Working From Home for the Uninitiated-- Top Ten Strategies for Staying Sane!
Working from home with my able assistant…
I made the decision to give up my office and work from home about seven years ago. It was one that I made as a practical matter at the time; both my mother-in-law and three-year-old niece were experiencing serious health issues, and I was spending a lot time with them while I worked remotely. I honestly didn’t give it a lot of thought- it just seemed like the right thing to do, as I didn’t know when things would return to normal, and I was just not going into my office enough to justify the expense.
People always tell me how lucky I am to be able to work this way, and while it does have its advantages, it is not always easy. For one, it can be very isolating. Even though I worked on my own, when I was in an office environment I regularly interacted with others. I didn’t realize how much I would miss this human contact when I set up shop at home (I am a closet introvert, so it surprised me how much I missed this aspect of office life!).
With so many of us practicing social distancing and work places ordering employees to work remotely in the face of so much uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on how to make the transition from office to home as smooth as possible. After many years of experimenting, I’ve come up with some strategies for making it work and staying sane in the process! Here are my top ten:
1- Have a set routine and stick to it as closely as possible- Make your coffee, get your news fix, scroll your social media, or whatever else you normally do in the morning, and get to your desk when you ordinarily would if you were going into the office.
2- Get dressed- This is an important one if you want to feel like a functioning member of society! It is very tempting to stay in a warm robe all day (and I have definitely done this more than I care to admit), but this is not an ideal way to get into a professional mindset. You don’t have to dress as if you are going to meetings— just get our of your robe or PJ’s and into real clothes (sweats are fine in my book). You can skip the make-up (this is a good opportunity to give your skin a break), but take it from me, you are going to want to get dressed if you want to feel human!
3- Try to set up a space that is as close to fully dedicated to work as possible- While you won’t be able to replicate your office work space, make sure you are organized and set up a space that is conducive to getting your work done. I also find that working in a room with good natural light makes a big difference, and I like to light a candle and put on some soft music while I work to warm up my space. You will also want to make sure all of your tech is set up and in good working order.
4- Schedule lunch and other breaks- Break up the day as you would if you were in the office. Make sure to get up and move around, and make yourself a healthy lunch to keep your energy flowing.
5- Establish boundaries- Just because you are home doesn’t mean that you can be interrupted at any time. Be careful not to make yourself overly available, and be okay with saying “no.”
6- Minimize distractions- When you work from home, you are surrounded by constant reminders of your home “to-do” list, and it is very tempting to try to multi-task. It’s best to avoid falling into this trap, as it will take you out of your work mindset and impact your productivity. Try not to set up next to your laundry room, for instance, where the piles will taunt you! You can tend to all of it before or after working hours with the time you saved by not commuting.
7- Change up your environment- Go for a walk on one of your scheduled breaks (if you can do so keeping a safe distance from others). If you’re not used to being home, you might start to feel claustrophobic, so try to get away from your desk and opt for a change of scenery where you can fit it in.
8- Stay connected to colleagues and others- To fight the isolation, make sure to schedule in some “water-cooler” conversation with colleagues, and use technology to make it face-to-face where possible. Use your breaks to chat with your mom or best friend, or whomever makes you feel good. In addition to staying physically healthy, it’s really important to stay mentally healthy during this time, and connecting with others will go a long way toward that end.
9- Make sure to have an end-time, and stick to it as closely as possible- This is an important one, because you don’t have that definitive “get-up-and-leave” defining line when you are working from home. This is an extraordinarily stressful time, and you need to take care to shift gears at the end of the day so you get back to the most important thing, which is nurturing yourself and your family.
10- Make good use of your extra time- Take advantage not having a commute, and use the time to work in some self-care. Maybe that means an extra-long bath, more leisure reading, meditation, or whatever it is that you can’t seem to fit in when braving the travel to and from the office. Staying healthy both mentally and physically is everything, so take good care of yourself!
We are navigating uncharted waters here, and most of us are figuring it out and adjusting on a day-to-day basis. Maybe when all is said and done, we will have picked up some new, good habits to take with us into post-Corona days. Maybe this back-to-basics time can help us to reset in areas that we tend to neglect with our hectic daily lifestyles. Our relationships are the heart and soul of our lives, and we can use this extra time together to strengthen those bonds while we care for each other. It is heartening that so many are taking the current situation seriously and sacrificing being out and about for the good of all. We are all interconnected, and we are all in this together. Working from home wherever possible is an important way to contribute to flattening the curve, and I hope these tips help to make it more manageable. Stay safe!