Survival guide: How to work at home
/So. COVID-19. Pretty weird, huh? Here we are one day, concerned only with a churning political climate, the regular-old climate behaving in alarming ways, and whether it’s time to finally cut the cable, and this novel coronavirus comes out of left field.
As you’re likely aware, the virus will touch each of us and bring some measure of disruption to our lives—a greater focus on hygiene, reevaluation of travel plans, boning up on techniques for manufacturing hand sanitizer and toilet paper at home….
I can’t help much with these, but I do have a fair measure of experience with something that’s going to affect many of you: Working at home for the long haul.
In a previous career, I worked entirely at home for a couple of decades. And while my social skills lack a certain keenness as a result of the experience, the 10,000+ hours I’ve spent toiling alone at home have granted me a measure of expertise. With that expertise firmly in hand, allow me to share some tips for surviving (and, possibly, embracing) the work-at-home lifestyle.
Putting the pieces in place
Get your gear on
The ideal work-at-home job is one friendly to telecommuting. Before bidding the office a fearful farewell, gather the tools you need. These may include:
Laptop
Phone
Tablet
Printer (no, don’t take the office printer, but if you need one, pull that old inkjet out of the attic)
Cables to make everything work together
Make connections
In addition to having the gear you need, make sure that you can actually get work done with them. If your company requires a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access internal data, tools, and services, ensure that all your devices are configured to use it.
Likewise, you’ll need access to internal email, calendars, and contacts. A work laptop is likely good to go, but double check that you can get to the information you need while using your phone or tablet.
If you need to share files between you and your coworkers and your company isn’t set up for it, talk to your manager about using a secure service that can get the job done.
Create a workspace
One thing that makes your regular workplace so conducive to work is the office, cubicle, or picnic table that serves as the platform for your daily toil. Despite the myriad cockapoo pictures that festoon the thin wall separating you from the virus spewing colleague an arm’s length to the south, that four square-feet of impersonal workspace screams, “Sit down and get to it!” You should create a similar space at home.
And by that I don’t mean your bed. Really. Stay. Out. Of. Bed. I’m speaking from experience here.
Maybe it’s a dining room table. Maybe it’s a kitchen counter. Maybe it’s a couch and coffee table. Whatever it is, clear any homey items from it, and turn it into a space that best resembles a place for getting work done. At the end of the day you can convert it back to its normal function, but while you’re on the clock, function over form.
Staying sane
Isolation can be challenging. Isolation with a family that’s also compelled to stay home can be even more so. Here are a few tips for getting through the day while avoiding a night full of frustration and argument.
Set expectations
As you embark on this great adventure, sit down with those who will share your home with you, non-stop, 24-hours-a-frickin’-day, for what may amount to a complete baseball season. With the understanding that this much togetherness will occasionally create conflict, try to outline what each person expects from the experience. Does one of you need more quiet than another? Find them a more secluded space or purchase noise-cancelling headphones and blinders. Will the 8-year-old need occasional running? Decide who does it and when.
You are going to get on each others’ nerves. Gently set a policy of cutting each other as much slack as possible. Taking time out to screen The Shining may serve as an object lesson in what can happen when basic courtesy goes unobserved.
Create a routine
Yes, you can work in your pajamas for days on end and shower only when it becomes intolerable to not do so. But even if you live alone, it’s not such a hot idea. Just as you need to prepare a workspace, so too do you need to prepare a mind space for working at home. Creating a routine that says “I’m at work now” helps. Get up to an alarm even though you don’t need to. Do the things you’d normally do before going to the office. Take a lunch break when the big hand and little hand point to 12.
Likewise, punch out when it’s quitting time. One reason people are so productive when working at home is that there’s no reason to stop working—no bus to catch, no commute traffic to fight, no pals to meet on the way home. It’s easy to stay planted and do yet another thing. Just like at the office, it can wait for tomorrow. Close the laptop, clear the workspace, and become the person you are away from work.
Get out of the house
When seemingly every surface you touch could be covered in cooties, this may sound like odd advice, but to maintain your wits, you must leave the house; ideally at least once a day. You needn’t (and shouldn’t) participate in a local crowd-surfing class, but there are ways to get some natural light and fresh air on you without coming in intimate contact with others. Maybe it’s a trip with the kids and dog to an open-space park, or stepping out on the balcony for 10 minutes, or donning the hazmat suit for a Costco hoarding run. Whatever it is, a change of scene can boost your attitude in remarkable ways.
All-around smart (and nice) guy, Brian Tanaka, contributes this: “In the mornings, at the time you’d ordinarily commute, get dressed and go for a walk around the neighborhood or pop by your favorite coffee spot for a cup o’ joe to go. This little ritual will help create a shift between ‘waking up at home’ and ‘being in work mode.’ You can do the same for ‘the evening commute.’”
Be careful of outside influences
I don’t mean that you should be any less vigilant about protecting yourself from illness. Rather, be a bit more careful with social media and alarming news. As an isolated person you’re going to want to make a connection with others, but some connections are healthier than others.
Things are scary out there and you’re not alone in feeling anxious. But fueling that anxiety with hours reading frightening social media posts and news stories designed to alarm you isn’t helpful. At least during work hours, pretend that the boss is still looking over your shoulder to ensure that you’re not messing around on one social media service or another. Resist the temptation to click on that worst-case-scenario news story.
Hunker down. Breathe. And try to adapt to this new (and certainly temporary) life at home.
