I've written in the past about remote work and working from home. I'd like to share a few tips for folks who might have found themselves recently working from home.
Tips
Keep a routine
Have a space just for work
Take breaks
Be aware of household noise (HVAC/AC, dishwasher, others, etc)
Internet connectivity
Get outside
Stay social
Stop working
The Deets:
Keep a routine
Get up and follow your normal work routine. You don't have to commute, so either get a little extra sleep or do self-care
If you're accustomed to a long commute, go for a quick walk to 'get out of the house', and get right to work
Have a space just for work
Don't work from bed
Have a space you only work in, you need psychological separation between 'work' and 'home'
If you don't have a separate room, take out and put away your work laptop each morning and evening
Take breaks
It's easy to focus in; after all, no one is going to be stopping by your desk
Take a 5 min break each hour, even if you just stand up, move around, and sit back down
Get outside during lunch
Be aware of household noise (HVAC/AC, dishwasher, others, etc)
Especially true when on calls/video conferencing
Be aware of your background sounds during video calls
Internet connectivity
Upload speed tends to be more important for quality video & audio conferencing, most internet is advertised and sold as download speed
Use 5 GHz wifi if available-- it's less prone to interference from neighbors, less buffering, lag, video/audio breakups, etc.
It's best to physically plug into your router if you can
Get outside
You'll thank me on day or week 3
Stay social
It's easy to get isolated
Instant messaging (aka Slack) is good, but sometimes a phone call is better
IM/Email/Phone/Video
Text communication should be clear
Don't forget you can call people, even a couple minutes can be more productive than instant messaging or emailing
Don't imply tone or meaning -- when in doubt get on the phone or video chat
Always mute when 3 or more people are on a call/video conference
Be wary of many-people video/audio conferences, like many in-person meetings, often too many people are included and don't need to be. This amplifies when digitally conferencing. Keep conferencing small, and meetings specific
Stop working
It's really easy to just keep working, you need to stop at some point
Constant small amounts of work will eventually weigh on your long term, it's ok to have the ability to work, but not use it 😬-- don't get burned out
Work out of the house
Normally I'd recommend getting out of the house, but with the current circumstances of COVID19, I can't recommend that at this time.
Final Thoughts & Opinions
Working from home can seem fun. Working from home can seem daunting. At the end of the day, you're still working, it's just a different context.
I'll probably be writing some more detailed posts in the near future concerning how to measure & manage remote workers; so stay safe and stay tuned!
About the author:
Andrew lives in Portland, OR and has worked in tech for over 15 years. With a foundation in philosophy, political theory, and communications, he is an avid thinker & tinkerer, constantly learning and exploring the world around us.
