How to switch to remote work?
You have heard the phrase. You may be working remotely already. But majority of us are working away from an office for the first time ever; and this can be challenging.
Everything new takes a bit of time getting used to. Do you remember the first day at your current job? How long did it take you to settle in? The company, which you joined, has slightly different processes from your previous employer. Some are better, some are worse, but hopefully your team is opened to new ideas. The same applies in the Corona Era. We all have to adapt and come up with new creative ways to keep the business growing well.
It’s your office
Telecommuting is a phrase, which was first coined by Jack Nilles in 1973. Since then many other terms have started popping up to describe people, who work away from a physical company office. Nearly 60 years has elapsed and we are all equipped with enough technological advancements to make remote work a viable option for majority of white collar employees.
Here’s a list of things you need for a comfortable work-from-home set-up:
- Laptop with all software required in your job
- Large screen to reduce eye strain
- Desk space — be creative! Dinner table does a grat job
- Comfortable chair
- VPN connection to access files on your company server
These days, when we all have to work from home for the near future, it is worth asking your company if you can borrow some of the above from the office. A comfortable set-up will have a big impact on your energy levels throughout the day!
Staying in touch with your team, no matter the location, is the key to a successful project delivery. We all have email and mobile phone, but what other tools are out there to help us with being on the same page?
Microsoft Teams
This collaboration platform is widely used by larger companies, which already use other Microsoft products. It integrates really well with Office giving teams an option to edit documents simultaneously.
You can schedule video conferences with anyone in your organisation, as well as outsiders, using the in-built calendar. That feature is also available straight from Outlook.
Slack
Slack is very popular among startups and tech companies. Since its launch in 2013, the software has integrated 1500+ other internet apps into its ecosystem. All of them can be found by clicking here. The main goal of the program is to replace those email chains with something more organised.
The platform is absolutely FREE to use. This has led to many community groups creating their own Workspaces, where like-minded individuals can hang out. You can browse 1600+ of them on Slofile.
While you use Slack you can seamlessly switch between all of your Workspaces, which is very handy for people involved in various organisations and social groups.
Zoom
When you are in a different location and want to communicate, video calling is the closest experience to a real face-to-face conversation. There are many products out there offering a virtual meeting service but I have found Zoom by far the easiest to use. The user interface is very clear without any gimmicky features. Once you have installed the software on your laptop, or mobile, you can send a link to your video conference to anyone. Guests can easily join with the unique meeting ID, which automatically created for each session.
Co-working spaces, such as The Office Group, have Zoom hardware in each physical meeting room, which makes the whole meeting experience very seamless. But all you need at home is a webcam and a microphone, which both tend to be built into a laptop already.
Daily Routine
How about staying on the right track throughout the day, when you are just by yourself? We all tend to complain about the routine of going to work but the routine is what keeps us ticking.
A good thing about working from home is that you can tailor your daily routine to what suits you best! Parents may want to decide to complete 2 hours of work early in the morning, following by looking after their baby and finishing the rest of work in the afternoon/evening. Fitness enthusiasts can swap that 1-hour commute to an 1-hour worth of exercise, which offers a great endorphins boost. Whatever your personal life situation is, WFH brings a range of benefits, which put you in control of your own schedule.
I put together an example daily working schedule below. Types of activity tend to repeat themselves, so I assigned letters to them:
H (Health), P (Personal), E (emails), T (Team), F (Focus mode)
- 7:00 — H: 5k run around a local park
- 7:30 — P: shower, breakfast, getting dressed
- 8:15 — E: read & answer emails
- 9:00 — T: team catch-up setting goals for the day
- 9:30 — H: break from the desk (stretch, make a drink)
- 9:40 — F: focus mode & tasks completion (turn off notifications)
- 11:00 — H: coffee break and a video chat with a friend
- 11:15 — E: read & answer emails
- 11:45 — F: focus mode & tasks completion (turn off notifications)
- 1:00 — P: lunch break and walk outdoors
- 2:00 — T: project team video conference
- 2:30 — E: read & answer emails
- 3:00 — H: break from the desk (stretch, make a drink)
- 3:10 — F: focus mode & tasks completion (turn off notifications)
- 4:30 — H: virtual tea break with a friend
- 4:45 — F: focus mode & tasks completion (turn off notifications)
- 5:15 — E: read & answer emails
- 5:30 — P: “go home”, i.e. close your laptop and spend time with partner/family
- 8:00 — P: join a Watch Party and grab a beer!
- 11:00 — H: sleep
Top Tips
Working from home can be a positive change to your current lifestyle. It offers many benefits mentioned earlier, resulting in a good work-life balance. Just remember to switch off in the evening, as it is really easy to continue working until midnight without even realising!
Drink water frequently and stand up to stretch.
Ensure you eat healthy. Staying at home is a great opportunity to try new recipes and cook fresh daily. Keep your nutrition intake balanced by snacking with fruits, nuts and occasional chocolate.
Listen to positive music to keep your spirits up. The type of music you listen, while working alone, can make a huge difference to how you feel. Switch up between acoustic songs and recordings of nature sounds to trick your brain into feeling like you are in beautiful outdoors.
Remember to stay in touch with people via regular video calls. This will reduce your feeling of loneliness and let you bounce ideas off each other. Social interaction is a critical element of mental health, which we all must look after while self-isolating due to #COVID19
Stay active, eat well and produce the best work of your life! Make the most out of this WFH opportunity.
