Remote Control: Adapting

Remote Control is the weekly blog for Oklahoma Today fall intern Abigail Hall. Check back each week as she discusses her work-from-home experience.

I didn’t see 2020 coming, did you?

We all had plans—baby showers and graduation parties, weddings and holidays—but as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, one by one those plans were probably cancelled. We’ve had to adapt to an increasingly remote world, whether that be learning from behind a computer screen or working from a couch, wrestling with unemployment, shifting to wearing a face mask when required to be in public spaces, and planning grocery trips ahead of time.

Let me introduce myself, I’m Abigail Hall, a recent graduate of Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Oklahoma and the new fall intern for Oklahoma Today. Like many Oklahomans, I, too, had to adapt to remote life.

I planned to walk across the stage during graduation. While I did receive my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from OU in May, the walk never came. And instead of spending my days in an office this fall, I’ll be factchecking from my couch with my cat, Bagheera, to keep my company.

Abigail shares her home office with overbearing coworker Bagheera. Photo by Abigail Hall

Remote work life is different and it’s harder in ways I couldn’t predict. So many of the social work norms are gone and there are fewer distractions, but there’s also the endless monotony of doing one task after the other, often while staring at a computer screen, without a break to chat with a coworker by the coffee maker.

There’s also the difficulty of creating a work atmosphere that allows one to be productive. While I love having my cat as a co-worker, it gets a little difficult when she meows during conference calls or lays on my laptop when it’s time to work.

Like I said, we’ve all had to adapt in ways we didn’t expect or plan for, and that’s what this blog, Remote Control, will be about: how you and I have adapted to deal with life during a pandemic, the ups and downs of remote life, whether working, learning, or simply being, and sharing the experiences of Oklahomans making the best of an evolving situation. I’ll discuss my own thoughts on my journey as the semester goes by, interview Oklahoman business owners and locals about the changes they’ve made to keep their doors open, and share questions and stories along the way.

I hope you’ll join me and read about my journey over the next few months and send me story tips and questions at abigail.hall@TravelOK.com.

Written By

Abigail Hall

Abigail Hall is Oklahoma Today's fall editorial intern.