Survival Skills for the Reluctant Home Worker
You May Also Enjoy:
COVID-19 has struck. And, for many of us, the effects are not as the CDC advertised. Instead of a fever leading to 14 days of chicken soup and Netflix, most of you have a much more difficult (and possibly more terrifying) fate: working from home.
If you’re still in the honeymoon phase of getting up at noon, working in your PJs for a couple of hours and then calling it a day . . . well, as we say in the South “bless your li’l heart.” If the terrifying reality that you are now responsible for everything you were before WITHOUT the accountability, routine, teammates, and infrastructure that helped you do it, now you’re catching on. Just take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Really. Truly.
And in time, it might even be enjoyable.
As someone who was dragged into self-employment kicking and screaming, I understand that it’s hard to suddenly be thrust into this world for which you’re wildly unprepared. But as someone who’s also deeply loved and thrived in this life for over seven years, I promise you that even those of you who don’t find it a good long-term fit can learn to handle it well for the next few weeks or months. You may even find the experience will make you a better and happier employee once you return to the office.
First, though, you’ll have to successfully navigate several challenges:
Challenge #1: Lack of Accountability
Remember college? Staying up until 3 in the morning just because we could? Gaining the Freshman 15 from the junk food we ate just because we could? That’s working from home.
Unfortunately, your paycheck, projects, and stakeholders aren’t going to give you four years to figure this out. There’s no grace period that’s not going to reflect in your check and your performance review. If you’re a human being, you’re going to need accountability and fast.
The Solution: Accountability Partner
Yes, I know. “Accountability Partner” conjures up all kinds of negative emotions and exaggerated images. But this could be as simple as having someone who’s willing to make sure your Skype bubble is green at 8 AM or who will have a regular debrief with you at the end of the day. Even a group text where everyone can check in is better than trying to muster up the discipline out of nowhere to be at your desk on-time.
What about flexibility, you ask? Isn’t that part of the perks of working from home? Can’t you just get to work when you get there? Well, yes and no. In my experience, two things are true: discipline is hard and flexibility is essential. How do you balance both? By working hard to create the discipline SO THAT you can flex when needed without negatively affecting your work or finances. Think of it as the net beneath the tightrope. While you’re learning balance, you’re going to fall off – a lot. Accountability makes sure you don’t fall too far too fast and helps you get back up on the tightrope again.
Tools to Help:
Challenge #2: Distractions/ADHD
Hello. My name is Kylene and I struggle with — SQUIRREL!
Whether you’re actually ADHD or not, working from home is distracting. This is especially true if you have kids at home, but even if you live alone or with other adults, focusing for long periods of time in an environment where you could literally be doing anything else can be very hard – especially when you want to be doing anything else. And you will.
The Solutions: Use Technology To Your Advantage
Technology can be your biggest distraction, but it can also be your biggest asset. A simple browser extension like StayFocusd can block access to sites that frequently suck your time away, like social media and news sites. You can choose to block these sites completely during work hours or allow yourself a little leeway with a cumulative time limit during work hours.
For people who struggle with email inundation, Boomerang gives you the option to pause your inbox so you can check email at designated times. Toggl is another app that helps you keep realistic track of how long you’ve been working and get an accurate assessment of how those “little” interruptions and “short” breaks add up. While this tool by itself won’t help you manage your time better, it will give you an accurate picture of where and how you need to improve.
Finally, for those of us who struggle with ADHD or have to work in a noisy environment, myNoise has a large library of white noise recordings, ambient soundscapes, and relaxing music to help promote focus and relaxation.
Tools to Help:
Challenge #3: Time Management
Many of you will still have a boss doling out tasks and scheduling priorities even when you work remotely. But for those of you who are experiencing a large degree of newfound freedom, it can often be daunting – even overwhelming – to suddenly own your own schedule.
The Solution: Plan, Track, and Adapt
I strongly recommend spending the first 10-15 minutes of your workday making a list of tasks of you need to accomplish by the end of the week. But if you stop there, you’ll just stay overwhelmed. Instead, group these tasks into that day’s high priorities (3 max), the few additional “should-do” tasks of the day, and those tasks that can (and probably will) be done later in the week. I love Knock Knock’s Inner Truth pads, but you can also download free printable schedules from places like OnPlanners.com or set up a schedule on your phone.
