WFH tips for a newbie
February 24, 2022 7:08 AM Subscribe
I've never worked from home before. Best practices?
I started a new job in January. I love it. The company culture is great, the business itself is in an industry that has been a passion of mine since I was a kid (the first time I've had a job that is in line with my personal values!), my supervisor is wonderful, my team is incredibly supportive, and my department head is a great person, super approachable. Company culture is geared towards work-life balance, benefits are amazing, salary is, no joke, a 70% increase from where I was working before (that sounds implausible, I know but I was being super underpaid at the last place and dealing with toxic colleagues), and the job itself is a promotion. I am so happy to be here.
The only problem: it's a WFH job. Now, this actually isn't a problem per se - I love not having to commute (especially in the winter), I love not having to worry about having a "work wardrobe", and it's nice to be able to walk my dog every day (he'd been going to work everyday with my boyfriend, which was becoming a problem as the dog is quite boisterous and was becoming disruptive during busy periods for my boyfriend - now the dog stays home with me two-three days a week) and do some laundry and keep up with dishes and actually plan dinner without scrambling in the evening. We are also all welcome and encouraged to go to the office once a week (or more if we wish, 30 minutes from my home) just to get some socializing and networking outside of MS Teams, but we cannot go to the office everyday because the company is expanding fast and there simply aren't enough work stations, so we have a schedule of who goes in on which day.
The trouble is, I've gotten into some bad habits working from home:
1) I don't shower every day. I use that morning "getting ready" time to get more sleep. This leads to feeling gross after a day or so. Also sometimes I oversleep but no one cares because this job is all about flex scheduling.
2) Sometimes I literally never get out of my pajamas.
3) I get easily distracted and am not working as efficiently as I could.
4) I already feel socially isolated having moved to this area last summer after 20 years downstate and so not seeing actual humans daily contributes to that.
5. My particular combination of mental health issues makes regular routine important in order to keep anxiety/depression at bay. I've been going through some bad depression in the past few weeks (which I think is a combo of social isolation, brain chemicals being mean, and general winter doldrums). I'm also coming out of a massive PR push for my debut album (I'm a musician, this job is my day job). In 2020 during lockdown the only reason why I survived is because my best friend/music collaborator and I came up with a project to work on that kept us both locked in a routine, and I was also working on the album.
Let me be clear: NONE of this makes me want to leave this job. I love the work itself and the company culture. Let me also be clear: so far I have gotten nothing but extremely positive feedback from my supervisor about my work.
But I'm still in training and there are several tasks that are eventually going to become my responsibility that I haven't learned yet. Right now I have a lot of downtime during the day and that's when I'm most prone to distraction and have a hard time getting back into working when I need to. This will change very soon - like in the next month - and so I need to fix these bad habits before they start to impact my work.
Veteran workers-from-home: do you have any tips or suggested best practices for working from home effectively with the same level of job output and skill that one might more easily have in an office job for someone like me who has ALWAYS been required to be in an office?
I started a new job in January. I love it. The company culture is great, the business itself is in an industry that has been a passion of mine since I was a kid (the first time I've had a job that is in line with my personal values!), my supervisor is wonderful, my team is incredibly supportive, and my department head is a great person, super approachable. Company culture is geared towards work-life balance, benefits are amazing, salary is, no joke, a 70% increase from where I was working before (that sounds implausible, I know but I was being super underpaid at the last place and dealing with toxic colleagues), and the job itself is a promotion. I am so happy to be here.
The only problem: it's a WFH job. Now, this actually isn't a problem per se - I love not having to commute (especially in the winter), I love not having to worry about having a "work wardrobe", and it's nice to be able to walk my dog every day (he'd been going to work everyday with my boyfriend, which was becoming a problem as the dog is quite boisterous and was becoming disruptive during busy periods for my boyfriend - now the dog stays home with me two-three days a week) and do some laundry and keep up with dishes and actually plan dinner without scrambling in the evening. We are also all welcome and encouraged to go to the office once a week (or more if we wish, 30 minutes from my home) just to get some socializing and networking outside of MS Teams, but we cannot go to the office everyday because the company is expanding fast and there simply aren't enough work stations, so we have a schedule of who goes in on which day.
