Coronavirus and working from home - how to do it well

For many reasons you may be considering working from home. Or due to concerns about the Coronavirus, your boss may be asking you to work remotely.  For the past 30 years I’ve worked remotely – that goes way back to the days of fax machines squealing in the middle of the night in my home office.  I’ve learned a few things about making this a positive and productive experience. Here are a few:

-          Set an alarm and get up to it each morning. Take a shower, get dressed for work. I know you’ve heard about the joys of working in your gym clothes, but it can help to suit up for the game and be prepared to play. Staying in your morning routine may help you get in a work frame of mind. It also may help with some of the unsettled feelings you might be having over a disruption in life as usual.

-          Find a place in your house or apartment that you can claim as your workplace. It might just be a corner of your dining room table, but it can be helpful to have a dedicated space you don’t have to dismantle at the end of the day.

-          Speaking of the end of the day – make sure there is one. Set an alarm for the time you need to log off and transition into your personal life

-          Set clear boundaries for yourself. Leading yourself with more freedom can be hard. Avoid having the TV on or checking personal messages during your workday. It can become really easy to get derailed by emptying the dishwasher or doing “just that one thing” because you’re at home.

-          Do video calls with your team members. This face-to-face time helps build trust and keeps you better connected. Fight the temptation to retreat to email only. Even a quick voice call can help you and your teammates stay engaged.

-          Set meetings with team members. Collaboration and regular check ins will help you keep work moving forward and help remind you and your regular office mates that you’re still connected. The camaraderie doesn’t have to be lost because you’re not together in one space.

-          If you’re not the boss, you should know your supervisor may be feeling uneasy about this new way of working together.  Look for ways to report on your progress. Make sure you’re available when they reach out during the normal workday and ask them if you can do a weekly video call to stay up to date with them.

-          Take a walk over lunch. Being out in nature is safe – and it’s good for your brain. Instead of staying in your home, take a break and get outside. It will help you refresh your mind and body. This is good advice whether you’re officing at home or in a business.

COVID-19 may be forcing us all to think differently about a lot of things – including our personal habits and work situation. We can do this.