Flexible work location and a visit from the in-laws

I have found that over the past six months I have become very comfortable working from just about anywhere. My job can often take me to other P&G locations in Cincinnati. There are seven major sites, and in an average month I have to be at 4-5 of them at some point. I used to always go to my desk first, then head to the meeting at the other site and return back to my location when it was over. It wasn't until gas rose above $3.00 that I realized this was just silly. Even though P&G would compensate me for the mileage, it made me realize this was just not efficient.

Thankfully most P&G sites have drop-in centers, or open spaces that are either wireless or have Internet connections. So there was really no need to run back to my desk. At the downtown office, where I am most frequently, it was very simple to map the printers there so I could print from there as well, so really all the services I needed to be productive.

So a few months into it and it is remarkable how much time I am away from my desk. Sometimes I start work from home for a couple hours, then head to the other site. Other times I'll split my days. The past two days I have worked from the headquarters downtown. At one point yesterday I was at my friend Laurie's desk, who is also my HR manager and she was there too!. She had a spare power cord, and we grabbed a chair from a huddle room and were all set.

As I think back as to why this is so different from my earlier working days, I think technology is the main difference. It is just so easy to get onto the network from anyplace, laptops are the norm and don't weigh a lot (so easy to transport) and a more senior position requires you to be on teams or networks that are more spread out. In many ways I like it, I am very productive and get to see peers that are at the other locations, check in with mentees there and so on. It also makes you comfortable for the times you are forced to work from home when you have a sick child or problem at home.

So after working remotely yesterday, the day ended with meeting my husband in the lobby (because he is located downtown, we carpooled together) and heading to happy hour to bid a fond farewell to good friends who are moving to Seattle. My in-laws came down from Detroit for the weekend, and arrived at 4:30 so they relieved Amber which meant we didn't have to head home. My mother-in-law had dinner taken care of as well so we had a date night. It was nice to see so many familiar faces and catch up with people at the happy hour for a bit. We then headed to the Clifton area where the Univ of Cincinnati is, I love to get there as it has the very liberal and college feel to it, with local shops, restaurants and a pulse to it. We grabbed a burrito (not at Chipotle) before heading to see Gran Torino the Clint Eastwood movie which was terrific, bringing tears to my eyes at the end.

We are so thankful that Arnie's parents are able to come down every 4-6 weeks. The children love it and it gives Arnie and me time for ourselves. Today we all went to see Ben play in his hockey game before relaxing this afternoon. Tonight we are heading to the Cincinnati Cyclones game (our local amateur) hockey team with some friends (so a hockey day I guess). My in-laws always push us to go out both nights, but we have never felt comfortable doing that. With us both working we really cherish the time with the kids on the weekend. We have never done the date night every Saturday because of it. We probably average every other or a little less often, which suits us. We have plenty of friends who do a weekly night out and that works for them. The important thing is to know what you need as a couple and always schedule the sitter well in advance.