Work From Home Hacks
5 Pieces of Advice to Stay Productive and Remain Connected
As a company that’s been operating remotely since our foundation 10 years ago, here are some tips on:
how to stay focused
how to take breaks
how to stay connected
how to use the flexibility you’ve been given not only for your professional interests, but as an opportunity to reconnect to yourself as well
We are at an unprecedented point in history—one that has changed the way we will work, at least in the foreseeable future.
Even before the global outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), remote work was steadily on the rise. According to Global Workplace Analytics, regular work-at-home population has grown by 173% since 2005. By 2025, up to 70% of the workforce will remotely work at least five days per month. It’s clear: remote work and telecommuting are not trends.
Some companies have embraced these shifts, seeing them as opportunities to attract a wider range of talent, keep operating costs down, and provide their employees with a better work-life balance. Others have been slower to adopt, fearing lack of control and productivity declines, or are in lines of work where remote models are not possible or sustainable options. Employees, too, have had their fair share of feedback on the pros and cons of remote working.
Pros:
Flexible schedules
more comfortable working environments
cost savings related to commuting
lower levels of stress
increased sense of autonomy, trust, and accomplishment
Cons:
Not Knowing how or when to unplug
Increased levels of loneliness
Communication and tech difficulties
Home distractions
When Axis Display Group was founded, it was important that we maintain a culture where our employees work to live, not live to work. Every single one of our employees is remote. We offer a completely flexible work schedule, with, yes, unlimited PTO and vacation. Everyone knows their responsibilities and no one abuses the system. And you know, it just works.
So, if you’ve suddenly found yourself remote, we’d like to extend some advice to you straight from the people who’ve been doing this for a while. We know each industry is different, but in general, our team wanted to share 5 Remote Working Tips with you...from our couch to yours.
Put on pants.
And while you’re at it, maybe take a shower and brew some coffee, too.
You know that saying “dress for success”? It’s true. Take it from me (Sheila). I’ve tried both ways. I’ve had days where my alarm goes off and I pull my laptop out from under my bed and begin checking emails before even getting up to wash my face or brush my teeth. Next thing I know it’s 1:00 PM, I’m still in my bed - body stiff, eyes glazed over like a zombie, I’ve had zero personal interaction with anything living (other than my dog and cat), and I have no idea what the weather is like outside. I end those days feeling burnt out, overworked, disconnected, and angry.
Once I realized that was not a sustainable way to work from home, I created a personal schedule for myself.
I decided to get up at a decent time - like a normal contributing member of society - and have a morning routine that consists of NOT TOUCHING MY COMPUTER until I’ve taken care of myself first. Sometimes this means just taking a shower and putting on pants. Other times it means going to yoga and making fresh-pressed juice. Taking the dog for a quick walk or reading a chapter out of a favorite book could work too. Each day requires something different.
When you work remotely, you have to realize your day-to-day isn’t going to look the same anymore, and that’s okay. You’ll have new demands, not just in work, but in the distractions (and comforts) of home, too. Make time for yourself in the morning to transition from cozy to corporate. Do what you need to do to cue in your brain that it’s work time even though you’re in what is traditionally a space for downtime.
Things that help your brain understand the transition:
getting out of the jammies and into the real-people clothing
vacating your bedroom and moving into a dedicated “workspace” (try to be near a window if at all possible)
showing up for yourself in the morning (i.e., your routine) without touching tech before you’ve completed it
letting people in your home know that you’re actually still on the job and not just “casually available by email.” There is a difference.
2. Brain Dump.
Human beings have, like, a MILLION things on their minds in any given moment, especially in these times. When you go to the office, you get a break from the immediacies of home life, but when you’re working from home, your brain is at risk of going on overdrive, seeing all of the work tasks, family tasks, home upkeep tasks, and personal “to do” items all at once. Hello overwhelm.
Suggestion: brain dump every morning before you jump into your work responsibilities.
What this looks like: set a timer for five minutes and free-write your worries away (well, not away, but at least on paper). You’re not looking for efficiency or sense here; you’re looking for a channel to externally process all of the internal noise cluttering your head. In this exercise, do not focus on prioritization or logic...yet. Just grab the paper and pen (this is suggested over typing), and write whatever comes to mind.
How do you feel this morning? Are you tired, hungry, scared, anxious, ready to take on the day?
What are you worried about?
What are some specific things you want to accomplish today?
Where do you feel like you’re falling behind?
Anything you’re really looking forward to? Why?
What are you going to make for dinner?
How are the kids? The sig other? Your parents? The dog?
Thinking about getting around to those dishes?
Wish you could have a latte right now but your fav shop is closed?
Have a headache?
Just had an idea on how to solve that tricky design issue that’s been keeping you up all night?
What color should you paint the bathroom?
Maybe you should write a book…
You get the idea. Just jot it all down.
Then, once your timer goes off. STOP. Sit back in your chair. Take a breath. If you’re the kind of person where doing this dump might cause some stress because now it seems like you have a “mess,” take five more minutes and highlight, circle, or prioritize your tasks into work to-do’s, home to-do’s, and personal to-do’s. Don't get overzealous here; you know what you’re capable of. Know what you MUST accomplish today to feel successful in all areas of your life, commit to that, and when you’re done, be done.
Bonus: do a quick couple minute meditation, visualization, or breathing exercise. And consider throwing on some brainwave music (Google search “binaural beats”) to keep your mind in a calm state.
