Your home is your office. Now what?
Here at ReproJobs, we’ve always been fans of the telework model which allows people to work from home a few days a week or full-time via virtual office. Given the ever-changing landscape of Coronavirus, not to mention the additional burdens of childcare and homeschooling, we know that it’s easier said than done. Now that working from home is a reality for most of us, we put together a resource to help you adjust to your new work-from-home schedule. (We also love this lighthearted guide!).
Dealing with your feelings
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that working from home can actually bring up a lot of emotions. For some, it can be a challenge to get used to the lack of human interaction or inability to understand your coworkers’ tones and reactions without facial feedback or body language. For others, it can be hard to get motivated, stay focused, or complete tasks. You might also be effected by the combination of isolation, worry about what’s coming with the Coronavirus and/or abortion access, and general anxiety of the moment.
Your feelings are allowed. Make room for them. Take the time you need to think about the emotional reactions you might have when trying to adjust to working from home, and what coping mechanisms you’ve drawn on that have helped you deal with change in the past. Consider your reaction to isolation, stress, different communication styles, and other things that might be a challenge for you when working from home during a pandemic. Once you’ve identified those areas, think about what might help you navigate them. Could it be scheduled outside time or requesting more video check-ins with colleagues? Creating a specific space for you to work that allows you to check-in and check out of your work? For some, it’s playing ambient sounds or having your favorite TV show on in the background (try not to have cable news on because it can be a stressor) so the silence doesn’t feel so lonely. Whatever it is, take some time to figure out what you need to help you be most successful. Your coworkers are probably looking for this too, so if you feel comfortable, share your resources and strategies with them.
Another issue to think about is if you work from home with other people in your home, like family (including children) or roommates. With your home becoming your office, things you’ve been sitting around all day can become stressful irritants. For one of us, it was a roommate who rushed out the door to work and left the kitchen sink full of dishes that they would put in the dishwasher upon returning home from work. Normally, dishes in the sink are an annoyance, but it became a bigger smelling stressor when working from home all day long every single day. This is where communication is key. Be clear about issues that you’re experiencing, tell them what your core issue is and hear their response. Try to come to an understanding of behaviors that work for everyone involved.
In the era of Coronavirus, you and your partner(s) might both be working from home, which means you don’t have space apart in your relationship. Talk about what you and your partner(s) need as far as alone time, what appropriate breaks in work can look like, and how you want to communicate to maintain your relationship while stuck in a home together all day every day. Zora Magazine has an article on this that might be helpful. If you’re working from home with children who you have to parent and/or homeschool — that’s a whole different story. See this article and this one for some ideas, but just know that we are with you and believe that there is NO WAY to work full time and be productive while you also have to parent/teach simultaneously.
Breaks & Breakfast
Our top suggestion is to use the time you would “commute” to work to start your day with breakfast, time with your family, and a shower. We’re not going to tell you to get dressed like you’re going to work because we don’t always do that and it’s so cliché, but what we do advise is for you to change out of pajamas into other clothes so you can feel like you’re starting a day. You might even invest in a nice robe that looks like a blazer or other nicer tops so you can still be comfy but look professional for those video calls. Showering and changing clothes will help you feel like you have a morning and some time before you hop on that first call of the day. Block that time off on your calendar so your coworkers know you’re not available—same for your lunch block and when you sign off for dinner. Build breaks into your day; that would be the time you normally stroll around the office to see what snacks or leftovers are in the kitchen—15 to 20 minutes at a time is great. Drink lots of water and leave your workspace to eat your meals!
Pro Tip: Schedule virtual lunch dates or coffee chats with your coworkers or friends so that you can have some time connecting with others beyond the project you’re working on together.
Sticking to a Schedule and Structure
Sometimes working from home can get the best of us; just because there aren’t distracting co-workers doesn’t mean that there aren’t a million distractions—a TV show to catch up on, people and pets begging for your attention, or you just want to relax in bed all day. It’s important to take breaks (and we’ll talk about that in a bit) but it’s important to create a schedule and stick to it. The Management Center suggests using “work blocks” on your calendar, which is a set amount of time for you to work on specific tasks or projects, and only those items. Set small achievable goals for each day so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Find a pace that works for you—do not overwhelm yourself, which can happen easily. Some people schedule work blocks for checking emails, writing, task setting, and administrative work to ensure it gets done. When working from home, we suggest you schedule work blocks for deadline-dependent tasks and, if you can, lock yourself in a quiet room without human and pet distractions. We know that’s not always possible (especially with kids), so do the best you can and prioritize. Screens and self-guided activities can be helpful distractions for these moments when you’re parenting.
Other people like to use strategies like the Pomodoro Technique in which you work on a specific task for 25 minutes at a time. It’s named after those little tomato timers in the kitchen. Some people install apps into their browsers or phones. There’s a ton online, if you just search for them.