The trouble is, I've gotten into some bad habits working from home:
1) I don't shower every day. I use that morning "getting ready" time to get more sleep. This leads to feeling gross after a day or so. Also sometimes I oversleep but no one cares because this job is all about flex scheduling.
2) Sometimes I literally never get out of my pajamas.
3) I get easily distracted and am not working as efficiently as I could.
4) I already feel socially isolated having moved to this area last summer after 20 years downstate and so not seeing actual humans daily contributes to that.
5. My particular combination of mental health issues makes regular routine important in order to keep anxiety/depression at bay. I've been going through some bad depression in the past few weeks (which I think is a combo of social isolation, brain chemicals being mean, and general winter doldrums). I'm also coming out of a massive PR push for my debut album (I'm a musician, this job is my day job). In 2020 during lockdown the only reason why I survived is because my best friend/music collaborator and I came up with a project to work on that kept us both locked in a routine, and I was also working on the album.
Let me be clear: NONE of this makes me want to leave this job. I love the work itself and the company culture. Let me also be clear: so far I have gotten nothing but extremely positive feedback from my supervisor about my work.
But I'm still in training and there are several tasks that are eventually going to become my responsibility that I haven't learned yet. Right now I have a lot of downtime during the day and that's when I'm most prone to distraction and have a hard time getting back into working when I need to. This will change very soon - like in the next month - and so I need to fix these bad habits before they start to impact my work.
Veteran workers-from-home: do you have any tips or suggested best practices for working from home effectively with the same level of job output and skill that one might more easily have in an office job for someone like me who has ALWAYS been required to be in an office?
This post was deleted for the following reason: posters request -- frimble
Mark the boundaries between work-time and home-time as much as you can using whatever is available. For me that means: always shower and dress for work, change out of work clothes at the end of the day, have a dedicated space where work happens, separate computers, and choose a time when I’m done for the day and no longer access or view work communications. Structure your downtime too. Nobody does 8 actual hours of work each day and it’s often more like half that. Schedule times for lunch, snacks, afternoon tea, or other breaks to mark progress throughout the day.
posted by migurski at 7:22 AM on February 24, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by migurski at 7:22 AM on February 24, 2022 [9 favorites]
I love what raccoon said about different places and choosing what works best for you. It will take time to find your rhythm. I also have work outfits that are not pajamas but....are just as comfy as! I have different comfortable tops for video calls and make sure to do my hair/makeup/take a shower if I'm going to be on a call with someone but that's usually pretty planable. The few times it hasn't been...it hasn't been an issue.
My desk is my morning spot. My couch or bed is my "doing reports, reading long data, writing marketing copy" thing. I have been bad about going for walks lately. I'm sick of my neighborhood so much (have never liked it) but I've been doing workouts in my living room. I started out with lots of workout videos and I found that I almost never follow along but do my own thing while they do their thing. And now I'm just as likely to work out around mid-morning while catching up on Colbert or Seth Myers.
I'm also interested in paired working. I have a friend and we occasionally go on speaker phone and work through admin type stuff, chatting here and there. But there's an online company that pairs you with someone else working. I think nothing can focus you like a buddy for some reason. Mondays are "admin" days for me because I can't focus on flow type work until I have my schedule sorted and to-do lists written for the week.
Set up a blocker so you can't flip over to MeFi or F'Book or whatever. I have to do that everyday I want to get work done! Set up a start time that takes advantage of not having a commute. Force yourself to not work until your start time. Putter around. Stretch on the floor. Sleep in but not so late that you're literally waking up over your inbox. Take breaks. If your phone is a distraction, put it in another room and don't look at it until you're ready to take a break. Drink some water while on that break.
posted by amanda at 7:29 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
My desk is my morning spot. My couch or bed is my "doing reports, reading long data, writing marketing copy" thing. I have been bad about going for walks lately. I'm sick of my neighborhood so much (have never liked it) but I've been doing workouts in my living room. I started out with lots of workout videos and I found that I almost never follow along but do my own thing while they do their thing. And now I'm just as likely to work out around mid-morning while catching up on Colbert or Seth Myers.
