Another Article About Working From Home?
You betcha…
I’m seeing article after article being shared at the moment about “how to work from home”, “steps for being productive and avoiding distractions”, and some of them are absolutely laughable.
For the past 6 months, I’ve been working from home 3 days a week, and so I’m here to tell you the tips that work for me.
But please note, when reading this, or any other listicle about working from home, it’s about finding what works for you. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of deal.
1. Don’t work in your pyjamas.
Ok, so this one is on every single blog post you’ve found, but for me it's true. Often people go so far as to say “dress like you’re going into the office”, which for me means nothing because we have no dress code at work. But getting showered and dressed does make me feel human — and also avoids those pesky video calls where you feel like a potato.
2. Leave your phone on the other side of the room.
I really need to follow my own advice on this one. If you’re an Instagram addict like me (give me a follow over at @themusicofalice), avoiding the temptation to pick up your phone can be a real struggle.
If, like me, you’re too weak-willed to do that, there’s always turning off all your alerts to minimise distractions. I’ve written a handy blog post for this: https://medium.com/alice-ashcroft/how-i-saved-my-relationship-with-my-phone-ddb97bb87995
3. How many meetings is the right number?
With remote working, you will definitely be dragged into less pointless meetings. It’s not to say the meetings themselves are pointless, but I’m sure we’ve all walked out of meetings going “why was I in there?”
So, my tip for this is actually stolen from a friend at work who once said to me “I now decline any meetings that can still happen if I’m not there.”
When people work remotely, they often want more calls to create the illusion of being productive, when really they can be incredibly distracting — something it’s key to minimise when working from home. So, decline any meetings that can happen without you.
4. Don’t feel guilty about going to the toilet, or making a brew, or… being a human?
When I first started working from home consistently, I felt under so much pressure to be alert 100% of the time. I’d feel guilty for going to the bathroom or getting myself a drink.
But would you feel guilty for that in the office? No. It’s ok to take a few human minutes, even when you’re working from home.
5. Signing on and off.
What’s really helped me in the past is signing on and off. If you’re working as part of a team it helps if you set boundaries for yourself and your team. Sending a message to your team saying “Morning all!” or the classic “The commute to my desk was so tough this morning!” helps your team know you’re available to chat to now, and it also helps you step into work mode.
The same can be said for the end of the day, don’t just close your laptop, sign off or throw your PC out of the window, tell people you’re signing off, just as you would when leaving the office. This officially ends your day and helps switch your mindset back, and it also lets your colleagues know you’re no longer available for work. I.e. Do not message me about this report until morning!
6. Getting a little lonely?
Finally, one of the main things people struggle with is the lack of interaction. And I have a couple of ways of getting around this.
Have a Teams or Slack channel for random articles/banter/discussion. Obviously don’t spend all day chatting in there, but if you were in the office you’d catch up with colleagues, make jokes, and hopefully have a bit of fun! This should not change.
The other solution is if you have any pets to take a 5-minute break and play with them. They’ll be happy with the extra attention! Just make sure you don’t spend all day playing with a puppy…
