We are all entering some very interesting times as knowledge workers. The Coronavirus pandemic is causing many of us to rethink assumptions we never thought we would have to consider. As a result, many of you who have maybe worked a day or two from home now and then might find yourself working from home for the next several weeks.
This is especially true as schools decide to move to online formats and are requiring students to stay home, forcing many workers into new scenarios that they have never faced before when it comes to working remotely.
There is some good news in this. A Harvard study in 2019 stated that people who can work from when they choose were 4.4% more productive than those who had fixed, rigid work requirements. I actually was a bit shocked and thought this might be higher, but my fear is that not everyone who does choose where they work from follows the same discipline they would in an office environment.
So, I thought I would give some of my thoughts on how I have navigated these “free to choose your workspace” waters for myself (although for some this may be a forced free choice).
These are not based on any research. I will typically spend several hours researching and crafting a blog post, but this post is different. It is just my opinion. What I write may not fit you or your style, and that’s okay.
Guard Your Attitude Against Loneliness. I am starting with attitude because many of you really enjoy the social aspect of work. If you had a question about something you were used to popping your head in someone’s office to get an answer When you are working from home, the feeling of loneliness can be very real. I like to intentionally schedule meetings early in the morning and in the late afternoon that have a “check in” social component to them. I always have a cup of coffee (you substitute your social non-alcoholic beverage of choice) in the morning and my seltzer water (love that fizz) in the afternoon. There is something that just feels social for me about sharing a beverage with someone while we are talking. I also try, if at all possible, to do these calls over video chat. I just love Zoom, it is so easy to use and within 30 seconds I can schedule the meeting, put it on my calendar, and send the invite to someone.
Carve Out Dedicated Work Space. I realize this work from home scenario many are facing may not have given you time to put together a complete dedicated office with a door and a desk and comfy leather chair. You really don’t need all of that, anyway, but you do need a place that is going to be your designated work space. It is important that you dedicate that space and that it is not in front of the TV while Fox News broadcasts all the latest scare news. Having a dedicated space will tell your brain this is now where you work. If you can avoid it, try not to make the kitchen table your office, because this is likely grand central station in your house, if it is at all like mine, and it is really hard to have meetings and concentrate with a lot of traffic.
Keep Your Routine. If you are used to being at the office by 7:30am, continue to get up at the same time. If you shower in the morning, then by all means continue this habit. Get dressed like you are going to work and be at your desk by 7:30am, ready to engage. What you may find is that when you don’t have the 15 or 30 or 60 or 90 minute commute, you can put that time to good use and start that book you have always wanted to get to but just never had the time. If you eat lunch, take a lunch break. You can still schedule lunch meetings if you want, just warm up your soup or make your sandwich and do the meeting over video conference. One thing I find about working from home is that I have to get up and take more frequent stretches and walks. I try and keep them around 5 or 10 minutes, but I try and get up at least every 60 to 90 minutes and stretch. Then, end your day when you would typically leave your office. Pick up your book and do another chapter to account for your commute. When you are finished working, then close your device and be finished. WARNING: Working from home is not a time to sort of work while you clean the shower that has not been cleaned in a while. Your organization is still expecting full work productivity. Don’t fall into the trap of half-working half-whatever else needs done.
Communicate Expectations. Most people who you work with will understand that everyone is in a new normal. Your family and friends may not. They may see this as, well, mom and dad are home, so it must be like the weekend. I have found it really important to communicate with my wife that when I am working, it is like I am not here. Now, if there is an emergency, then by all means come get me. But this should be more rare than a total eclipse of the sun. If you clearly establish boundaries I think you will find you will be just as, if not more, productive. Running out of Mac and Cheese or toilet paper has to wait until you would normally get home to resolve the issue. I have found that a kind word like, “Is this an emergency or can it wait until I am finished working” works well for me and helps establish appropriate boundaries.
Pay Attention to Habits. You are in an interesting space of getting to form some new habits. For this, I think we do turn to the research. Wendy Wood, in her book Good Habits/Bad Habits, reviewed 64 studies and found that for some behaviors, people’s actions aligned with their intentions. For example, if they intended to get a flu shot or enroll in a class, they did as they intended. The stronger the plan for these one off type things the more likely they were to do them. But for other behaviors and actions that are repeated more often, intentions didn’t matter that much. Things like taking a bus or recycling, for example. People might want to recycle, but turns out that intention doesn’t matter that much. Persistence and the formation of habit have little to do with will power or the mere desire to accomplish. What is needed is repetition of the desired behavior. So, as you think about working from home, put all your good intentions aside and practice what it is that you want your behavior to be.
I hope you found this interesting to think through as we all navigate these most difficult of days. If you know someone who is going to be working from home why not forward this post to them and encourage them to sign up for the blog?
If you have ideas on how to be successful working from home, please send me a note with your thoughts. I promise to give you credit for your idea if I do a “reader’s hacks” type post in the future.
Best Hopes,
Scott