my top 5 tips to master working from home
This past weekend, Marcus and I spruced up the back garden, in the hopes of making it cozy enough to have a morning mug of coffee or a glass of wine in the evening — an outdoor respite for when we’re feeling a bit of cabin fever, and need a breath of fresh air.
And then Marcus (whose employer has told everyone to work from home indefinitely, in response to the coronavirus), decided to set up his home office there. While there are other places to work in our home, he has found himself really productive on our patio, weather permitting. It’s working out really well for him, despite the fact that he’s never worked from home for any extended period of his working life. I, however, have been working from home since 2008 — and in my opinion, Marcus is doing a ton of things right. So, if working from home is new to you, here are my top tips to make the transition go as smoothly as possible:
Set up a spot in your home to work. The temptation might be to work on your sofa or in your bed — and there are certainly times when I’ve done that, make no mistake — but I think there are some big reasons to just go ahead and set up a workspace, the main one of which is that it puts yourself in the frame of mind that you’re working — not ill, not feeling lazy, not simply waiting out a virulent plague. The second biggest reason to create an actual workspace, however, is that it’s a signal to the other people in your home that you’re working. It tells them that if you’re speaking on the phone, the likelihood is that your boss, or your client, or your colleague is on the other line, and therefore, they should act accordingly, so that they’re not a distraction. (Admittedly, if you have young children, they may not get this, but hopefully over time, they do.). Even if you simply set up a card table, or an armchair with a small table in the corner of your bedroom, it’s worth doing. And keep in mind any dead zones that you have (either internet or phone), so that you avoid those — nothing is more annoying than being in the middle of an important call and having your signal drop.
Dress for work. I know, I know — what’s the point of working from home if you can’t work in your pajamas? And for video conferencing, can’t you simply throw on a blazer, and skip the pants? I mean, yes, of course you can — but in my experience, too many days of working in dirty yoga pants just becomes depressing (especially when the reason you’re doing so is because you can’t go outside!). I’m not saying you need to put on full heels or business suit — but I am saying that you’ll feel better if you shower, and get dressed in comfortable-but-presentable clothing. For me, I actually riff off of a work “uniform” (comfortable trousers — often wide-leg — a shirt, and some sort of wrap or cardigan, and flats), and I always shower and have a bit of makeup on. Sometimes I substitute the shirt-and-trousers for a summer dress. Sometimes I substitute to the cardigan for an actual blazer. But in any event, getting dressed makes me feel like I’m showing up — which always puts me in the best frame of mind to tackle my day.
Set up your workspace in a way that really enhances the way you work (perhaps even with perks that you wouldn’t get in your office!). Bring your water bottle into your space. Use your favourite coffee or tea mug. If you have a playlist to work by (and I strongly recommend that you do), bring that into your space to play softly. A candle or a diffuser or a stick of incense, if scent helps to calm you (there’s a reason spas have them). A good reading lamp. Whatever can help enhance your workspace, do that.
Speaking of a lamp or a candle: be sure to have a visual cue that helps establish to you that you’re working. You all know that I’m a fan of string lights, and I definitely have them in my office, but for more than just because they’re pretty: I know when I turn the lights on, it’s time to work, and when I turn them off, I’m done for the day. Have something that signals the end of your day — and if it’s warm, comforting light, the better.
At the end of the day, walk away. This is actually harder than it sounds — keeping to strict hours can be really impossible when you don’t have to commute. But for your sanity’s sake, have a start and end time in mind for your day, and try to keep to it. You’re already under a lot of stress by having to remain confined to your home — don’t add to it by working long hours, without any true down time.
If you’ve got any additional tips, I’d love if you’d share them in the comments. But fair warning: once you do this working-from-home thing right, you might never want to return to an office.
Years ago, I worked for an international company that had a weekly custom called “Friday at Four”: every Friday at 4pm at every local office around the world, the employees would meet in their respective lobbies for an hour of beer and wine for the purposes of connecting, celebrating the wins of the previous week, and basically check in with each other, before they left to spend the weekend with their families. I admit that as a lawyer, when I first heard of this it made me highly nervous, but the truth was that no one ever abused this perk, and it was a really lovely way for employees to bond and get to know each other outside of work meetings and conference calls.
As we’re all working from home now, I think it’s time to bring that back: go like and follow the Chookooloonks Facebook page, and at 4pm United States central time (-5 GMT), bring your beverage of choice (alcoholic or no), and I’ll be on live for our own Friday at Four, for what I’m calling Light Hour: I’ll share some good things I’ve found around the world that have made me happy, resources that might be helpful as we socially distance, and check in with you guys — you can feel free to ask me questions, or submit questions or resources that I’ll share with our community. If it works well, I’ll try to ensure this happens every Friday.
We’re in this together, friends.
Soundtrack: Paper planes (DFA remix) by M.I.A. Another perk of working from home: you can have impromptu dance parties to music like this in the middle of the day, and your boss won’t look at you funny.
It’s all about rhythm.