Creating structure is often key for ensuring people living with depression can stay on task while for others it’s about getting yourself organized to get work done. On our blog, paper planner guru Lindsay Rodriguez wrote a deep dive about finding the best planner for you, and how a planner can help you organize your work while living with mental illness. Here are a few other tips for getting things on your to do list done.
Setting Boundaries
One of the most important things about working from home is setting boundaries, both with yourself and with others. Working from home means that you don’t have a commute and you may stay at “the office” longer than you normally would. Set hours that you will be working and do your best to stick to them. Of course it’s okay if you need to work hours outside of 9-5 if that works for you, your family, and your mental health, but try to not work too much so that you’re not always working and missing out on time with your family and yourself.
Pro Tip: Use Boomerang or another email scheduling program so that your late-night emails don’t disturb others.
Close your computer when you’re done working and remove yourself from your work area so that you can have a physical separation between your workspace and your home space. Tell your coworkers what your working hours are so that they know when you’ve “left the office” and are not available for non-emergency issues. Similarly, negotiate boundaries with the people who live in your workspace If you need ‘do not disturb’ times, communicate that so that they’re not bothering you with random questions while you’re trying to write something or yelling across the apartment when you’re presenting on a webinar. Nothing is foolproof, but communication can help.
During the Coronavirus pandemic, we know so many of you are trying to parent and homeschool on top of working or working at the same time as someone else in your living space. It’s impossible to get everything right. Do what you need to do to get through the day, whether that’s take the kids on a walk (away from other people) while on a conference call, or letting your coworkers know that you just cannot be available for video meetings without children interrupting. If they don’t understand, that is their problem. If you have other family working from home, let them know when you need extra support (ie, when you’re presenting on that webinar, or have a meeting with a donor) so that they can modify their schedule to keep the kids busy.
Setting Up Your Space
When working from home, it’s important that you find a space in your home that you can go to work, and then physically leave to maintain the boundaries of your work and personal life. If you can, invest in a good chair so that you feel comfortable for the long hours. In an ideal world, your organization should offer you funds to set up your workspace, but we know that might not be possible given the circumstances. If you feel comfortable, ask them what the options are for supporting your transition to working from home. Also, it’s good to switch up your spaces—do a few projects or tasks from your desk, a few others from your couch, another from your favorite chair, and listen to those coalition calls that you’re not really taking notes on during a stroll around the block. It’s important to get fresh air as much as possible.
A lot of the blogs tell you not to work from bed, but honestly, we’re not going to say that. If that’s where you’re feeling comfiest and relaxed, work there. We do sometimes. We do think it’s important that you create a space for your work so that you can focus, have some back support, and have a space for your notebook, pen, planner, and any other materials.
Our other suggestions:
Set up a second monitor so you’re not staring at your laptop screen all the time and straining your eyes
Use a separate mouse and keyboard, not the one on your laptop, to help avoid hurting your hand
Maintain a dedicated space for all of your papers, books, and other materials so they aren’t strewn about your home
Invest in some pens you truly like, fun sticky notes, and get a good planner
If you can, set your workspace up near natural light or a window so you can get fresh air and some sun
Get a plant—succulents are great because they don’t require a lot of attention
Communicate with your Coworkers
We’ve mentioned this above, but we’ll say it again: communicate with your coworkers. When working virtually, your coworkers can’t see if you’ve stepped away from your desk for a moment, if you’re having a hard day, taking a nap, or eating your lunch. The distance allows distrust to flourish and create misunderstandings, and the isolation sometimes creates silos between departments and colleagues. It’s important that you continue to build trust with your colleagues. Sometimes people assume not hearing from a coworker all day means they’re not working when in actuality they’re heads down in a report with an upcoming deadline. Err on the side of compassion. Utilize Slack and shared calendars to proactively communicate whereabouts, moods, deadlines, workloads, or if you need space during the workday.
A misinterpreted period at the end of a sentence can create all sorts of confusion. Use emojis and opt for clear communication and deeper expressions so that your coworkers can see the fuller picture of how you’re feeling and they’re not filling in the gaps with assumptions. Vice versa for you—rather than making an assumption about how someone is feeling or what they think, ask clarifying questions to get a direct answer.
Pro Tip: If you’re working on a complicated issue or the email back and forth is creating confusion, pick up the phone or have a video call with your colleague to make sure you’re both on the same page.
Here are a few more tips on managing virtually, running virtual meetings, leading organizations new to remote work, why remote work can be good for nonprofits, navigating the new remote work life under Coronavirus, and answering questions on remote work. We love this guide, too.
This moment is going to be hard for everyone as we’re all adjusting, navigating how to support our families, dealing with an ever-changing world, stress and anxiety, and the day-to-day work. Remember that you are doing the best that you can, and do your best to figure out a situation that works for you.