I'm also interested in paired working. I have a friend and we occasionally go on speaker phone and work through admin type stuff, chatting here and there. But there's an online company that pairs you with someone else working. I think nothing can focus you like a buddy for some reason. Mondays are "admin" days for me because I can't focus on flow type work until I have my schedule sorted and to-do lists written for the week.
Set up a blocker so you can't flip over to MeFi or F'Book or whatever. I have to do that everyday I want to get work done! Set up a start time that takes advantage of not having a commute. Force yourself to not work until your start time. Putter around. Stretch on the floor. Sleep in but not so late that you're literally waking up over your inbox. Take breaks. If your phone is a distraction, put it in another room and don't look at it until you're ready to take a break. Drink some water while on that break.
posted by amanda at 7:29 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Have a to do list, not just for work stuff, but for personal habits you want to cultivate as well.
If there is something I need to do every day that I tend to skip, I do it in the morning, and link it to something else I'm reliably doing already. For example, if I am trying to get into the habit of meditating, I try to do it before I have my breakfast, which I'm never tempted to skip.
When I'm feeling depressed or anxious, I scale down my list to doing absolutely essential things only, and make sure my morning routine is extra relaxed and cosy.
I force myself to reach out to friends and organise a chat or a walk at least once a week, and I made new friends by joining a club (kayak paddling in my case.) Volunteering also works for me to get some social contact.
I am pretty strict with not letting my work bleed into my relaxation time (evenings and weekends)
I have a home office, and do my work there, I don't let it spread into the rest of my home.
That said, my work-for-pay is not my passion. My fiction writing is, and I guard my writing time fiercely. You might have a different balance.
As for showering, if skipping a shower is a symptom of not having enough spoons, that's one thing, but there's nothing wrong with not showering every day, especially if you are fairly sedentary. Living through a water crisis taught me that. You might want to have a routine "armpits and groin area" bucket bath if you want to find a compromise.
posted by Zumbador at 7:33 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
If there is something I need to do every day that I tend to skip, I do it in the morning, and link it to something else I'm reliably doing already. For example, if I am trying to get into the habit of meditating, I try to do it before I have my breakfast, which I'm never tempted to skip.
When I'm feeling depressed or anxious, I scale down my list to doing absolutely essential things only, and make sure my morning routine is extra relaxed and cosy.
I force myself to reach out to friends and organise a chat or a walk at least once a week, and I made new friends by joining a club (kayak paddling in my case.) Volunteering also works for me to get some social contact.
I am pretty strict with not letting my work bleed into my relaxation time (evenings and weekends)
I have a home office, and do my work there, I don't let it spread into the rest of my home.
That said, my work-for-pay is not my passion. My fiction writing is, and I guard my writing time fiercely. You might have a different balance.
As for showering, if skipping a shower is a symptom of not having enough spoons, that's one thing, but there's nothing wrong with not showering every day, especially if you are fairly sedentary. Living through a water crisis taught me that. You might want to have a routine "armpits and groin area" bucket bath if you want to find a compromise.
posted by Zumbador at 7:33 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
You're going to have to figure out what works for you. I've been fully remote since 2015 and here are things that work for me:
1) Using a different mug for coffee during workdays and non-workdays. This little thing somehow makes a big difference.
2) Having a dedicated space to work. I don't like working from my laptop on the couch or the dining room table. I have a big desk with two big monitors.
3) Getting up every day, showering, and putting on clothes. I don't wear anything different than I normally would. I did the don't shower/work in pjs thing for about a year and realized it was really bumming me out. YMMV. I do wear slippers during the day, which is nice.
4) Being very regimented about when I start work and when I log off.
5) Being tuned into my body/mind and realizing when I'm getting squirrelly and need to GTFO of the house. This takes time.
posted by rhymedirective at 7:47 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
1) Using a different mug for coffee during workdays and non-workdays. This little thing somehow makes a big difference.
2) Having a dedicated space to work. I don't like working from my laptop on the couch or the dining room table. I have a big desk with two big monitors.
