Sprint used to have an ad that used a pin drop test to show how clear calls on their network could be. This week I had my own annual pin drop test – the kids are back in school and the silence is deafening.

Working from home you get used to certain routines and work habits ^[1]. Annette Clancy at Interactions talks about rituals as part of “Staying Sane When You Work From Home ^[2]:”

Ritualise: Create rituals around the beginning and ending of your work day – this is particularly pertinent if you don’t have an official work space in your home. I sometimes burn different aromatherapy oils to transition from one space to another. Clients of mine dress in a particular way if they are in work mode and another when they are not – simply to create a boundary.

These rituals naturally revolve around the rest of the household – for me, the wife and kids. So during the summer, the routines, along with the noise level, reach new levels of fullness. After about day 5 of summer vacation, I get use to the noise. It becomes part of my office chatter (which sure beats “Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment… Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment… Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment…” and repeat ^[3]). So when the silence returns, it takes some getting used to.

So I fire up the iPod, invite the snoring dog back into the office, and get ready for a few months of new office rituals.