Enough already. I\u2019ve spent about 80% of my career working remotely, and, in my unofficial opinion, working from home is the best. And you can and should work however you\u2019re most comfortable because you\u2019ll find that the more comfortable you are, the better you\u2019ll produce. If you\u2019re new to remote work or you\u2019re having a hard time getting used to it, here are some things that make it great.<\/p>\n
Figure out how you want to work<\/h1>\n
If you play your cards right, you don\u2019t need to work like you\u2019ve been used to working your whole life. It\u2019s okay to keep working that way, but ask yourself: Do I want to stick to a structured block of time\u2014say 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day? Or do I want to condense my work?<\/p>\n
Removing your commute, an hour for lunch, and the idle chit-chat that would normally fill your day in the office, you might find that you can actually get your work done in five or six hours thanks to fewer distractions, shorter breaks, and a greater ability to focus. Make yourself available for meetings during regular hours, but then look for ways to work outside the confines of a nine-to-five if it means that you\u2019ll produce better work. It benefits you, and it benefits your company.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like to stick to a more standard schedule, I\u2019d suggest using the time that would normally eat up your morning commute for professional development instead. Take some online courses or tutorials that help you do your job more efficiently.<\/p>\n
And then when it\u2019s time to call it quits for the day, use the evening noncommute to wind down. Annoying as it might be, the conventional commute home actually helps you decompress from the workday and shift into nonwork mode. So read. Play some video games. Listen to a podcast. Tidy up. Stop working, but don\u2019t leave your workspace and jump directly into domestic life right away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Earning trust isn\u2019t rocket science<\/h1>\n
The virus has forced many employers to be far more trusting than perhaps they generally are. And under normal circumstances, it\u2019s one of the biggest stigmas of remote work: The fear that you\u2019re just going to sit on the couch watching TV all day. If you\u2019re working for someone who isn\u2019t completely comfortable with overseeing off-site workers, see if you can structure your actual job so that it builds trust on its own. One easy way to do that is to deal in deliverables if you can. I\u00a0make product videos<\/a>\u00a0for a living, so it\u2019s pretty obvious whether or not I\u2019m doing my job.<\/p>\n To be clear, my employer has built a dynamite worldwide, remote-friendly work environment. But just to be extra transparent, I have a task list (we use\u00a0Asana<\/a>) that\u2019s viewable by anyone in my company and includes the current status for each project. So it\u2019s very clear what I\u2019m working on, how long it\u2019s taking, and how much I\u2019m getting done. Whatever your job entails, see if there are additional ways you can provide transparent tracking of your projects.<\/p>\n Perhaps this truly is a temporary situation for you, and you\u2019ll be back in the office in no time. But for me, the single greatest part about working from home is being able to set my office up exactly how I want it. If your company will foot the bill for some new gear while you\u2019re working remotely, great. And if you\u2019re thinking of making a case for working from home more often, calculate how much you\u2019ll save by not commuting and don\u2019t be afraid to spend a bit of what you\u2019ll pocket to create an inviting workspace. I\u2019ve done it relatively inexpensively.<\/p>\n I use a 55-inch 4K smart TV as my main monitor, which would never, ever fly in a cube farm or open-office setup. But I highly recommend it. You can get a big, high-resolution TV for around $300 to $400, which lets you have multiple windows open at once without having to constantly switch back and forth between them. And since it\u2019s a smart TV, I can use it for nonwork stuff as well, such as streaming video and playing video games. My workspace is half office, half lounge.I\u2019d also recommend an ultrawide monitor for around $200. I use both a big TV and an ultrawide monitor: the TV is for working on stuff, while the ultrawide is for email, Microsoft Teams, and general communication with coworkers. The extra horizontal workspace you get with an ultrawide monitor is great no matter what you do for a living and doesn\u2019t cost all that much more than a regular skinny monitor.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget about the little things too. Buy the best mouse, keyboard, and headset you can get: They\u2019re your work weapons. Pay for the strongest internet connection you can afford: Don\u2019t ruin a video chat because your kids are streaming Netflix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n And for the love of all things pure and good in this world, do not\u2014under any circumstances\u2014 skimp on your office chair. You don\u2019t have to spend a fortune: Staples sells the popular\u00a0Ayalon<\/a>\u00a0model for around $200, which is generally considered a poor man\u2019s Herman Miller. I have it and like it. Staples also carries a line of Tempur-Pedic chairs for between $200 and $300, which I\u2019ve used and found pretty good.<\/p>\n Another common fear about working from home: You can never really shut it off, right? If someone sends you an email at 8 p.m., you\u2019ll feel compelled to head to your desk to respond.<\/p>\n This problem\u2014if you want to call it a problem\u2014is more a reflection on the environment fostered by your company than anything else. Look around the office and watch how many people stuff their laptops into their bags so they can do work after hours at home. It\u2019s the 21st century, and we can work from anywhere. If you feel like acting upon an email late at night, then go ahead. If not, let it wait until morning, assuming there\u2019s no expectation that you respond right away.<\/p>\n Conversely, sometimes it\u2019s awesome to have a proper work setup mere steps from the couch so that you\u2019re able to turn things around quickly during off-hours. Maybe, like me, you\u2019re more creative at 10 p.m. than 10 a.m., so it\u2019s nice to be able to do your best work at odd times.<\/p>\n One of the most noticeable side effects of working from home is that you\u2019ll feel less like you\u2019re trying to cram a million things into each day. So take this time, however temporary, to get things done that you wouldn\u2019t be able to get done while in the office. Don\u2019t\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0work, of course: Just look for ways to maximize the benefits of having most of your belongings in your general vicinity at all times.<\/p>\nCustomizing is king<\/h1>\n
“Blurred work-life lines” are bogus<\/h1>\n
Multitasking is real, and it\u2019s fabulous<\/h1>\n