3) Getting up every day, showering, and putting on clothes. I don't wear anything different than I normally would. I did the don't shower/work in pjs thing for about a year and realized it was really bumming me out. YMMV. I do wear slippers during the day, which is nice.
4) Being very regimented about when I start work and when I log off.
5) Being tuned into my body/mind and realizing when I'm getting squirrelly and need to GTFO of the house. This takes time.
posted by rhymedirective at 7:47 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I’d also explicitly confirm going in more often to office is not an option for you. Our office has a surplus desks but asks for a minimal attendance because they don’t want to unduly pressure people to come in.
Your office maybe giving a minimum because it can’t support everyone going full attendance. But if you’re actually asking could be they do have the space and happy to make it available to you.
posted by artificialard at 7:50 AM on February 24, 2022
Your office maybe giving a minimum because it can’t support everyone going full attendance. But if you’re actually asking could be they do have the space and happy to make it available to you.
posted by artificialard at 7:50 AM on February 24, 2022
When I am WFH, I try to leave the apartment every morning before I start working. I call it a pretend commute but I feel much better (more awake, less groggy, less restless, etc.) after getting out in the morning. It is really the only WFH routine I have. (It also means I get dressed, more or less comb my hair, have a bit of human contact saying hello to the dog walkers, etc.).
(Sometimes the hardest part is not the first step but rather before the first step, just putting on the shoes.) I also make "excuses" (check the mail, take a tin to the recycling bin) to nudge my self out the door.
And to echo those above, I also go in to the actual workplace as often as I can.
posted by philfromhavelock at 7:56 AM on February 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
(Sometimes the hardest part is not the first step but rather before the first step, just putting on the shoes.) I also make "excuses" (check the mail, take a tin to the recycling bin) to nudge my self out the door.
And to echo those above, I also go in to the actual workplace as often as I can.
posted by philfromhavelock at 7:56 AM on February 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
I've been working from home full time since the pandemic began.
The trick that works for me (when anything does - there have absolutely been some bad periods) for several of your issues is to go for a walk first thing before work. I don't want to break the routine, so I don't want to sleep in; I'm sure the early daylight helps keep my body clock in sync with the real world; and it means I'm most definitely dressed by the time I sit down at the desk. Would your dog enjoy an early start?
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 8:00 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
The trick that works for me (when anything does - there have absolutely been some bad periods) for several of your issues is to go for a walk first thing before work. I don't want to break the routine, so I don't want to sleep in; I'm sure the early daylight helps keep my body clock in sync with the real world; and it means I'm most definitely dressed by the time I sit down at the desk. Would your dog enjoy an early start?
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 8:00 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
One thing that helps me a lot is to use periods when I feel distractable to go do something non-work-related but still productive. It takes some practice, but you can develop the habit of making yourself get up and do something else as soon as you realize you've switched tabs to a recreational time-waster.
The other thing that has been a great outlet for me as someone who lives alone and is FT WFH in a rural area that I moved to about 5 years ago, is becoming a regular at the closest dog park. Now, not every dog is cut out for the dog park life, but for me it's been a great way to get some basic human contact and meet new people with common interests that doesn't require any planning or fixed schedule commitments.
posted by drlith at 8:11 AM on February 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
The other thing that has been a great outlet for me as someone who lives alone and is FT WFH in a rural area that I moved to about 5 years ago, is becoming a regular at the closest dog park. Now, not every dog is cut out for the dog park life, but for me it's been a great way to get some basic human contact and meet new people with common interests that doesn't require any planning or fixed schedule commitments.
posted by drlith at 8:11 AM on February 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
I've been WFH for almost 10 years and the #1 thing I do without fail is to get up and change out of my pajamas. I might put on some "daytime pajamas" but I do not keep on my nighttime PJs. And vice versa at the end of the day -- I do not let those daytime clothes get into my bed with me. I think this tiny little step is massively helpful, as a matter of fact!
