10:35 a.m. – Researching in times of corona – while working from home and social distancing – means picking up the phone. I hope for a stable connection (I feel like communication networks are frequently overloaded since the lock-down began). It takes three tries to conduct what ends up being a brief conversation.
10.50 a.m. – Deadline is 11 a.m., so I check our content management system (CMS) to see if it's in the bag or nag if it's not. My next deadline is in three hours. I start thinking about lunch.
Once in awhile, I receive a visit to show a drawing, look for a toy, or just to say hi. The closed door – as any parent knows – is no impediment.
12:15 p.m. – I log out, telling my colleagues on Slack that I'm off for lunch. I grab my phone and go set the table for lunch.
1:15 p.m. – I had planned to grab some fresh air and drink my coffee in the sunshine, but I clear the dishes and clean up the kitchen instead. I've rejected two calls – working from home doesn't mean permanent availability to me.
2:00 p.m. – The day's second editorial meeting. We discuss the rest of the day and story ideas and concepts for the rest of the week.
My colleagues' frames reveal a little about how they have set up their rigs at home. Sometimes a family member or pet zips through the background or ambient noise makes in into the video conference, but being Swiss, personal boundaries are respected.
3:00 p.m. – The rhythmic tick-tock of Slack alerts slows as my colleagues work on feature pieces, conduct interviews, or steep themselves in research. I manage to write for a full 30 minutes.
My kids are playing outside, but there are still periodic interruptions. My son is looking for his swimming trunks. I start to wonder: «Swimming trunks in April? What are they doing out there?».
