I was recently given the opportunity to work from home, and I admit it: I panicked a little. I know myself well enough to know that my day job is not the same as the time I spend writing. That’s creativity time, and that is easily done at home. On the couch. In front of the TV.
When confronted with the prospect of doing my job at home for a couple of days, however, I feared that my carefully established workflow would fly right out the window, and I would lose any future chance for remote work. How, then, did I remain as productive remotely as I am in the office? With some careful planning and some good tools.
Mirroring
In the office, I have established a routine that works for me. It takes everyone some trial and error to find the workflow that fits for them, but I took some established tips for increasing office productivity and put them into practice. I do what I consider to be the toughest tasks first thing in the morning. I have a system for getting those tasks done, complete with the necessary software.
How then, did I not disrupt this routine at home? I mirrored my office workspace as much as possible in my home workspace. I recently finished grad school, so I repurposed my desk and computer for work.
I cleaned up my living room, where my desk is located, and made sure I would be comfortable. I don’t like clutter at work, but I tend to handle a pretty sizable amount of it at home. I am not productive when there’s clutter; no one really is. If I was going to be working at home, I knew I’d have to get rid of the clutter, so I stripped my desk of non-essentials. Then I got started.
Communicating
I like to communicate face-to-face even though my organization uses Slack, today’s golden child of digital collaboration. I was afraid that if I had a question, I would just get stuck because I couldn’t yell across the room at my project manager.
Because staying in contact is one of the most important ways remote teams work productively, I made sure that I had Slack on my computer at home. Just like I mirrored my uncluttered physical desktop, I mirrored my digital desktop so that I could communicate with my team, specifically my manager.
I installed all my digital workflow tools, including our project management software, and planned out my first day of remote work just like I would any other day in the office. I made it clear to my manager and my team that I would be doing X, Y, and Z over the course of the day, and as I completed each task, I checked them off the list.
While it’s important for our leadership to communicate its expectations to us as a workforce, it’s just important for us to communicate with our leadership. How I do it is also important. I don’t want my communication to be a time waster, so I make sure it’s clear, concise, and serves a purpose.
Comforting
Last but not least, I made sure I was comfortable. I was at home, after all. My office comfort level is definitely different than my comfort level at home. Just as I have a higher tolerance for clutter at home, I have a lower tolerance for distractions at work.
Thus, I can turn on the TV at home, find a well-loved TV show, and work away without getting distracted. Most people’s work distractions are my work. My distractions are typically of my own making: a desire to socialize, or a need to share something with someone.
Silence, however, is just as distracting to me as all the intermittent noises of a workplace. While it can be helpful for some people to have a silent workplace, and home is the ideal environment for that, silence is worse for me. I have to have background noise.
Just as I mirrored my workspace as much as possible, I also made it as comfortable as possible. I dressed comfortably because no one else was going to see me. I made breakfast and a pot of coffee. I turned on my favorite trivia show so that Stephen Fry could entertain me when I needed a quick mental break.
Producing
After I transposed my workflow from office to home, tweaked it for the specific environment, and gave it a try, I found a rhythm. Because working remotely was a new opportunity for me, I was excited and a little frightened. I was afraid I wouldn’t be as productive at home as I am in the office.
With the right planning, I found my remote work flow. Now I can transition smoothly between home and office when given the chance.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of Villanova School of Business Online
Guest Author Bio
H. E. James, MBA
Hattie is a writer and researcher living in Boise, Idaho. She has a varied background, including education and sports journalism. She is a former electronic content manager and analyst for a government agency. She recently completed her MBA and enjoys local ciders.
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