Whether you’re someone new to telework or perhaps need a refresher, here are a few tips I would suggest to help you smooth out common trouble spots of having your office at home:
- Choose times to turn off your phone and computer. Are you getting calls and emails from colleagues and your manager outside your normal work hours? If so, it’s really important to set up boundaries delineating “work” time from “home” time. One suggestion is to turn off your phone and computer around dinnertime and leave them off. In cases where you need to keep your phone on for potential emergencies, consider having set times to keep it off, like during meals or when watching a movie. If you’re getting these work calls on your personal phone, you may want to check with your company to see if it can provide a company phone. Another option is to go out and buy a different phone with a new number that you only keep on during work hours. This second option would be an extra expense, but your company may actually pay for it. Check with your supervisor to see if it’s an option.
- Think twice before synching your email to your phone. Yes, phones these days allow you to instantly see any and all of your email messages as they are coming through. Know that you do not need to enable this feature when you’re working from home. There is no reason to bombarded with emails on your phone when you’re taking a break or eating your lunch. Emails can wait until you get back to your computer and are “on the clock.”
- Take an hour off during the workday. For an hour each workday, escape from all electronic devices. Do something to free your mind, such as getting fresh air outdoors for exercise, driving in your car for fun, or tending to your garden.
- Be mindful about how many virtual meetings you attend. When working from home, you may feel as if you’re “attending” more meetings than if you were in a physical workplace. In fact, all these meetings may make it difficult to complete your work on time. If possible, look into skipping a meeting or two. You may need to request permission from your manager. Hopefully, you’ll be able to miss a meeting to focus on and complete your project instead.
- Make a “real” office space for yourself. If possible, transition a room in your home into a “working only” space. It can create the illusion of a work and home separation, so you feel like you can really relax “at home” when you leave your “office.”
- If you’re a manager, set up a buddy system with a co-leader. You and a co-leader can serve as a “security system” for each other by taking emergency work-related calls during alternating hours or days. That way, you’re not both on-call 24/7. This strategy can give you breathing room to walk away from your phone or computer occasionally and truly take a break.
- Share the parenting load on alternating days. For two parents working from home with kids, be sure to set up a buddy system. Each parent can be responsible for helping their children with schoolwork on alternating days or days when your spouse or partner may have a heavier workload than you do.
In closing, if you have some additional tried-and-true elements or habits you’ve incorporated into your home office life, feel free to share them with me on social media, handle @tamarasraymond, or reach out to me at traymond@imcleaders.com.
