Why working from home is a terrible idea and the lessons I learned by doing so
Let me tell you a story, a very regular one similar to stories of millions of other people that are hopefully sitting at home now and reading this because of COVID19… Need to flatten that curve.
My self-quarantine started with sprint planning. That one went ok, as I’m used to sitting through that one for a whole day for 2 teams, but every next day at home I struggle a little more than the day before.
Let me talk you through why it’s a terrible practice longterm… at least, personally for me.
Reason 1. Not walking enough
I’m a project manager. Working with people and communicating takes the majority of my time. I spend most of my day on my feet, and that is an average of 6000 steps a day in the office. At home, I barely walk more than 500 steps a day now. That’s a huge health issue, especially for the back, from sitting the whole day.
Reason 2. Glued to messenger apps
I have this crazy ‘addiction-like’ habit of constantly checking messenger apps. The official excuse is that I have to be online at all times in case people need me. The first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning is checking work mail & messengers. Many of the people I know are guilty of that too, so it hasn’t bothered me much to this point. However, staying at home has even worsened the situation with messaging apps. I feel guilty when I leave my laptop/phone for more than 10 minutes because people may be waiting and they have no other way of reaching me the way they’d do in the real office. And that gives me more screen time than ever before. Need I say, more screen time = worsened eyesight.
Reason 3. No real breaks
In the office, I take some breaks during the day, whether it is for getting a snack or taking a little walk to the balcony to freshen up. At home, a break would be either getting on social apps and adding more screen time or doing some chores. That’s quite wearing out, especially if you are always in the same space the whole day where even the walls get annoying.
Reason 4. Not everyone is always available
While everyone in my teams is super responsible, sometimes you can’t expect everyone to be available at all times. People have their homes, families & children they have to take care of and things happening on the other side of the screen that you are not aware of. Sometimes a doorbell can ring or a child can climb up where they’re not supposed to climb. And that one meeting that you’d usually do in the office gets rescheduled to another day, another time. So that’s a little uncomfortable. I have huge respect for all working parents. You guys are my heroes for ever getting anything done!
Reason 5. Focus
I have almost never had focus issues at work. I certainly know what I should do & when I will do it. At home, I don’t feel the same way. I still yet have to figure out what is bothering me, and it’s the main reason I’m writing this article, to be honest. Working now is more like getting things done one at a time, without clear prioritization. I only do the things that are most important first, and the rest, they happen as they go. I just do what I’m in the mood for. I don’t really want to force it on myself because it will lead to issues with motivation. If I have a mood for writing an article, I will get it done in 10 minutes. When I’m done, something else will be more interesting, the article thoughts won’t get on my way anymore and I can finally concentrate on work. ))) Otherwise, I will not enjoy what I’m doing and my mind will wander the broad universe.
Reason 6. Communication
If the communication channels aren’t fixed, it’s a disaster. Luckily, we have only limited means of communication, that’s Slack for messaging and Google Meet for conference calls, with pre-fixed call links that everyone knows by heart. If I were to navigate between email, Slack, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Whereby, and one other tool it would make me go coo-coo. Luckily for me, I’ve been working in extended teams for years and have had the chance to limit the communication tool options.
Reason 7. Food.
Let’s skip the explanation of this. Food and lack of exercise (and self-control) are the main reasons I hate working from home, ok? :)
Reason 8. Other people at home
I live with my lovely family, and even though we have a clear division of work areas, it still is a challenge not to make noise or get distracted by my ‘new colleagues’ and not to listen to their work issues against my will. No matter how well we try to plan the division between “Kitchen”, “Living Room”, “Hallway” meeting rooms, there will always be challenges.
What I’ve learned:
Lesson 1. Exercise
Daily exercise is mandatory! I found this article where there are many types of free at-home exercise you can do at home. I especially recommend Yoga with Adriene ❤.
Lesson 2. Take a real break and limit screen time
If you are anxious to go on a break just like me, do let everyone know you are unavailable. Do yourself a favor and go for a break after each call. During the break, feel free to do something different, like meditate, listen to music with your eyes closed or whatever’s vibing.
And Cut. That. Screen. Time. Put your phone away from your bed. Often go look out of a window, or do something that doesn’t have to do with a screen. There are a ton of eye relaxation exercises you can do, too. Also, there are apps that remind you to look away from a screen, but I personally find them annoying.
Lesson 3. Agree on fixed work hours
For teams, there should be clearly set work hours and meeting schedules that are adapted to everyone but don’t compromise getting the work done. Respecting each others’ work and rest times is key, especially for parents who need to share responsibilities of taking care of children.
Lesson 4. Take things easy
The lockdown will take more than a day, more than a week, maybe more than a month… No one knows yet. So, it is key to try to stay sane without freaking out or stressing about things that are out of your control. Every day, there is this much you can do, try to maximize what you are able to do and don’t expect the same from others. Everyone’s situation is different.
Lesson 6. Timebox each activity
It’s really easy to lose the sense of time when you are at home the whole day, so keeping a schedule is very-very important. Try not to slack when working. Work hard, and rest later.
Sometimes you’ll get bored. It’s normal. Even the most mundane or boring activity has a start & end.
If doing something feels like a burden, do it for a certain tolerable amount of time and when that time’s over, stop and do something else. I have tried time-boxing for 20 minutes. Afterwards, I feel free to treat myself with something nice.
Lesson 7. Keep communication short & to the point, but also fun
When working with people on distance, you never know what’s surrounding them. You don’t always see everyone’s face. Keeping the team inside jokes and having fun is as important as the job that needs to be done. It’s good to also balance it out with staying to the point as people have their lives, and if you agreed to meet up for 15 minutes, you better close the call at 14:59. Respect everyone’s time and they will respect yours.
Lesson 8. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner should have dedicated times
For these 3 meals, I haven’t had a dedicated time for the last 3–4 years. I sometimes skip breakfast and have a very late night dinner because of my work & lecturing schedule. What I learned from staying at home is that I need to have dedicated meal time as I tend to overeat when there is not a clear schedule. At home, we always know we can snack whenever, but please don’t. You will lose portion control. Repeat after me: constant snacking instead of meals is bad.
Lesson 9. Work from a different place each time
If you have more than 1 rooms to access, try to work from different rooms each day. Even when you only have one room where you can work, taking different seats can help. Work from the table, sitting on the sofa, on the floor, you choose. What I absolutely don’t recommend is working from the bed. There are 3 million different articles on why you absolutely shouldn’t work from your bed, the reason mainly being: your brain won’t perceive your bed as a dedicated rest area and it will lead to insomnia and sleep problems.
That’s all folks. I’d also like to read some tips & tricks from you. Leave a comment if you have one or two.
Remember, we’re all in the same boat. Stay at home, stay healthy and take care.
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