is not the same as personal interaction. So I hope 1-1 walking meetings in the park will still be possible (at least). We’ll see.

Feels like one finger on the break

When it comes to mountain biking and sports, it’s a different story. We were asked not to spend too much time outside. Little walks and recreational bike rides are fine, but full blown mountain bike days and group rides are not allowed. Also the local trail system was closed to avoid medical emergencies. What this means for the races in two months, we don’t know yet. Let’s cross our fingers!

To get some training in I already unpacked my trainers and started running again. We are fortunate enough to have a park nearby. It’s funny but now there are more people outside than ever before. Usually, the park is quite empty at this time of the year but now that everything is restricted it’s crowded like on a nice summer day. Therefore, my plan is to get up very early and use the colder days for training.

Gyms are closed as well. So I am grateful for my home gym equipment that came together over the years. The dumbbells, kettlebells, resistent bands, yoga mat and black rolls will work fine for now. But I might need some bigger weights pretty soon.

I hope that the training in the last couple of months wasn’t for nothing. And what is more important – we will stay at home and hopefully help to avoid a further spread of the virus. If everyone is doing their bit to help, this will be over sooner than later and we will all be able to live our lives (that we know) again. I am looking forward to the time in the mountains, on the lakes and maybe even at the sea (like on the pic above in Tofino/Canada).

That’s all – stay safe and healthy folks. Take care!

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