As we all work on social distancing to prevent a massive influx of those infected with COVID19, many jobs have moved to entirely remote positions. You might be one of those people: you’ve typically worked in office-only jobs, where you left everyday at the same time and knew what was expected.
First things first, working from home, especially right now with many people furloughed or laid off, is a huge privilege. I think we all know that!
It’s ok if you’re nervous about it too. It’s ok if you aren’t sure if you’ll like it. And it’s also ok if you know right now you don’t like it at all. That’s ok!
If you’re new to the working from home game, I want to help. Right now, there are so few things we can all do to help others and, as a fellow slightly displaced, a little confused worker, I want to help where I can. If there is one thing I know, it’s working from home! I am hoping that sharing a few tips for working from home will help at least once person.
If you want more posts about being productive while working from home, here are two of my favorites:
*Consider yourself an honorary freelancer now!
Now, let’s get to those tips.
1. Take Care of Yourself.
I want to tackle this one first because I think it’s the most important one. We are all going through something that is, quite honestly, very traumatic. Our lives are being completely turned upside down. We all have family and friends who are suddenly out of work. We all have immunocompromised, immunosuppressed, or at-risk family members and friends. Things are very stressful and it will be natural to have that stress keep up.
So most importantly, take care of yourself in whatever way you can. I highly recommend getting a self-care routine in place right from the get go. Why? Because the sooner you have that routine in place, the easier it will be to maintain when things get hard.
I always tell people there are two pieces of self-care: the actual self-care aspect (what you need to do to keep your mental health good) and self-soothing techniques. Here’s how they differentiate:
Self care is: going to therapy; taking your medication; practicing deep breathing to slow your heart rate during a panic attack.
Self-soothing is: taking a bubble bath; using a lotion that smells good and calms you down; turning the news off when you’re overwhelmed.
Spot the difference? I think for many, this makes it easier to understand. Your self-care routine should be a mix of all of these things. Now might be the time to sign up for Talkspace so you have access to a mental health professional. Or, if you already attend therapy, get your meetings arranged to be over Zoom or Skype now. Then, start thinking of self-soothing pieces you want. Do you want to set aside 40 minutes every evening for a bath? Schedule it in, babe!
2. Set Strict Work Hours.
I keep a work calendar for everyone I work with and I block out my work hours on every single one. If you text me outside of those work hours, or your email me on the weekend, I will not respond to you. Period. End of story. I used to be not so strict about those, but once Oregon implemented a stay-at-home order, I decided to be strict about it.
I like working. But I don’t like feeling overwhelmed by work.
So, my advice is this: make your work hours known and stick to them. Don’t let anyone talk you out of them. Not your boss. Not your coworkers. Not your partner who is inexplicably on a work call at 8pm. Don’t let them down it! Stick to your hours. Strictly. If you do decide to be loosy-goosy and start early, don’t work over 8 hours. You’re going to burn out; you’re going to get tired; you’re going to get overwhelmed and frustrated and stressed. Be kind to yourself. Set your work hours!!!
3. Designate a Work Space.
You might not have the space for an office. Trust me, I get it. My office used to be a landing on my stairwell. It was tiny and uncomfortable and I hated it in a lot of ways.
Even if you don’t have an office in your home or apartment, you can designate a space where The Work Happens. This might be your kitchen table, which has a nice plug. You might have a desk in your bedroom that works and has a window you can look out. Whatever works for you. Pick a work space and stick with it.
Just like setting your work hours, I want you to be strict about this with yourself. Here’s why:
You have to maintain good posture and ergonomic working conditions. Why? Because this will vastly impact how you feel physically. Working on the couch sounds great until your back aches.
You have a designated space where The Work Happens and when you are in that space, you work. When you are not in that space, you do not work. This is a big thing mentally. It will help you be more productive. I promise.
4. Practice Breaks.
Working from home means there are less interruptions. No coworkers stopping to chat for 15 or 20 minutes. No quick breaks to the bathroom where you end up joining a lively discussion about a TV show. No quick brainstorms. Everything is scheduled out.
That means you get less breaks, mentally. So, schedule breaks into your day. Take 10 minutes to call a friend or talk to your partner. Or take your dog for a walk. Make yourself a snack or a cup of coffee. Do something other than work for a few minutes, then get back to it. Breaking up the day will help you stay on task longer and not feel so burnt out and tired.
There you have it! Those things might feel pretty basic, but as these days pass, I want you to focus on them and make sure to set and keep plenty of boundaries. Bringing your work into your home can be a great way to save money on gas and protect people from COVID19. But it can also be very stressful and overwhelming.
Here is a handy dandy graphic that breaks down the do’s and don’ts of working from home.
