A little over a month ago, I started a new job. If you are a regular reader you probably already know this for two reasons. The first reason is that I wouldn’t shut up about it at the end of June and beginning of July (like here, here, here, here, and here just to name a few). And the second reason is my blog posts have been pretty few and far between since starting this job. 

You see, I am now working 8-5 every day in an office building with other people. I used to work 8-5 every day by myself at home. Now I get up earlier to get ready and commute about 20 minutes to work. I talk to people all day which drains me. I cannot do household chores on my lunch break or when I’m waiting for something at work anymore. I can’t workout and/or shower on my lunch break anymore. I cannot even access my blog or social media on my work computer.

The only experience I’ve ever had working in an office was right out of college from January to July in 2012 while I was living at home and planning my wedding.

All this to say, a lot changed when I started this new job. Most of it I expected. But some things were a surprise. Or at least I was surprised at the extent to which they changed. So without further adieu, here are..,

15 things that nobody told me about going back to work in an office.

ONE || I’m using A LOT more dry shampoo than I used to. 

Seriously. I’m not really washing my hair any less than I used to. In fact, I’m probably washing it more often than I used to. But now I care more about how it looks on the days in between. Dry shampoo is a miracle.

THREE || I’m using up gas faster than I expected. 

Again, I knew this would be different, but I didn’t realize how different. Although this could have to do with all the driving around and looking for Pokémon we’ve been doing in our Rogue (the car I drive to work). And also keeping it running at the drive-in.

FOUR || Laundry needs to be done more often. 

Like, wow.

FIVE || I have no energy to do anything on my to-do list when I get home. 

Why does interacting with people drain me so much??

SIX || I only work 8-5. 

When I was working from home, oftentimes I’d keep working long after 5:00. I never started before 8:00, of course, but I’d work till at least 6 a lot of the time. Admittedly, part of it was because I was making up for time I wasted during the day. For some reason I’m the most productive at the end of the work day. Part of it was due to me just not paying attention to what time it was. And part of it was the culture of the job. People were always still online well after 5:00. None of this is the case here (except for being the most productive at the end of the day. That is still the case).

SEVEN || I’m making less money. 

I feel weird even mentioning that because I was raised to not talk about this kind of stuff. But I thought it was worth mentioning. You know those raises you get every year? And profit sharing? And bonuses? Those are nice, right? Well, when you start a new job, you start at the bottom again. Maybe not at the very bottom because now you have experience, but unless you’re changing because of a money offer, you will most likely have to take a pay cut.

EIGHT || My apartment is actually cleaner. 

I mean, I guess it makes sense if I think about it. I’m not there all day, every day to dirty it up.

NINE || I’m actually learning everything faster and better than I expected. 

And I’m pretty proud of myself. It’s good for my self esteem.

TEN || Most people (at least that I work with) don’t decorate their offices. 

Like, what? One of the first things I did was bring in framed photos, books and other fun things to make my desk feel like my space.

ELEVEN || Some people will actually get to work at 7am to be able to get off oat 4:00. 

That is absolutely crazy to me! I mean, I understand that you get more time in the evenings, but really you don’t because you’re going to bed earlier, right? There is no way I could get to work by 7.

TWELVE || We go through A LOT of coffee, as a company. 

Almost every time I go downstairs to get coffee (which is at least 3 times per day) someone is making another pot. Those pots don’t last very long. I’d wager that we go through at least one every hour. Actually, that would be an interesting experiment.

THIRTEEN || I don’t actually need coffee to say safe on the road in the morning anymore. 

In high school, I could barely stay awake while driving to school. I always tried to have a coffee or a soda with me. In college, I didn’t drive to class, but I always had coffee to stay awake in my first class. When I started commuting to work right after graduating, I used coffee again to stay awake on the way. But lately I’ve been waking up too late to make any and I’ve been fine waiting till I get to work to drink any. My mind is blown.

FOURTEEN || I actually have an idea of what’s going on in the world now. 

I don’t watch the news. I don’t read the newspaper. Maybe I should. I usually don’t know anything that’s going on in the world. But now, I actually listen to the radio on the way to work in the mornings and I get the headlines! It’s great!

FIFTEEN || People are actually interested in my religious beliefs. 

This one was very surprising. I have a copy of “Jesus Calling” on my desk which sparked a small conversation. I also had a pretty big conversation with someone who is a non-practicing Buddhist about the Bible. It will be interesting to see where these things go.

So there you have it. I knew my life was going to change but I had no idea it would be this much! I hope you got a laugh out of some of these. What could you add to my list?

Thanks for reading!