It’s hard to believe we are coming up on the end of our sixth week working from home.
The world has changed so much, so quickly over that period of time. I think it’s fair to say this is not something anyone saw coming when we rang in 2020 in January.
I am incredibly grateful to work in a job where working from home is possible. That said, transitioning from an office job to working from home has been an interesting experience.
Today, I wanted to share some of the things I have learned through that transition.
My experience working from home
Jeff and I both started working from home in mid-March.
We both work in industries where the majority of, if not all of, our work can be done remotely. There were some things that needed to be adjusted to fit the new model, but all told, I can’t complain.
Reflecting on the last few weeks, five things that helped make the transition easier.
Having a separate workspace
Before the pandemic, my experience working from home was limited to the odd day or two here and there. The majority of my adult working career has involved spending eight or so hours a day in an office.
When I worked from home before, I typically set up in one of two places: the living room couch or the bed.
These were fine solutions for those one-off days, but when we transitioned to working from home for an undetermined period of time, I knew that would not work.
Lucky for us, we have a spare room in our apartment which does have a desk set up. This space has become my office. It’s not the perfect office, but being able to sit at a desk definitely makes things feel more normal.
Getting dressed daily
Some folks say you should do the whole shebang when you’re working from home — put on makeup, do your hair, put on your work clothes.
I am definitely not that person.
But I also learned early on that staying in my pyjamas all day, while comfortable, wasn’t helping me. So every day, I make sure to get dressed.
Most days, this looks like leggings and a t-shirt paired with sneakers. More often than not, I pull my hair up and I don’t bother with makeup.
It’s not glamorous at all, but it does help me separate sleeping/hanging out from work time.
Setting business hours
One of the biggest things I’ve learned working from home is that if you are not careful, it is entirely possible to end up in a scenario where you are just working…all…the…time. This is especially true if you don’t set working hours.
This one is a challenge for me, mostly because of the type of work I do. That said, I have been making an effort to be a little more aware of this and trying to create better boundaries in this regard.
Something I have found helping is establishing routines. One example of this is the supper hour — every day, I aim to be signed off by about 5 p.m., so I can start supper. I like preparing food and I find this helps me both to wind down and to get offline at a reasonable time.
Setting working hours is still very much a work in progress for me, but it’s coming along.
Accepting that productivity will ebb and flow
There was a quote I read somewhere when all this started that said something to the effect of how it is important to remember you are not working from home during a crisis, you are at home during a crisis, trying to work.
It really resonated with me.
No one is productive one hundred per cent of the time when things are normal. Expecting total productivity when the world is upside down? It just doesn’t work that way.
Working from home in these circ*mstances means there are going to be days when you’ll struggle with productivity — and that’s not just OK, it’s expected. When I’m struggling with this, I just try to remind myself that I am doing the best that I can, and that’s all I can do. I have found the helpful.
Embracing the super productive moments
The flip side: when I am productive working at home? I’m super productive!
I have two theories as to why this is the case for me.
For one, there are definitely fewer distractions at home. Even with Jeff also working from home and the cats…doing cat things, it is still very different from the office environment. I have a lot more control over who I talk to and when I talk to them when I’m working at home. I have found that makes a big difference.
My second theory has to do with perceptions. Specifically, I think it’s easier for me to be productive at home because I feel like I have to prove I am working hard if I’m not in the office. The thought process behind that is my boss can’t see me at my desk working, so I need to make sure I have other ways to prove I am or they will think I am slacking off. Will they? I don’t know that. But worrying they might does motivate me to want to do the best I can to get the work done.
Like I said, not every day is productive. But these things have made it really easy for me to kick it into high fear when I need to.
Final Thoughts
If you’re used to office life, working from home can be a big transition but there are ways to make it easier.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do if you’re making the transition is accept that it is going to take time to adjust and you will need to give yourself some grace as you work through the kinks. I have found pairing that knowledge with some of the routines above has been helpful for me. Maybe it will be helpful for you, too.
What’s your best working from home tip?
