Dear 2022,
Hello. It’s uh, nice to meet you. We think? We come in peace. Oh, uh, here is a welcome gift. We brought you a fruit basket. Please take it as a token of our appreciation. Hopefully, this bribery will be sufficient to change the frankly abysmal vibes that your predecessors, 2020 and 2021, have left behind. You have a lot of cleaning up to do, but we’re sure you’re up for the task. What we’re trying to say is, we’re really hoping that you’re going to be different. Please prove us right.
Remote Life Tips for 2022
We’re optimists here at Voice by Maria HQ, so we’re sure that 2022 won’t need even need this note of desperation to convince 2022 to bring us good fortune. After the last two years that we’ve all had, it wouldn’t be outrageous to think that we deserve something positive out of this decade, right? You know the popular saying that we all have embroidered and handing on our walls—from every dumpster fire there emits a rainbow of pure joy and wonder. If you need a little bit more peace and quiet for your mind, I made a (parody) (satirical) (ridiculous) guided meditation and tips for 2022 made especially for digital producers. We’re sure you won’t regret it. Check it out below!
Even if the road ahead of us remains rough, there are two important things to keep in mind. The first is that if there is one thing these past two years have taught us, it’s how resilient we are. We’re not even being cheesy—most of us have never lived through something as universally traumatizing as a pandemic, and we are doing the best we can.
The second is that we are wiser and more prepared than we were in 2020 or 2021. This is especially true for remote workers. While those of us who work from home are very fortunate in many ways—we don’t have the unfathomably tough work conditions of the amazing folks on the frontlines, we don’t have a commute, and we can often work in our pajamas—there are also many challenges to this way of working.
But maybe you’ve been too busy updating your Asana board or tracking your KPIs to keep track of the wise tricks that working from home for two years has taught us. Don’t worry, wary warrior of the world wide web—in this article, we have collected the most important things that remote work has taught us.
#1 Pets and Children Don’t Understand the 9 to 5 Concept
The concept of a 9 to 5 job has been deeply ingrained in our culture ever since Henry Ford told us that it should be. Dolly sang about it, Sheena sang about it, and chances are that most of us have worked at least one 9 to 5 job in our lives. But the problem is that the 9 to 5 model and the remote work model just don’t really mix.
Nobody knows this better than parents with young children who were set up with the task of watching their kids while working their job. Sure, it may be disruptive to hear a baby cry out in the middle of a C-suite meeting, but what can ya do? And good luck trying to explain it to your dog to not ask for attention until after 5 p.m. Our pets are thrilled that we’re home all the time, and they’re making the most of it.
Luckily, many companies are reacting to this incompatibility by offering flex hours to their employees. Often times this means being available at certain hours a day for meetings, but otherwise just finishing their work at their own discretion so that they can be there for their children and pets as much as possible.
#2 The Right Camera Angle Can Hide That Pile of Laundry
I’m pretty convinced that everyone does this, but if you never have, prepare for your life to be changed for the better. Over the past 7,500 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all gone to great lengths to perfect our “Zoom background”. But don’t even think about actually cleaning your room before a Zoom meeting again. Simply tilt your camera so that any mess on your floor or desk is out of view. No one will ever know. 😉
Tips for 2022 #3 Mute Yourself When You’re Not Speaking
This isn’t really a groundbreaking tip, and we’re not being facetious. We just thought we’d remind you to mute yourself when you’re not speaking.
#4 Nobody Knows That You’re Wearing Pajama Pants
If you’re still wearing business casual clothing to your Zoom meetings, we’re here to free you from that prison of fabric. The same thing goes if you’re wearing jeans. While some people do find it helps put them in the proper mind frame for working, voice actors, in general, rely on pajama pants to get them through the day. A uniform? A badge of courage? Who’s to say?
Tips for 2022 #5 A Watched Postal Worker Never Delivers
Yes, much like a watched kettle never boils, we’re pretty sure that a watched postal worker never delivers, so if you’re highly anticipating a special delivery, try to avert your eyes from your front steps. It’s better this way. Also, while we’re at it, let’s consider tipping our mail carriers for the holidays—it’s not too late and they’ve done some amazing work these past few years.
So, there you have it. Some tips to take you through the next year, whatever it does decide to bring us.
