Today (May 6) marks the end of my fifth week working from home during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and I have to admit my attitude toward this situation has evolved quite a bit over the last 35 days.

At first, despite how great getting to work remotely in the comfort of my home office sounded, it was actually riddled with challenges in both technology and logistics.

Things didn't always work the way they were supposed to and the temptations to do something other than work were quite alluring.

But now that I've had a chance to make this my 'new normal', I can see the upside to this arrangement.

And apparently I'm not alone.

A new survey from YouGovUSA Today, and LinkedIn shows that more than half of workers asked (54%) said working from home has actually increased their productivity but cutting down on commuting, distractions from co-workers, and unnecessary meetings.

That's the good news.

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The bad news?

Nearly as many (51%) said all of this being away from the office was making them lonely.

Did you know there's a scientific term for that? It's called 'skin hunger'.

Wired.co.uk talked to Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami and discovered that the term refers to our biological need for human contact. It goes all the way back to when we were babies.

That touch from others helps to lower our heart rate and blood pressure and slow down our nervous system and brain waves. All leading to less stress in our lives.

So while we continue to make the best of a less than ideal situation, let's not forget the important role that human interaction plays in our overall well being.

Looking forward to seeing all of you in person again!

When it's safe...


Things I Miss as a Result of COVID-19

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