I’ve been working from home since October 2018.
To be honest, it was extremely challenging the first month to get used to… It’s very isolating. It’s very lonely. It’s difficult not really being able to talk to people during the day except during meetings. Or even being able to “read the room”, or knowing when to “jump into” a conversation. It’s taken me a while to find my rhythm and routine.
Recently, my whole team has to work from home due to the coronavirus as many teams have begun to. And truthfully, I’m actually glad.
I’m indépendant worker. I feel I get so much more done without office distractions and love being remote. Don’t get me wrong the work/life balance and flexibility of working from home is AMAZING, my stress has dropped significantly because of it. My only hope is my team will see this new way of life from my perscpective and feel the challenges I face with not always feeling like “part of a team” because you’re not physically there seeing them everyday. I’ll admit my biggest challenge when you WFH is having to communicate twice as much and be so much more “visible”.
Remote life definitely has it’s pros and cons.
If you’re new to WFH, here were some of my tips that have always helped me:
✨Be visible. I can’t stress this one enough. You have to show up twice as much being remote. There’s no way around this. You have to communicate more clearly and effectively. You need to speak up in every single meeting and be that authority perspective in your given role. You also need to raise your hand 🙋🏻 on new projects/opportunities.
✨ Have a work buddy you can call or chat.
✨ Get moving - Stretch, Get up and walk around, go to the gym. One of my tips is saving a podcast and only listening to it on a lunch break walk.
✨ Since I can’t always chat with someone. I CRAVE knowledge. I’m always listening to podcasts, audiobooks, reading, online/in person classes, I’m always trying to learn something new.
✨ Cook healthy meals, either on your lunch break or for weekend meal prep. You’ll thank yourself when work gets busy or there’s a meeting scheduled near lunchtime.
✨ Respect “offline” hours. Just because you’re work life is in your home space doesn’t mean your need to be “always on”. Create boundaries and a set time everyday on when you’re clocking out.
✨ Weekly check in calls. Especially to catch up with your team.
✨ Get dressed and shower. Make coffee, breakfast, journal….Create a routine for yourself.