Andy Boyle’s working from home tips
Here are a few things you can do to get the most out of working from home:
Have a space in your home that’s just for work. This isn’t possible for everyone, I know, but if you can, find a place that’s separate from the parts of your home where you are “entertained” (your living room with its big TV) or where you sleep. I’ve got a little cranny in my condo where I’ve set up a desk, and walking into that space tells my brain “it’s work time.” And when my work day ends, I don’t really go back into that space, as now I’m “leaving work.”
Dress normally. Working from home doesn’t mean pajamas and running shorts. To help get your mind focused as if you were going into the office, do your normal morning routines and then put on some normal work clothes. This helps to get your mind ready for the day.
Have an agenda. By this, I mean work with your supervisor, or those who you supervise, and know what’s expected of each other during the work day. This means you may be communicating more digitally, or writing down a plan (“Today I will do X, Y and Z.”) and then updating others on your team about how that plan went (“It’s after lunch, and so far I’ve accomplished X and Y, and I’ll get Z to you by 3.”) Setting clear goals for yourself and others, and communicating those goals, is one of the most important parts about working remotely. Basically, you need a plan, or how else will you know you’ve succeeded in your tasks for the day?
Overcommunicate. To follow No. 3, you should be communicating more when you work from home than when you work together in the same space. We primarily use Slack, which is a great tool to keep others aware of what’s expected of them and letting them know updates about your work. Email is also good, but just make sure, in either case, you acknowledge whoever is messaging you that you’ve received what they’ve said (and are on top of any tasks that are asked). Furthermore, when in doubt, jump on the phone or a videochat for a quick five-minute talk to clear things up. (Slack has a built-in call service, which is decent.) Sometimes a quick phone/video chat can clear up what could take seven emails back and forth.
Others need to know you’re working. If you have loved ones (or incredibly needy pets), they need to know that when you’re working from home, you’re working. It doesn’t mean you can get up every 10 minutes to do something for them, or be constantly distracted. I know this is hard for some, especially if you have kids who may be stuck at home with you. My retired mom used to think that because I worked from home she could call me whenever she was bored (or, in her case, had something incredibly important to discuss, such as the Nebraska football team’s chances this year at going to a good bowl game, which still remain zero). You need to set boundaries and let people know this is still work time.
At my last job, I managed seven people across four time zones. We had regular video chat planning meetings, and every day people checked in to let us know what they were working on and reached out when they needed help. I’d like to say we were pretty productive, even if we weren’t sitting next to each other all day.
Communicating more than you may think will help ease your (and others’) anxieties about the work that needs to be done. And making lists and planning will help keep folks on tasks. But more importantly, just remember: When you’re working from home, you’re still working. So let’s get some work done together.