A lot has changed since March of 2020. We simply don’t live in the same world that we once did. “Work From Home” was a phrase that most workers were rarely able to consider. But what was first thought to be a few weeks of inconvenience quickly revealed itself to be months of worrying and reconsidering how we need to live our lives.
For many, this included how they go about completing the duties of their 9-to-5 job and remaining competitive in their chosen field. Millions of people who once arose from bed each morning, got dressed, drove to an office, and spent their day at a desk surrounded by co-workers, now found themselves rolling out of bed and simply sitting in front of the home computer. That could’ve meant making their way downstairs, making their way into the next room, or simply reaching over to the dressing to grab their laptop before they prop up a pillow behind them to start their workday.
People who were accustomed to leaning around the cube wall to ask a question of their co-worker, now had to ping them on Slack or Google Hangouts. Their only communication with their co-workers was suddenly virtual. Zoom replaced conference rooms. Their own kitchens replaced the office kitchen. Silence replaced the buzz of a busy office. Coffee remained coffee though. Coffee would never abandon us. (I could never speak bad about you, Coffee. Call me!)
Some companies did whatever they could do to get their workers back into the office as soon as possible. But many have yet to commit to a firm return date. Or, if they have, that date has become tentative, with the only constant being the expected extension to a future tentative date. And with the new Delta variant of COVID-19 rearing its ugly head, this trend promises to continue for at least the near future.
Is “Work From Home” the New Normal?
So what does this mean for the common worker? Many people who once viewed their work-from-home situation as temporary, neglected to give deep consideration to what makes a quality work-from-home environment. And why would they? The belief was always that they’d be back in the office “in a few weeks”. Until, of course, they weren’t.
Now many people were left putting together a home office on the fly, while also trying to manage the duties of their job and feeling the need to prove to their supervisors that they are indeed…working… from home.
It’s with this thought, that I’m listing out the most important things to consider when working from home. So here are five ways to improve your Work From Home environment.
Find a Dedicated Workspace
I can’t stress this one enough. Beyond actually have a way to connect to your company’s systems to actually do your job, it’s the most important factor to consider. Work/Life Balance is a real thing and is imperative for you to be successful while working from home. Having an area that allows you to internally tell yourself “I’m working right now” and then also step away from in order to say “I’m off the clock” offers you the best chance at succeeding at work. It also allows you the opportunity to mentally distance yourself from work when needed.
It’s possible that your living arrangement doesn’t lend itself to having a space that is solely used for work. Well, unless your company is going to pay for you to move into a larger home (you can dream can’t you?) then you’ll need to get creative. It may mean taking a specific area of your home and firmly telling yourself that “between the hours of X and Y, and ONLY during that time, this is my workspace.” Which brings me to point number two.
Set Office Hours
Before the pandemic began, did you get into the office two hours early every morning and stay four hours late every night? Did you wake up at 2AM and travel into the office to send an email? I’m hoping the answer to these questions are “hell no!”. If you didn’t do it before, you shouldn’t do it now. As I mentioned above, Work/Life Balance is important! Certainly there may be times when working extended hours could have been called for. But, ideally, you would be “allowed” by your employer to do what you want with your own time.
The same should apply with working from home. People often say “well, without my morning and evening commute, I can now use that time to be more productive.” That’s your choice, of course. But you should have the freedom to dictate whether or not that’s the norm. And just because your laptop is within a few feet of you at all times, it doesn’t mean you need to turn it on. The temptation to make anytime you are at home count as office hours is real, and it’s a temptation that you must resist for the sake of your own sanity. The work will still be there if you wait for the next work day to begin. Your time belongs to you. Spend it on yourself. Give yourself a break. Which reminds me…
Take Breaks!
For the love of God, man, take breaks! People who are new to working remotely often have a tendency to worry that they’re being viewed as unproductive. There’s suddenly no one walking past their desk and seeing them feverishly banging away at their keyboard. But when you were in the office, would you sit down at your desk at 9AM and not lift your butt out of that chair again until 5PM? Well, maybe some days. But normally, you took breaks! You went and grabbed a cup of coffee. You chatted with co-workers. You operated as a normal human being!
So don’t let the fact that you are working from stop you from allowing yourself time to reset. Step away occasionally. Go sit outside for a few minutes. Or take a short walk and get some sun. You probably get a lot less now that you’re not commuting. And Vitamin D is important! Leave your dedicated workspace and let your mind rest. Maybe even go flip over a load of wash. You work from home now. Use that time to your advantage. You are an adult and there’s no need for you to think that your employer doesn’t know that. As long as your work is getting completed properly and on time, then they aren’t concerned about you. So sit back and…
Make Yourself Comfortable
You may be there a while. A number of companies are already pushing the date that they expect workers to return to the office back to January of 2022. And it’s even possible that some companies may begin to examine the productivity of employees working remotely and realize that allowing them to remain their may be a cost-cutting measure. So what’s the point in sitting in an uncomfortable position for a third of your day. And I get it, working from your couch or your bed does have a certain allure to it. But, be honest with yourself, it’s not sustainable. Laptops were never actually built to be used on a lap. Biggest misnomer in technology! They don’t stay in one place for more than one keystroke. And have you ever tried using a mouse on your couch? Not to mention the number it does on your shoulders and back as you spend eight hours contorting yourself into various positions in order to keep the laptop as still as possible.
No, what you need, at the very least, is a flat surface and a comfortable chair. If you have the space for a desk and a desk chair, that’s ideal. If you were in an office they wouldn’t set up a cot for you in the corner to sit on while you work and expect you to be productive. Don’t expect that you can give yourself the same treatment and get your job done. Get a comfortable chair. Raise it to a comfortable level so that your arms rest neatly at your keyboard, and sit up straight. If you’re going to buy a hundred dollar chair and slouch down into it, you may as well be working from a bean bag. If you think ergonomically, and combine that with the points listed above, then you’ll find yourself feeling more relaxed and energetic at the end of your day, making you a much better person to be around. Which brings me to my last point…
Be Considerate
If you live alone, this may not pertain to you quite as much. Unless, that is, you’ve got thin walls and neighbors. But if you find yourself working from home along with a spouse or roommates, well then let me give you one last key piece of advice…
Dude, don’t be a jerk.
Treat your home office the same as you would a regular office space. For eight, or more, hours out of the day your housemates are ostensibly your officemates. You may not work for the same employer. But you need to treat them the same way you would if there were a danger of HR intervening. Maybe you’re lucky enough to each have your own separate workspace, nowhere near each other. But the reality for most is going to be that you are in somewhat close proximity to each other. So be considerate. Keep the noise down. Don’t blast loud music. Are you on a zoom call? Use headphones or earbuds. Does your spouse work ten feet from the kitchen? Realize that he or she may be conducting business calls when you suddenly feel the need for a snack. So keep the crinkling of that bag of chips to a minimum. You’re now sharing a space 24/7. Don’t turn it into an intolerable environment.
In the end, there is SO much more that can be done in order to make your work-from-home existence the best possible experience for you and the ones around you. But following these five basics is an excellent start. It’ll make you more productive, put you in a better position to succeed, and show your employer that you can do it consistently and effectively. In the end, you could find yourself with the best work environment that you’ve ever had!
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