在家办公的挑战 · The Challenges of Working from Home
Zàijiā Bàngōng de Tiǎozhàn — What freedom from the commute really means.
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Every word shows its pinyin above the characters. The English translation follows each line.
疫情之后,许多公司开始允许员工在家办公。
After the pandemic, many companies started letting employees work from home.
以前我以为在家办公是最舒适的安排。
I used to think working from home would be the most comfortable arrangement.
可是过了一段时间,我发现工作和生活的界限反而更模糊。
But after a while, I realized the boundary between work and life is more blurred.
没有通勤,也意味着你可能二十四小时都在"上班"。
Without a commute, you can also feel like you're "on duty" 24 hours a day.
和同事之间少了闲聊,创意上的协作也变得困难。
There's no chitchat with colleagues, and creative collaboration becomes harder.
我渐渐明白,在家工作的效率取决于自律。
I gradually understood: efficiency at home depends on self-discipline.
现在我每天设固定的工作时间,下班后绝不打开电脑。
Now I set fixed working hours every day and don't open my laptop after work.
自由,自有它的代价。
Freedom comes with its own cost.
刚开始在家办公的那几个星期,我很享受。
In the first few weeks of working from home, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
不用挤地铁,省下了每天两个小时。
No packed subway, which saved me two hours every day.
我可以睡到八点半,穿着睡衣就开始工作。
I could sleep until half past eight and start work in my pyjamas.
可是慢慢地,问题出现了。
But gradually the problems appeared.
我的电脑就放在床边,晚上十一点还在回邮件。
My computer sat right beside the bed, and at eleven at night I was still answering mail.
周末和工作日看起来几乎一样。
Weekends and weekdays came to look almost the same.
家里也有很多干扰,快递、家人、还有洗不完的碗。
Home has plenty of distractions too: parcels, family, and dishes without end.
后来我在房间里划出一个角落,只用来工作。
Later I marked off one corner of the room, used only for work.
离开那个角落,我就告诉自己今天结束了。
Leaving that corner, I tell myself the day is over.
这个简单的办法,比任何软件都有效。
This simple method works better than any piece of software.
Vocabulary in this story (131 words)
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 疫情 | yìqíng | the pandemic |
| 之后 | zhīhòu | after |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many |
| 公司 | gōngsī | companies |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | started |
| 允许 | yǔnxǔ | allowing |
| 员工 | yuángōng | employees |
| 在家 | zàijiā | at home |
| 办公 | bàngōng | work |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before |
| 我 | wǒ | I |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | thought |
| 是 | shì | is |
| 最 | zuì | most |
| 舒适 | shūshì | comfortable |
| 的 | de | (of) |
| 安排 | ānpái | arrangement |
| 可是 | kěshì | but |
| 过 | guò | after |
| 了 | le | (past) |
| 一段 | yí duàn | a period of |
| 时间 | shíjiān | time |
| 发现 | fāxiàn | realized |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | work |
| 和 | hé | and |
| 生活 | shēnghuó | life |
| 界限 | jièxiàn | boundary |
| 反而 | fǎn'ér | on the contrary |
| 更 | gèng | more |
| 模糊 | móhu | blurred |
| 没有 | méiyǒu | without |
| 通勤 | tōngqín | commute |
| 也 | yě | also |
| 意味着 | yìwèizhe | means |
| 你 | nǐ | you |
| 可能 | kěnéng | might |
| 二十四 | èrshísì | twenty-four |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hours |
| 都 | dōu | all |
| 在 | zài | on |
| 上班 | shàngbān | the job |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleagues |
| 之间 | zhījiān | between |
| 少 | shǎo | less |
| 闲聊 | xiánliáo | small talk |
| 创意 | chuàngyì | creative |
| 上 | shàng | on |
| 协作 | xiézuò | collaboration |
| 变得 | biànde | becomes |
| 困难 | kùnnán | difficult |
| 渐渐 | jiànjiàn | gradually |
| 明白 | míngbai | understood |
| 效率 | xiàolǜ | efficiency |
| 取决于 | qǔjuéyú | depends on |
| 自律 | zìlǜ | self-discipline |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now |
| 每天 | měi tiān | every day |
| 设 | shè | set |
| 固定 | gùdìng | fixed |
| 下班 | xiàbān | after work |
| 后 | hòu | after |
| 绝 | jué | absolutely |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | open |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 自由 | zìyóu | freedom |
| 自有 | zì yǒu | has its own |
| 它 | tā | it |
| 代价 | dàijià | cost |
| 刚开始 | gāng kāishǐ | at the very beginning of |
| 在家办公 | zài jiā bàngōng | working from home |
| 那几个 | nà jǐ ge | those few |
| 星期 | xīngqī | weeks |
| 很 | hěn | very much |
| 享受 | xiǎngshòu | enjoyed it |
| 不用 | búyòng | no need to |
| 挤 | jǐ | squeeze into |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | the subway |
| 省下 | shěng xià | which saved |
| 两个小时 | liǎng ge xiǎoshí | two hours |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | could |
| 睡到 | shuì dào | sleep until |
| 八点半 | bā diǎn bàn | half past eight |
| 穿着 | chuān zhe | wearing |
| 睡衣 | shuìyī | pyjamas |
| 就 | jiù | and then |
| 慢慢地 | mànmàn de | gradually |
| 问题 | wèntí | the problems |
| 出现 | chūxiàn | appeared |
| 我的 | wǒ de | my |
| 放 | fàng | sat |
| 床边 | chuáng biān | the bed |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | at night |
| 十一点 | shíyī diǎn | eleven o'clock |
| 还在 | hái zài | I was still |
| 回 | huí | answering |
| 邮件 | yóujiàn | |
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekends |
| 工作日 | gōngzuò rì | weekdays |
| 看起来 | kàn qǐlái | came to look |
| 几乎 | jīhū | almost |
| 一样 | yíyàng | the same |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | at home |
| 有 | yǒu | there are |
| 很多 | hěn duō | many |
| 干扰 | gānrǎo | distractions |
| 快递 | kuàidì | parcels |
| 家人 | jiārén | family |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | and also |
| 洗不完 | xǐ bù wán | never-finished |
| 碗 | wǎn | dishes |
| 后来 | hòulái | later |
| 房间里 | fángjiān lǐ | the room |
| 划出 | huà chū | marked off |
| 一个 | yí ge | one |
| 角落 | jiǎoluò | corner |
| 只 | zhǐ | only |
| 用来 | yòng lái | used for |
| 离开 | líkāi | leaving |
| 那个 | nà ge | that |
| 告诉 | gàosu | tell |
| 自己 | zìjǐ | myself |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 结束了 | jiéshù le | is over |
| 这个 | zhè ge | this |
| 简单 | jiǎndān | simple |
| 办法 | bànfǎ | method |
| 比 | bǐ | than |
| 任何 | rènhé | any |
| 软件 | ruǎnjiàn | software |
| 有效 | yǒuxiào | more effective |