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:16 AM on February 24, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:16 AM on February 24, 2022 [11 favorites]
I think it's important to recognise that maintaining "the same level of job output and skill that one might more easily have in an office job" is not necessarily the same as "sitting staring at my computer screen continuously for 8 hours a day in office wear." YMMV but many of my office jobs have involved ramping up and down a bit throughout the day, but during the quieter periods still having to look busy because a. You're on display and b. There's nowhere to go except your office chair. So we end up on MeFi, typing away at our computers, looking busy while giving our brains a break from work! But it doesn't have to be like that at home, and that's great.
It took me a while to cut myself a little slack at home and not feel guilty, to really appreciate that my colleagues were also working in their pyjamas/going for walks in the afternoon that were longer than they would from the office/nipping off to bake a cake (I kid you not). Initially there was a real sense of "We're all in lockdown, we need to be extra nice to ourselves to stay sane", but as time has passed, I think that's matured into "These are all the things that a kind, humane working day actually looks like, whereas in the office we had to sit in our chair staring at our screen non-stop for 8 hours regardless of whether we were being productive".
Also - the worst times for me working from home have been times when I've not been super-busy. I suspect that when you get those extra responsibilities, it'll become much easier for you to knuckle down and concentrate, no?
Obviously there's a line to draw as you know that you need a little struture for your mental health, but it doesn't have to mean being as strict with yourself as you would be in the office. For me it's:
* Luxuriate in not having to get up early/shower before starting work etc. For me, one of the great things about working from home is dropping out of bed right before I need to start, pulling on a Zoom-acceptable top over my pyjamas just in case of surprise calls, and being able to eat my breakfast and drink my coffee while checking my emails.
* I sit in the nicest spot in the flat, which is in my kitchen/living room looking out at the view through a big window. I started out determined that I'd work in the spare room to stop work invading my living space, but it's small and poky with poor light and I'd be staring at the wall. So I work in the nice space and when I finish every night, I pack up my computer etc. stick it all on my work chair and wheel it into the spare room out of sight.
* Showering... like others in this thread, no longer every day and no longer first thing in the morning. My main prompt to shower these days is either that I'm seeing someone in person or my hair needs a wash, so probably 2 or 3 times a week. More likely to be late morning or some time in the afternoon when I need a break.
* Take a proper lunch break, sit in a different chair, watch the lunch time news.
* Leave the flat every day. Minimum is a 10 minute walk but if I can do more, great. Really helps me sleep, apart from anything else. I usually make it a mid-afternoon walk to freshen up my brain.
* Use the StandUp! app to remind myself to stand for 5 minutes out of every hour. Use those snippets of time to unload the dishwasher, do a little exercise, put on a load of laundry etc.
* Yoga when I finish work to mark the boundary with something enjoyable and good for me.
posted by penguin pie at 8:47 AM on February 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
It took me a while to cut myself a little slack at home and not feel guilty, to really appreciate that my colleagues were also working in their pyjamas/going for walks in the afternoon that were longer than they would from the office/nipping off to bake a cake (I kid you not). Initially there was a real sense of "We're all in lockdown, we need to be extra nice to ourselves to stay sane", but as time has passed, I think that's matured into "These are all the things that a kind, humane working day actually looks like, whereas in the office we had to sit in our chair staring at our screen non-stop for 8 hours regardless of whether we were being productive".
Also - the worst times for me working from home have been times when I've not been super-busy. I suspect that when you get those extra responsibilities, it'll become much easier for you to knuckle down and concentrate, no?
Obviously there's a line to draw as you know that you need a little struture for your mental health, but it doesn't have to mean being as strict with yourself as you would be in the office. For me it's:
* Luxuriate in not having to get up early/shower before starting work etc. For me, one of the great things about working from home is dropping out of bed right before I need to start, pulling on a Zoom-acceptable top over my pyjamas just in case of surprise calls, and being able to eat my breakfast and drink my coffee while checking my emails.
* I sit in the nicest spot in the flat, which is in my kitchen/living room looking out at the view through a big window. I started out determined that I'd work in the spare room to stop work invading my living space, but it's small and poky with poor light and I'd be staring at the wall. So I work in the nice space and when I finish every night, I pack up my computer etc. stick it all on my work chair and wheel it into the spare room out of sight.
