Making ‘Working From Home’ Work

Labor day weekend had me thinking about work and how the nature of the way we work has changed over the past decade. Last week I celebrated my five year anniversary of moving cross country from New York to Los Angeles. I also celebrated five years of working from home. In that time I’ve worked as a Software Engineer, Support Engineer, Director of Customer Services, and Chief Product Officer. I’ve telecommuted through a change of employer, a child transitioning from nanny to playgroup to school, a move to a house (our first after 7 apartments in 3 states), and a husband who travels often and works from home with relative regularity. These are the best practices that have helped me succeed through all of that moving around:

1. Mark your territory: Choose a spot in your house where you will consistently do your work. It need not be in your own office but should be in an area without much traffic, and people should recognize it as your place of work.
2. Identify privacy spaces: Find two spaces (always have a backup) for those times when you need to join or lead a meeting.
3. Set boundaries: Be clear with your family and anyone who frequents your home (nannies, cleaning people, etc.) about your work hours, what your expectations are during those hours and what your ‘do not disturb’ cues are. Send the message that your presence doesn’t necessarily signal your availability.
4. Get your technology in order: Invest in reliable wifi with a strong signal and a great set of headphones with a microphone. No matter how far away you are from your coworkers, it should sound like you’re in the room. Also, nothing loses an already-remote crowd faster than the sound of a voice breaking up on the other side.
5. Make dates with yourself: Set specific goals for each day and schedule times on your calendar when you will work towards them. Scheduling helps you commit to tasks and stay on track with your goals. Also, as you would for a date, dress the part. Getting dressed for work sends a mental signal that you are transitioning to work time.
6. Keep a notebook or whiteboard nearby: You’re home, and inevitably you will get distracted by thoughts that tend to plague you at home, like “I wonder what I should make for dinner”, “What time am I picking my kid up today?”, or “This room really needs a new rug.” Write these down so there’s no fear of forgetting, and then let them go so you can focus on your work. As in meditation, acknowledge the thought and then move on.
7. Publicize your schedule: Communicate your schedule to your team, and especially your boss. If something last minute pops up, set an away message with an estimated return time. This demonstrates that you are present during working hours even though you aren’t physically present in the same workspace as your team. Nothing shakes confidence in your work ethic (and reliability) faster than those moments when you’re needed and nowhere to be found.
8. Close up shop: Put your laptop away or your computer to sleep at the end of the day and on weekends. When you work from home, the boundaries between work and life can easily blur and your devices will beckon you back to work if you don’t put them in their place.
9. Remember to go outside: You’ve designated your home as the space where you’ll spend about 75% of your waking hours so it’s essential that you plan for time away from that space. Scheduling some changes of scenery throughout your day for breaks, errands, outings, and exercise will help energize you and prepare you for your next day of work.
10. Ask whether working from home is working for you: Check in with yourself every six months or so to determine whether this is still a good arrangement for you. Your cost-benefit analysis should take into account the impact that working from home has on the quality of your work, your time, your health, your stress level, your family, and your work/life balance.

I am really grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work from home. Telecommuting instead of commuting has given me the gift of time. It allowed me to move to LA and keep my job, spend more time with my family, and, most importantly, be present for more moments of my daughter growing up. That last one alone, despite the challenges of working from home, is enough to keep me going for another five years.

Published in Startups, Wanderlust, and Life Hacking

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