Working Remotely: What we have learned. What we have noticed.
Today marks the day that I have reached a month of being part of a fully remote team. But as many know, I am not alone on this. All over the world, companies are switching from an in-person environment to fully online as part of precautions to lower the spread of the coronavirus. For many, this transition is far from easy. When the mind has a set place associated with a specific activity, such as work, it can become difficult to replicate the same level of focus and productivity elsewhere. Especially when that new place is your home. Fortunately for Cast & Hue, our team has already had plenty of experience with what it is like to work from home. In fact, many members of our team were already full-time remote members prior to the pandemic. For those who may still be struggling with perfecting their work from home lifestyle, I’d like to share with you what our organization has learned over the years as well as over the last month.
To me, this is the most important tip I could give, and in my opinion, is the most impactful to a successful work from home lifestyle. Whatever you do, avoid choosing a workstation that you currently associate with other common activities. Your bed is for sleeping, your kitchen is for cooking, so your workstation needs to be for working. Personally, I have managed to set up a miniature office in a room in my house that quite frankly, wasn’t getting the love it deserved. Now I use this room daily, and it has been a great way to tell my body, “This is where I work.” By creating some sort of separation, it both removes any temptations to engage in other activities and allows your body to make a smooth transition to being done with work. Until I set a designated place to work, my body would be stuck in work mode even though I was no longer “on the clock.” To me, having a dedicated place to work is the biggest factor in setting yourself up for a successful day of working remotely. Here is a quick look at my workstation along with some of my peers:
With that being said, that isn’t all it takes. From what I gathered from my team, these are other major factors they considered to have a productive workday:
- Natural Sunlight
- Video Conferencing (and actually on video)
- Form a routine-like schedule (set times for waking up, going to bed, eating lunch, etc.)
- Utilize chat services such as Slack to stay connected
- Find a way to keep the kids occupied while working (a way that isn’t yourself)
Now I could go on and on about little tips here and there, but at the end of the day, everyone is different so there may be different things that work for you. You just have to be willing to try them.
Now tips aside, there is something I would like to mention that my peers and I have all recently noticed.
Quarantine has created a stronger sense of community.
With everyone working from home, there has been a lot of reflection on just how meaningful daily interaction is. Whether in a work meeting, on the phone with friends and family, or even with complete strangers, everyone feels more connected. The smallest bit of interaction has become a form of escape from isolation. Even when on my morning runs, which by the way is a great way to start your days and get outside, I have experienced such positivity from those who I am running by. Everyone, without a doubt, will say good morning or at minimum, wave hello. Yes, we are quarantined, and yes, things are difficult. But more than anything, now is a time to stay positive. Whether you are working remotely, looking for work, or not trying to work at all, we must be sure that we are all doing our part in preventing further spread and eliminating the virus altogether.
If you have any tips for working from home or any stories about positive interactions you’ve recently experienced, please share below. I’d love to hear them.
