Working remotely, whether from home or away from the office at a client’s site for instance, is not a new thing. A lot of us may have had to do that from time to time, and some more than others – for instance consultants or freelancers. However, in the last several weeks a lot more has been asked from us and even those that are used to working remotely may have had to adjust.
As more companies and employers continue to move to working remotely, and as we all start to make sense of the ways in which we stay productive, there are a number of things we can do to help ourselves. For example, there may be a number of potential benefits, apart from some of the drawbacks, of not commuting to the office on a daily basis. For starters the commuting time is reduced and whether you decide to use that time to sleep 5 more minutes or start your day with some stretches, that could be a good thing. There may be less distractions from your colleagues, although that may be compensated by the distractions from kids, pets and even from the remote working of those around you. Similarly, the team cohesion that is provided by coffee breaks and face to face meetings is difficult to replace by chatting services or never-ending teleconference meetings.
Working remotely can be hard and setting some rules that work for you to delineate the boundaries between your home and office life in the same physical space is very important. Particularly if you find yourself having yet another snack from the very reachable fridge or had constant catchups with what is being shown in day-time television. So, here are some tips that have helped me and my team try being and staying productive:
Working hours set to a regular schedule
This sounds like it should be a given, and largely it is, particularly when having to come to the office for that 9.00am meeting. However, as I mentioned before, the daily commute tends to zero and it may be difficult to define when you are in working more and when you are still having that me-time. Sticking to a schedule as best as you can will help with staying focused in the tasks at hand. And not not just work: if you know that between 8.00 and 9.00 you are not yet working, you can concentrate better in reading that Jane Austen novel by your side. Similarly, when you are in work mode, you can dedicate that time to the tasks at hand. The idea is to avoid switching between your two competing contexts as best as possible, while keeping the perks that may come with remote working. One thing that may help with keep hours is blocking your calendar for specific tasks, and that includes lunch! Some of my team have also started using the Pomodoro Technique using a timer to give themselves breaks between tasks. In my case, a very important part of my routine is setting up a bit of me-time before the working day starts. A ritual if you will. Before tackling the first email of the morning (or call, or task) I dedicate some 45-60 min to having a nice cup of strong coffee and read the news or a book, write a bit or watch cat videos. That enables my waking brain to start engaging with the world. I find that not having that time for myself makes me less productive and a tad bit grumpier. Your routine may be doing some aerobics, listen to BBC radio 4 or simple take some breathing exercises.
Set a place specifically for working
You may adore that comfy chair you have in the living room, perfectly position – like Sheldon’s spot – to watch your favourite episodes of the Big Bang Theory (other sitcoms are available). That may, however, not be the best spot for working. Let that fantastically comfy char be a personal space and find an area that you can dedicate for working. This is the physical equivalent of the time boundaries we were setting in the previous point. It does not have to be anything fancy, but a well-lit area, with either a monitor or a couple of books to prop your laptop up to eye-level (please do not show that much chin in your next conference call) can make a huge difference. When you are in that space you are telling to yourself (and even others) that you are working! Another important thing to bear in mind is to be mindful of the people you are living with. They may have to work remotely too or their schools have not yet opened. When going to the office (and so do they) the commuting as well as the time you spend away resets the interactions. However, when staying in the same area, you may discover that the speaking volume while on a conference call that your better-half uses is a few decibels higher than normal (or vice-versa).
Working equipment ready
This one is a follow up of the point above: Your working environment should include the equipment you need to do your work. Do you have a good internet connection? Is VPN required by your company or client? Does your web cam work correctly? Or do you have a good pair of headphones and microphone? The reality of remote working involved either a lot of conversations via Slack, Teams or equivalent, and you will be in a number of teleconference calls. Make sure that you test connection in advance and be prepared to switch from Webex to Meet in a heartbeat. While keeping your webcam at eye level and manage your hairstyle (or expectations!).
Stay communicated
As I put it to my team, please overcommunicate… This is because in an office environment a lot of the communication happens verbally and non-verbally. You can always turn up at the daily scrum to provide an update and follow up the conversation at your colleague’s desk or by the water cooler. There may be a whiteboard and you can let your creative minds solve the next issue in the project you are working on. Thay may be more difficult to do when you are working remotely. The best thing you can do is letting other know what you are working on right now. That does not mean that you need to be constantly posting messages about your next move, but keeping a regular open view of the challenges you may face can help you get support from your team. I find that posting some weekly highlights of the achievements of the team can help with having the team on the same page. That also helps with feeling part of a team and that is very important.
Remember to stop working
One of the things I find myself doing is working longer hours… The excuse I give myself is that I am not commuting, so I can reply to that last email… This goes against point one about setting a regular working schedule. I know I should improve on this. Coming up with a “end of work” ritual may help with replacing the lack of commuting time. Play a video game, plan to take some fresh air, involve your family or the people you live with to help with that.
I hope some of these points help you stay productive. What are your rituals? How do you best balance your work and me-time while working from home? Let me know.
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