* Showering... like others in this thread, no longer every day and no longer first thing in the morning. My main prompt to shower these days is either that I'm seeing someone in person or my hair needs a wash, so probably 2 or 3 times a week. More likely to be late morning or some time in the afternoon when I need a break.
* Take a proper lunch break, sit in a different chair, watch the lunch time news.
* Leave the flat every day. Minimum is a 10 minute walk but if I can do more, great. Really helps me sleep, apart from anything else. I usually make it a mid-afternoon walk to freshen up my brain.
* Use the StandUp! app to remind myself to stand for 5 minutes out of every hour. Use those snippets of time to unload the dishwasher, do a little exercise, put on a load of laundry etc.
* Yoga when I finish work to mark the boundary with something enjoyable and good for me.
posted by penguin pie at 8:47 AM on February 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
4) I already feel socially isolated having moved to this area last summer after 20 years downstate and so not seeing actual humans daily contributes to that.
I have found that since starting working from home I have a lot more energy (and time) to socialize on evenings and weekends. Now might be a good time to initiate new friendships and strengthen old ones outside of work, by taking up a social hobby, going to meetups, etc.
posted by Jess the Mess at 9:00 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I have found that since starting working from home I have a lot more energy (and time) to socialize on evenings and weekends. Now might be a good time to initiate new friendships and strengthen old ones outside of work, by taking up a social hobby, going to meetups, etc.
posted by Jess the Mess at 9:00 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Ergo, ergo, ergo. Care about ergonomics, nobody will do it for you.
Do not spend your whole time couch-slouched, typing on a laptop keyboard. Get an office chair that supports good posture, get an excellent keyboard and mouse, set yourself up a standing option with a standing mat if possible.
posted by mhoye at 9:32 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Do not spend your whole time couch-slouched, typing on a laptop keyboard. Get an office chair that supports good posture, get an excellent keyboard and mouse, set yourself up a standing option with a standing mat if possible.
posted by mhoye at 9:32 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I've been working remotely for a decade. It's really, really, really helpful to get ready as if you were going into the office before you start work, and to also go outside for a short walk before you start- this would be a good point to walk your dog. If you can adjust your sleep schedule, go to bed slightly earlier so you're getting enough sleep and you're able to get up early enough to shower, dress, etc. It seriously makes a difference.
posted by pinochiette at 9:38 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pinochiette at 9:38 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Seconding BlahLaLa. I've been majority WFH for about a decade and that's been one of the best habits to get into, along with showering at night before bed, which also helps make getting to sleep easier.
posted by foxtongue at 9:46 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by foxtongue at 9:46 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I work from home for a collection of diverse clients. One thing I've started doing, and that I find is training my clients as much as myself, is not sending anything to anyone by email after 5 p.m. or on weekends.
Even if I work into the evening or on weekends, which I often do, I put things on a gmail timer to go out at 9 a.m. the next work day morning.
posted by zadcat at 9:54 AM on February 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
Even if I work into the evening or on weekends, which I often do, I put things on a gmail timer to go out at 9 a.m. the next work day morning.
posted by zadcat at 9:54 AM on February 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
Seconding a bunch above - If you would like showering when you start your day but are always too tired in the morning, you could work on going to bed earlier as a treat. My household sure has to work at this and we hardly ever both get it right at once and it needs to be regarded as self-care, not self-punishment, but life is so much better when we’re on it.
Showering at night and straight into clean pjs and into bed works sometimes, and often one is still clean in the morning.
posted by clew at 10:10 AM on February 24, 2022
Showering at night and straight into clean pjs and into bed works sometimes, and often one is still clean in the morning.
posted by clew at 10:10 AM on February 24, 2022
Personally, as a person who works weekends and evenings and doesn't work on Mondays: please just send the email. It's an asynchronous medium, I'm not going to read it when I'm not at work, call me at home if if it's so important you need a response right now. It's also not my job to manage the schedules of my colleagues. The important thing is: don't give your boss a moment of your time for which you are not being paid, so just don't check email when you're off the clock.
