Danni Gilbert pulled no punches in her response to University Communication’s call for Husker Home Office of the Week photos.

Without frills or fanciful scenery, the associate professor of practice in music perfectly captured stressors parents face as they try to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic while working from home and balancing care and education needs of young children.

Gilbert’s candid submission is the inaugural Husker Home Office of the Week winner. The award will repeat weekly until employees return to widespread working from campus offices. To be considered for the weekly drawing, see below.

But first, here are Gilbert’s responses to how working from home is progressing and a few tips for other faculty and staff to consider.

Why does this space work for you?

This space has to work for me because I have no other choice. Now that both my husband and I are working from home and schools and daycares are closed, I am also responsible for taking care of my three daughters and helping them with their own remote learning.

What tips for a successful work-from-home day do you have for fellow employees?

My tips are to take each day one day at a time and to give yourself some grace. Because we are all working, living and being educated at home now, the boundaries between home and work life are very blurred now. Though I try to keep a regular schedule and follow daily routines, it is not perfect. I think it’s important to understand that we are all trying our best, and to give everyone — our students, our colleagues, our children, and even ourselves — a little extra patience and grace.

What is your favorite item in your home office?

My favorite items in my new home office space is my coffee mug — it is rarely empty these days — and a dry erase marker board. I like to start the day with a list of activities for the whole family. We include time for learning and working, creative time, free play and outdoor exercise.

What do you miss most about your campus space?

I most miss working in my office with my door open. My office is next to the copy room in Westbrook Music Building, so I have an opportunity to say hello and have impromptu conversations with other colleagues and students as they walk by. These meetings help me to feel more connected to everyone throughout the day.

What is something you’ve learned working from home that you hope to integrate when you return to campus?

Working from home has taught me to be more patient, flexible, mindful and grateful. Not being able to always work within the hours I am used to has actually given me more time to be reflective and to think about problems or concepts from different perspectives. When we return to campus, I hope to return with a renewed sense of balance and to remember that time to think and reflect can be just as valuable, or even more so, as spending all of my time “doing.”

To be considered for the honor, submit photos of your custom space via email to tfedderson@unl.edu along with answers to the the questions below. The award winner will be notified on each Thursday, with their space appearing in the Friday edition of Nebraska Today. For more information, send email to tfedderson@unl.edu.

Entries for the “Husker Home Office of the Week” must include your name, university position, home department, phone number (for contact, if necessary), years employed on campus, home address (to mail the award), and answers to at least three of these five questions:

- Why does this space work for you?

- What tips for a successful work-from-home day do you have for fellow employees?

- What is your favorite item in the home office space?

- What do you miss most about your campus space?

- Is there any process/concept/idea that you’ve experienced working from home that you hope to integrate when we return to campus?