In light of the oncoming tsunami called COVID-19, many companies are sending the majority of their workforce home. One of my sons called last night and his first words to me were, "People are learning what it's like to be you." He, like so many, will be working from home exclusively until the worst is over. I've been working from home for about a year and a half and I've learned a lot about this way of work/life. I thought it might be timely and/or helpful to share some of my best practices. I am fully aware that each situation is different. And this particular situation comes with unusual challenges and contributing factors. Maybe some of these suggestions will help put some much needed order into a potentially chaotic workday.
Work from home is still work. It is not a vacation or an opportunity to allow productivity to slip. If anything, it's the opposite. You may have to work harder to stay engaged given the distractions unique to being at home. The first, and probably most important part of the work-from-home scenario is cultivating a new mindset. Learn to view working from home as a privilege. Act with the same degree of integrity you would/do in the office. Your company is trusting you to conduct yourself in a way that represents their interests. Be careful to appreciate and not abuse the opportunity you've been given. And remember, there are those whose jobs cannot be done remotely. They would be happy to be in your shoes just now.
Set up a dedicated workspace if at all possible. If you have a spare room, consider making that into an office - even if it's temporary. Improvise with a makeshift desk (currently mine is a recycled dining room table) and a comfortable chair (ordered a really good one since this is a permanent situation for me*). I used to have a setup with two small wire shelves and a piece of wood I got at Home Depot - all in under $50. Good lighting is important to prevent eyestrain and to keep circadian rhythms from getting out of whack from working in the semi-darkness during the day. Natural lighting is a plus. Offices take this into account but it's easy to hibernate at home. Stock any supplies you use on a regular basis - pens, notepads, etc - so you don't have to rummage through the kitchen junk drawer for a dull golf pencil when you need to take down a phone number. Not that I know anything about junk drawers or golf pencils, of course.
Minimize distractions. There are inherent distractions that you just cannot escape when working from home. There may be other people around. There may be little people around. There's the lure of the TV and social media. These cannot be eliminated but they can be managed. Some easily - don't turn on the TV, put your phone down and only check when you're taking a break. It's a bit harder to work around the people you live with - and you can't expect them to stay completely quiet so as not to disturb you. They may be trying to work, too, and have different expectations. Or they may want to watch TV or have a conversation. If possible, don't set up shop in the same room with those who aren't working - see bullet point above. Set aside time to interact during your day - eat lunch together - go for a walk during a break. If you have small children at home and both parents have to work, sync calendars so you can trade off for strategic appointments or work in shifts. If the kiddos are 3 or over, set them up nearby and assign "work" to them - coloring pages, cutting shapes, stapling papers, stacking and sorting things. My granddaughter takes her work very seriously when they visit during the week. She will close the door and tell the family to "go away - I working with Honey." If your fellow inhabitants are older - and louder - move to another part of the house, use a fan or white noise machine, tune the radio to a classical station or use an app like Calm for nature sounds. Let them know if you have a particularly important call and maybe they can plan something quieter or go outside for a little bit. Just be patient and keep your sense of humor. And hope you don't become a YouTube sensation like this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4f9AYRCZY
Draw clear work/life boundaries. Set and keep regular, consistent work hours as much as possible. Prepare for work at home much like you are preparing to go to the office. Get up at the normal time, shower, dress, grab your coffee and settle in on time. When I tell people I work from home, the first response is usually something like, "So you work in your pajamas all day." I don't. And I really don't recommend it. That doesn't mean you have to wear a business suit sitting in your guest room, but there's something about putting on "street clothes" that helps me delineate work from the rest of my life. Now, that being said, I typically wear a comfortable dress and sweater with casual shoes. OK - full transparency - I wear flip flops in the summer and warm bedroom shoe/boot things in the winter. I put on some tinted moisturizer and mascara, too, since I frequently use video conferencing. After work hours, I try to stay away from the computer. Shut down, go to another room and relax. I know far too many work-at-home-ers who find themselves working late into the night - it's easy to do that if you don't put some framework into your day. It's likely they drift around, do a little laundry, watch some TV, run an errand and then feel compelled to catch up at odd hours. You might be able to function that way for a while but that lifestyle is neither sustainable nor healthy.
Build a community. Keep in regular contact with your colleagues through instant message/chats. This helps to focus on work-related tasks and provides a way for mutual accountability. My team lead opens a chat every morning and we keep it going all day. It's an open forum for collaboration and keeps you connected and cohesive while you're apart. If your role is more of an individual contributor-ship, find others in the same situation and start a text group to check on each other - taking care not to divulge proprietary information of course. It's easy to feel like the Lone Ranger if you don't have a tribe! (Weird analogy, I know...)
While it's not without challenges, the opportunity to work from home has been a huge blessing for us. It allowed us to move back home and earn a good living. We truly believe this is the means of God's provision for us in this season. I honor this opportunity by giving my best effort each day - to live as a workman worthy of his wages as in I Timothy 5:18. And really, no matter what the location, isn't that the best way to live? In these days of uncertainty, I pray we are all blessed with good work and the strength to do it as unto the Lord. Selah.
*Leap Chair V2 by Steelcase
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