
E20: When Working From Home Makes You the Default
From Work It, Remote by Erika Bergen
January 21, 2026 · 16 min · Season 2 · Episode 20
About this episode
This episode explores how working from home can lead to assumed responsibilities and the mental load associated with being the default person for unplanned moments.
Working from home can quietly turn flexibility into assumed responsibility. In this episode of Work It, Remote, I explore how remote and flexible work often makes us the default person for unplanned moments—sick days, snow days, service appointments, last-minute interruptions, and everyday disruptions. I talk about the invisible mental load and anticipatory stress that comes with being “the one who’s home,” why these interruptions fragment focus and drain energy, and how pushing through witho...
People in this episode
Host: Erika Bergen
Topics covered
- remote work
- flexibility
- responsibility
- mental load
- interruptions
- focus
- energy
Keywords
- working from home
- flexible work
- mental load
- interruptions
- focus
- energy drain
- responsibility
More episodes of Work It, Remote
- I Didn’t Need an Office, So Why Did I Get One? · April 14, 2026 · 15 min
- E21: You're More Creative Than You Think: My Lessons in Rediscovering Creativity · March 9, 2026 · 25 min
- E19: Three AI Reflection Prompts That Are Helping Me Stop Over-Editing My Life and Work · January 7, 2026 · 10 min
- Episode 18: Why I’m Hitting Record Again · January 4, 2026 · 7 min
- E17: Just Because I Don’t Have Kids Doesn’t Mean I’m Always Available · April 17, 2025 · 28 min
- E16: AI, Hiring, and Getting Noticed: What Remote Job Seekers (and Hiring Managers) Need to Know · April 3, 2025 · 24 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Work It, Remote podcast page.