3. Communicate WITH YOUR TEAM MEMBERS.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of remote working is the inability to wander down the hallway, pop your head into your coworker’s office and say “So, I was thinking…” Sure, you can send an email with that very same idea...but then you miss that *in the moment* burst of inspiration or the ability to get a time-sensitive answer RIGHT NOW. Plus, your coworker probably has 27 unread “Hey, so I was thinking…” emails in their, and let’s be honest, that can really make the day drag on for anyone.
Whether you’re part of a large corporation testing out the telework waters out of necessity, or a smaller organization that has allowed some sort of remote work in the past, you know that CCC (crystal clear communication) is what makes or breaks employees’ success.
Having effective communication with team members really consists of two areas:
Context
Workflows
In this context, “context” is referring to those subtle, nonverbal - or in this instance “behind the keyboard” - interpersonal cues that are at risk of getting misread or misinterpreted when not shared in person, leading to convoluted communication and potential upset feelings.
I’m sure some of us have had moments where we thought just a little too hard about whether or not to put a period or exclamation point at the end of a sentence in an email. Or maybe we’ve spent precious energy discerning whether an emoji was necessary or not to “soften the blow” of a particularly difficult text communication. And sometimes in video conferencing, when people have the option to cover their webcam leaving the group with only their voice, facial cues are unable to be read, signals of discomfort can’t be interpreted, and other important emotional intelligence factors are missed - all things that help facilitate effective and collaborative remote meetings.
These are not new concerns, but they are heightened right now as we are not in a position as a society to balance out in-person with online. So, if misunderstandings occur and there’s not a plan in place to overcome that, our workforce is at risk of feeling misunderstood, frustrated, and disengaged...something that potentially hurts overall morale in the long run.
Focus Points for C-level / HR teams:
Make sure employees are aware that these things are common and somewhat unavoidable
Outline steps for how to reduce these instances - even simple reminders at the end of emails such as “Speak up and speak often,” so employees know that they are valued and feel that they are heard
Have a clear plan in place so employees know what to do and where to turn if issues related to context arise: who can they talk to, how do they work through it, how do we prevent it from happening again
The second part of communication is workflows. I’m using this term to describe the tools, apps, and services that ensure work continues to flow. This will be different from team to team and industry, but the best advice is to MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS HOW TO USE SELECTED TOOLS AND SYSTEMS. If you do not, this remote work experience is going to be a disaster.
At AXIS we use a variety of project management, file sharing, and communication platforms to get our jobs done. When we hire new employees or switch over to a new platform, we ALWAYS make sure to set up quick tutorials and assign a designated person to answer questions and help other team members with functionality.
Finally, it is important to set up weekly team video syncs. Ours occur every Tuesday at 10:30 AM. It is protected time where we go through our projects and share important information department by department. They are lifesavers.
4. The chores
they can wait. We promise.
Here is where we talk about the most difficult aspect of remote working (at least for me): laundry. I do not like laundry, but when I am working from home, you’d think I LOVE it. This is simply because my primary working style consists of multiple short bursts of highly focused output, followed by a need to shift my brain to something low intensity before returning to another high-focus task.
There’s nothing wrong with this; everyone has a different output energy level, but employees need to get real with themselves about how much they use household responsibilities as excuses to avoid the sometimes less than pleasant aspects of their day-to-day job functions. Taking breaks is healthy, and being home allows us the opportunity to take breaks in ways that are more meaningful and beneficial than if we had to remain confined to our offices. Go outside, organize a junk drawer, stretch, make a sandwich, fold some laundry, empty the dishwasher, pick up the toys, whatever.
But make sure to get back to your task ASAP. Because if you don’t, I can almost guarantee that it will follow you around well past 5:00PM. You’ll keep thinking about it...you’ll take it to bed...you’ll wake up with it in the morning and use it as an excuse to skip your morning routine...you’ll try to shift it into midday, or after dinner, or at dawn the next day. And eventually, without proper time management, you’ll have 3-4 of these things following you around, then maybe 5-8, and then suddenly, things seem overwhelming and that “work-life” balance you were hoping for? Gone.
Doing chores around the house will happen when you’re home. Accept that. Know when enough is enough to accomplish that. This is why Brain Dumping is so vital to remote work success.
5. Decide when you’re going to be done for the day, and be DONE.
Lastly, just because you work from home does not mean that you have to work 24/7. Many companies have online calendars that can be shared between members. For Team AXIS, those have been one of the best ways our employees are able to carve out time for themselves and their families without feeling like they’ve let their team down or “aren’t working enough.”
Like any other workforce, we remain available to our coworkers and our clients Monday through Friday, 8:00AM - 5:00PM. And like any other workforce, when the lights go out and the proverbial doors are locked, we’ve learned to spend the rest of our day doing things that are not related to work. We recharge. And we don’t feel guilty about it. Of course there are instances where projects demand us to work over or under our ideal schedules, but we ebb and flow and it’s never forever.
When you honor your prioritized commitments, stay focused and on task, and exhibit crystal clear communication with your team members, keeping to your schedule should not be an issue. Putting a boundary up to work at the end of the day is just as important as putting a boundary up to distractions at the beginning.
We hope these pieces of advice help you navigate the transition to remote work, however long that may last.
Over the past decade, our team can personally attest to each of the pros and cons listed at the beginning of this article, but by applying the tips above to our day-to-day activities, we’ve found ourselves to be a happy, productive, and relatively stress-free workforce. And if there’s anything we wish to do in a time like this, it’s to help our fellow people reduce their stress, feel a sense of control, and know that they are not alone.
