On Living in a Hybrid World

 I feel like we are now at the worst part of reopening: when some things are virtual and some things are in person. The bulk of my meetings are still online through web conferencing platforms, but more and more things are at the very least trying to go back to in person. There's quite a few aspects of this that I find exhausting.

First of all there's simply logistical issues. It's really hard to plan my day when I'm not sure where I need to be when, and trying to find ideal locations for virtual meetings is harder than it seems. If my work is in person and I have a virtual meeting, is it then my responsibility to find a quiet, private place to have my virtual meeting in? I'm used to running around for in person things, but this feels like a different kind of frantic and inconvenient. Virtual meetings are very convenient in a lot of ways, and I think I've also gotten used to being able to hop instantly on and off calls. Now with more in person events, travel time is a thing and it's harder for me to do everything that I used to do easily. It takes some adjustment. This liminal space that we're in between virtual and in person is really highlighting this change.

Then there's the fact that I don't feel safe being in person for a number of events. The Delta variant is still out there being spread by vaccinated individuals, I'm not willing to take huge risks when it comes to that. So I constantly have to check what form meetings are in and how comfortable I feel about this at the time. This pandemic has definitely eroded my trust of others, I don't care if they say an in person meeting is fine, I personally may or may not be comfy with that.

The end result is that I feel way more exhausted than I would if everything was either online or in person. The constant back and forth of it all and trying to plan out where and when everything is taking place has been a drain on my energy. Plus I constantly have to think about whether I even feel safe in these in person situations when they do take place. It's a nightmare and a lot for one person to handle.

I'm not sure what the solution is though. The hybrid world is the one that we now live in, and it's probably here to stay. Possibly if the ratio of virtual to in person events skews one way or another it'll get easier, but the underlying issues will still be there. I'm not sure. All of which is to say, if you feel similarly to me, just know that you're not alone!