For complex projects or people who have multiple clients, Trello is another way to easily keep track of what’s due for whom and when. Plus, the base version is free!
If your job allows it, also consider limiting your email intake. Turn off notifications on your phone and don’t allow yourself to be constantly distracted by every new message that pops into your inbox. Make an effort to check and answer emails at regular times that you set. Again, a tool like Boomerang can help with this.
Perhaps most importantly – track your time. You’d be surprised at where you time goes. Toggl is a free app that’s perfect for tracking everything you do.
Finally, at the end of the day review how you did. How much time did you actually spend on tasks? Did you take too many breaks? Was your schedule overly ambitious? Understand what you did well and where you can improve. Then strive to be more efficient the next day.
Tools to Help:
Challenge #4: Lack of Socialization
One of the most serious problems with working from home is figuring out how to maintain a meaningful social life when it isn’t handed to you in pre-packaged ways. Although “social distancing” is the phrase of the hour right now, long-term social isolation can be even more hazardous to your health than the coronavirus. Moodiness, lack of motivation, loneliness, depression, and anxiety can be very real parts of working from home if you don’t discipline yourselves to be purposeful about your relationships.
The Solution: Be Intentional About Relationships
My favorite way to maintain a team environment – including the essential abilities to facepalm, contribute sarcasm, send memes, and trade miseries – is Skype. When your teammates, friends, or family members sign in, it’s almost like having adjacent cubicles (minus the ability to throw things at one another). WhatsApp and group chats are other good ways to stay connected.
And while you’re contemplating ways to stay connected, one of the up-sides of lacking the (often) superficial relationships that vaporize outside the office, is the ability to more clearly evaluate the state of your deeper relationships. How many real friends do you have? How close are you with your family or roommates? How involved and invested are you in the people you know from your community, your church, your workplace, and the people you live with?
If social distancing equals complete isolation, now might be a good time to invest in building deeper relationships. There is NO substitute for being intentional and putting in the hard work to build meaningful relationships. Facebook Messenger lets you remotely enjoy everything from “dinner” with family or friends, to birthday parties, small group Bible studies, and book clubs. If games are more your thing, Steam has a library of multiplayer games from Uno and Pandemic to Assassin’s Creed.
Tools to Help:
Challenge #5: Disrupted Routine
Finally, an enormous challenge to working at home is adapting to a routine that’s been completely upended. It will be up to you to establish a new routine and to stick to it. Why routine? Isn’t flexibility what working from home is all about? Well if you’ve read this far, you’ll remember our conversation from Challenge #1. Routine, like discipline, is essential for being productive and reducing stress. Although we’d like to THINK we are deeply and intelligently considering each decision in our day before we make it, the truth is that most of what we do is due to habit. You may have heard the mantra “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally; it comes from what you do consistently.” In order to establish the consistency you need to be successful, you’ll need to establish a routine.
The Solution: Setting (and Keeping) A New Routine
Creating a work-from-home routine means, among other things:
- Getting up at a set time
- Starting work at a set time
- Working from a dedicated location
- Having time limits on your lunch
- Establishing a regular rhythm of work and breaks
- Setting up a regular order to your workday
While not everyone will agree, I also strongly recommend getting fully dressed and groomed either before you start work or very early into the workday. In my case, I get fully dressed (including real pants – not sweats or leggings) and put on at least some makeup every day. I find that the psychological difference between working in my pajamas with my hair in a messy bun and getting dressed and groomed for the day is enormous. While a suit and tie might be overkill, try putting on jeans and a T-shirt and see if it makes a difference for you.
YOU CAN DO THIS!
Working from home isn’t for everyone. But whether you love the lifestyle or were thrust into it by no choice of your own, you can make working from home a productive, stress-free, and even enjoyable experience. If you’re struggling with the transition, have questions about how to navigate this new adventure, or need help with anything else during this time of isolation and uncertainly, feel free to contact me at karnold@dynamispictures.com. I’d love to help you!