What worked for me when I was WFH: get out of bed, get dressed, pour your coffee, all as if you were going to work, then take a walk or a bike ride that is equivalent to your commute except it's just a big circle that leads you to your home (or go to the coffee shop and back.) At the end of your day, do the same thing. It creates mental separation between work mode and home mode. It also makes me put on shoes, which for some reason is the thing that transitions me into and out of work mode the soonest. If you're walking or biking, you also get a little more exercise in your day.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:23 AM on February 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
What worked for me when I was WFH: get out of bed, get dressed, pour your coffee, all as if you were going to work, then take a walk or a bike ride that is equivalent to your commute except it's just a big circle that leads you to your home (or go to the coffee shop and back.) At the end of your day, do the same thing. It creates mental separation between work mode and home mode. It also makes me put on shoes, which for some reason is the thing that transitions me into and out of work mode the soonest. If you're walking or biking, you also get a little more exercise in your day.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:23 AM on February 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
At a previous job I worked from home for 9 years, and at my current job I've been work from home for the past two years, but in the Before Times usually worked from home about one week out of every month. My advice/suggestions/ideas:
- Working from home means you never leave the office. So find a way to enforce those boundaries. In my case, I put my work laptop to sleep at the end of the work day, and put it away in my backpack where I can't see it. I don't get it out again until it's time to work the next day.
- Set your alarm and get up at the same time, every workday. Take a shower, eat breakfast, and put on whatever works for you. Staying in bed until the last second and being grubby all day just feels gross to me. Showering means I start the day clean and awake.
- If it's possible, have a dedicated work space. I have a spare bedroom with a better work setup than I've ever had at any office. I decided a while back that money spent on upgrading and improving my home office was money well spent, and I've never regretted a single penny of it.
- Have a routine to start your day. Every morning after I get logged in to my work laptop and get everything up and available, I go and make tea. I'm a loose-leaf tea drinker, and have an entire infrastructure at home dedicated to making tea. Measuring out my tea, boiling the water in my kettle, steeping my tea in my steeper for the correct time...all of that is a way to signify that my work day has started.
- Have a routine to end your day. I spend the last 20 minutes or so of every work day going through my to do lists and making sure I have reminders for things I need to do the next day, checking to make sure I don't have anything left over from the current day, and just generally doing a review. Then when it's log out time I put my computer to sleep. What's funny is that my dog knows the sound of those keystrokes (Windows +X, U,S) so she immediately appears next to my chair in anticipation of me getting up. That's my "the day is over!" celebration.
posted by ralan at 10:53 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
- Working from home means you never leave the office. So find a way to enforce those boundaries. In my case, I put my work laptop to sleep at the end of the work day, and put it away in my backpack where I can't see it. I don't get it out again until it's time to work the next day.
- Set your alarm and get up at the same time, every workday. Take a shower, eat breakfast, and put on whatever works for you. Staying in bed until the last second and being grubby all day just feels gross to me. Showering means I start the day clean and awake.
- If it's possible, have a dedicated work space. I have a spare bedroom with a better work setup than I've ever had at any office. I decided a while back that money spent on upgrading and improving my home office was money well spent, and I've never regretted a single penny of it.
- Have a routine to start your day. Every morning after I get logged in to my work laptop and get everything up and available, I go and make tea. I'm a loose-leaf tea drinker, and have an entire infrastructure at home dedicated to making tea. Measuring out my tea, boiling the water in my kettle, steeping my tea in my steeper for the correct time...all of that is a way to signify that my work day has started.
- Have a routine to end your day. I spend the last 20 minutes or so of every work day going through my to do lists and making sure I have reminders for things I need to do the next day, checking to make sure I don't have anything left over from the current day, and just generally doing a review. Then when it's log out time I put my computer to sleep. What's funny is that my dog knows the sound of those keystrokes (Windows +X, U,S) so she immediately appears next to my chair in anticipation of me getting up. That's my "the day is over!" celebration.
posted by ralan at 10:53 AM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Give yourself a schedule and stick to it. Just tell yourself this is your WORK schedule, and you're lucky to be doing this because you don't have to commute and you can schedule it however you like. But as the trade-off, you *have* to discipline yourself to stick to it.
posted by kschang at 11:25 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kschang at 11:25 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are lots of good ideas above, but just to speak to the showering thing: I like to shower once a day and when I went in to work every day I’d shower in the morning. When working from home, I switched to getting up and changing my clothes (still comfy, at least the bottoms that couldn’t be seen on Zoom) and then showering in the evening. I still felt clean because I had a routine, just at a different time.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:38 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:38 AM on February 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Fully remote since 2012, and while I'm not going to lie, it's not always been the absolute easiest, it is on balance 1000x better for my mental health.
