The world is being turned upside down right now. Many employers are implementing a compulsory work from home initiative. This may feel very foreign to you and a valid concern of cabin fever is understandable. I’ve been working from home on and off since the early 2000’s and wanted to share my tips for the remote worker.
Thriving in your Home Office
With a little prep work, flexibility and planning you’ll see yourself set up for a productive and happy week.
1. The Set Up
Health concerns may have got us in this predicament but what I want you thinking about (after you wash your hands!) is your environment.
Where will you work?
How’s your desk set up?
Do you have a dedicated space to work from?
Can you shut the door and block out distractions?
Getting “real” re what your new work from home office will look like is key.
I’m in a 400 sq ft studio apartment in NYC so it’s clear to me where I will be working from (It’s not the veranda!) However I do have a separate desk area to ensure I am not slouching on the couch and utilize headphones to keep me focused (more on that later).
In bigger homes you may have a separate home office or have the option of moving from one location to another to keep the creative juices flowing (especially during the afternoon slump). Figure out what will work for you and your family and go set that desk area up. Do you have what you need? A second monitor? (shameless plug – I love my Dell 38 inch monitor #iwork4dell) A headset? A printer? My colleagues are making sure we use the webcam as much as we can to get that face to face connection. I plan to use the one that comes integrated with my laptop and have made sure that I can look directly at the camera and avoid the double chin as much as possible!
2. How comfortable?
Working from home is great for saving money and time vs the daily grind of the commute! Trust me though, you want to get out of the PJ’s. There have been many days over the years that its 2.00 pm and I’m still in flannels. Get up and get dressed like you’re going to work (or at least like you’re going to work from the local coffee shop!). Ideally, if not in quarantine, I recommend a walk around the block. Get moving and connecting with the world. This is more a challenge for those of us that live alone. Like anything get real with the personal challenges you face, albeit based on your idiosyncrasies (what do you mean I can’t work from my bed)?
3. Be Social
How are you going to connect with people? I’m talking to both introverts and extroverts! It’s time to get comfortable with the headset and eek, gulp – the dreaded webcam. One thing my team is doing is an early morning group virtual huddle. Brew the green tea (or coffee), sit down, fire up Skype, Teams or Zoom and get together online with your colleagues. Structure might not be the norm for you but when working from home, especially for an extended period, routine will lead to increased productivity. Getting the right “stuff” done will lead to more freedom and downtime.
By not commuting you’re going to have more time on your hands. Think about adding 15 mins to your calendar each day to reach out to prior colleagues that you haven’t touch based with in awhile. I personally love LinkedIn. Whenever I read about someone leaving there job they always mention it’s the people that made the job so memorable. Take the time to keep in touch and reestablish those relationships.
4. Embrace Structure
There is where I am going to lose you right? You just want to go with the flow. What do I mean by embrace structure? Isn’t the inbox going to provide that structure? Nope, No and you’re kidding right? The inbox will spiral your day out of control no matter where you work from.
Oh, you need me to hold on? Time to step away to do the dishes, clean the cat litter, put the garbage out or tidy the linen cupboard. Nice try! Distractions will be everywhere. Working from home is going to give you flexibility to get some chores done but you need to plan those into your routine and not let them derail you.
Of all my favorite tips for the remote worker this one is my secret sauce for focus and productivity. When I sit down to work I often go to YouTube. Hey, hear me out. I go to YouTube and listen to music to help me concentrate. I used to use the Focus@Will website but my previous employer blocked that site and I got used to using YouTube for free!
There is also the Pomodoro method to help drive focus and productivity. You work for 25 minutes and take a 5 minute break, do that for four times and then take a 30 minute break. Setting a timer is key.
Structure should include downtime, exercise and food breaks. Working out a routine that includes those things will lead to flexibility. How? While it may sound counter intuitive it’s the planning and getting key things scheduled into your weekly calendar that will enable you to be fluid with work demands. Ideally schedule your most important task when you can bring the best energy to it. I often ask people what is there daily routine and when are they most productive? When is your energy at the highest? Or when do you focus the best? For me it’s the morning. The earlier the better. One of my colleagues Todd is the complete opposite. I don’t expect to hear from him til 9.00 am his time. He’s the person that when you check your email at 7.00 am he’s been emailing you near Midnight! Know when you have the most availability and energy and schedule the most important tasks for then.
5. Seize the day
What’s on your quarterly must do list that you haven’t got to? This is the time to check those things off. Does your company have mandatory training that you’re only half way through? Have you been wanting to learn more about a new solution that your industry offers or do you want to increase your skills in a specific area? Seize this opportunity to check some key things off the to do list or up-skill yourself!
It may also be a chance to speak more with your colleagues, extended team or executives as people aren’t traveling and will possibly have more gaps in there calendars! One word of etiquette. Message the person first before just calling them on Skype. The green available flag might mean they are online but they may be focused and need a few minutes to switch from one task to talking with you.
My daily question based on one of my favorite books. “Whats the one thing that I need to get done today”? Yes, there are always more than one things but its the training of the brain to narrow it done that will produce extraordinary results.
6. Pitfalls for the Remote Worker
This can be its own blog! I’ll come right out with it. For me it’s my diet. The 3 C’s – Candy, Cheese and Corn Chips are my kryptonite! Specifically candy. Low energy food choices can derail your productivity and happiness. Frustration, boredom, tough tasks, exciting tasks, good news, bad news. I can always trick my brain to say I deserve a treat. But once I start on the candy, stopping is tough! The afternoon is the time I need to be vigilant! I’ve been going out and getting a cappuccino in the afternoon vs the sweet options. Luckily for me I can choose to not have any in my apartment (of course this is NYC and in about 40 steps out my front door there’s a CVS!). The truth is the one thing I love about going to our NYC office is I can control my diet more. But that’s not an option right now.
What about you? What food triggers your energy and mood to lessen? Trust me, if you indulge early in your day, its a slippery slope. The days I’ve said I will just have “one” handful of candy and failed are numerous.
Other pitfalls? Distractions. I find it hard to sit down to work if my apartment is a mess or I haven’t emptied the dishwasher or have washing or ironing to do (yes, some people still iron!) For others it maybe distractions from the better half, kids or animals.
It’s all about being realistic, understanding what may trigger you and coming up with an alternative option (like my cinnamon laced cappuccino in the afternoon).
7. Get Out
Plan that break. Step away from the glow of your screen and go for a walk. In the many tips for the remote worker this (and getting dressed) are the popular ones. The reason it’s on everyone’s list is it works! Shut the computer down and go move your body. Try to go for walks without the earbuds in. The brain needs space to observe, look and think. I don’t always do that. I do love podcasts and usually 50 percent of the time listen to those when I walk. When work stress or frustration is high I prefer to walk in silence and often the right approach or solution comes into my head during that time. If you can’t get out of the home office even walking in place will help (just turn the webcam off so no one sees you!)
8. Log off
The final tip is to shut down when its closing time! Never apologize or feel guilty for logging off at the end of the day. I personally still struggle with this one. Perhaps if the kids or dogs were around I wouldn’t as it’s obvious what the priorities need to be. However being available 24×7 doesn’t make you more efficient. When I used to coach entrepreneurs and executives on productivity I would discuss with them about being effective vs being efficient. Focus on what makes you effective and in my experience creating a routine, doing things to keep your energy up and logging off will do that.
Stay well, wash your hands, eat healthy and go binge Netflix!
Want more tips on productivity? Check out my guest blogs or click here to read 9 Small Changes You Never Realized To Supercharge Your Productivity
Leave a comment below if you have a specific question. You can connect with me on Instagram @kiwlizb or on Linkedin