2020 was about adaptation. 2021 was about WFH. 2022, so far is about WFA. The acronym is mostly associated with Work-from-Anywhere, but I’m calling it Work-from-the Apocalypse.
Apocalypse has a few different meanings. There’s a religious interpretation referring to when god destroys the ruling powers of evil. It can also be used to describe a great disaster, “a sudden and very bad event that causes much fear, loss, or destruction.”
That second definition works broadly for 2021. It works even better for January 2022. The Marshall Fire in Boulder was a sudden and bad event that has been declared a disaster. It destroyed over a 1000 homes on Dec 30. Although my home still stands, it was damaged and I’ve been in a hotel since.
Whats surprising me is how familiar WFA is. When I’m not home I use a Chromebook, so I’ve become pretty savvy at finding wifi (including hotspotting). I can work from the Apocalypse in hotels, coffee shops, airports, and planes.
I was reflecting on this while standing in an incredibly long line for 30 minutes at Safeway the other day. Why was the line so long? My primary King Soopers has been shutdown since the mass shooting last March. The other King Soopers is on strike. The Super Target is closed due to fire damage. The Safeway near my hotel was apocalyptic - empty shelves, long lines, and angry humans.
There’s a lot going on in this world. Economic recession, inflation, and shortages; extreme-weather disasters; an attempted coup, numerous new restrictions to voting rights, and mass shootings to name a few. There’s also been significant damage to trust in our society such as trust in government, trust in health guidance; trust in social media; trust in the police, and so on.
Despite the apocalypse, I am connected and productive. I am generally current on email and able to complete reports, papers, posts, etc. Welcome to the new future of work - hybrid apocalypse and sanity.