I am definitely not as strict with myself as you would like to be with yourself, but I do find that everything, even laxness, becomes a routine after awhile. The only advice I can give is:
-definitely make your home work station as pleasant as possible.
-decide what "sufficiently presentable" means for you, from the waist up, at least, and spend a few minutes in the morning getting there. Better than scrambling when you see a meeting pop up.
-dedicate a few things to home-time only. My chief rules: TV stays off until 7 pm, and the couch is not a workspace unless I'm sick.
-start your workday the same way every morning (as much as possible). Map out your day; determine your to-dos, and set reminders in Outlook or whatever to get you started on things when you need to start them; answer your emails; figure out your meetings and whether you need to prepare for them.
and do some laundry and keep up with dishes and actually plan dinner without scrambling in the evening.
Personally, while I know most people tout this as a perk of WFH, I actually find it's bad for my productivity. Not to say that I just sit rigidly at my desk for 8 straight hours, but in general I try to keep a boundary between Home Time and Work Time. (Partly this is because I've always been afraid that one day I'd need to go back to office life, and I didn't want my whole fuckin' life to fall apart because I've gotten dependent on my weekdays to do a shitload of house stuff.)
YMMV on this of course, but I try to keep my work day as much of a work day as possible, and that means my breaks look like work day breaks: lunch, coffee, walk, maybe an occasional phone call or errand.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:11 PM on February 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
I am definitely not as strict with myself as you would like to be with yourself, but I do find that everything, even laxness, becomes a routine after awhile. The only advice I can give is:
-definitely make your home work station as pleasant as possible.
-decide what "sufficiently presentable" means for you, from the waist up, at least, and spend a few minutes in the morning getting there. Better than scrambling when you see a meeting pop up.
-dedicate a few things to home-time only. My chief rules: TV stays off until 7 pm, and the couch is not a workspace unless I'm sick.
-start your workday the same way every morning (as much as possible). Map out your day; determine your to-dos, and set reminders in Outlook or whatever to get you started on things when you need to start them; answer your emails; figure out your meetings and whether you need to prepare for them.
and do some laundry and keep up with dishes and actually plan dinner without scrambling in the evening.
Personally, while I know most people tout this as a perk of WFH, I actually find it's bad for my productivity. Not to say that I just sit rigidly at my desk for 8 straight hours, but in general I try to keep a boundary between Home Time and Work Time. (Partly this is because I've always been afraid that one day I'd need to go back to office life, and I didn't want my whole fuckin' life to fall apart because I've gotten dependent on my weekdays to do a shitload of house stuff.)
YMMV on this of course, but I try to keep my work day as much of a work day as possible, and that means my breaks look like work day breaks: lunch, coffee, walk, maybe an occasional phone call or errand.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:11 PM on February 24, 2022 [5 favorites]
I have a standard set of recommendations for using Zoom.
1. Buy a stand and position your computer or camera so that you are looking at it at eye level, as you would with a person you are talking to in real life. A laptop on a table or on a lap, with the user looking down at it, is the worst position to use.
2. Have a light source, preferably a window, behind the computer so that natural light is coming in your direction. If you have to, use a white light source on a small tripod, positioned behind the computer/camera. Do not have any light source, including a window, behind you. In particular, turn off all overhead fluorescent lights.
3. Blurring your background absolves many sins.
posted by yclipse at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
1. Buy a stand and position your computer or camera so that you are looking at it at eye level, as you would with a person you are talking to in real life. A laptop on a table or on a lap, with the user looking down at it, is the worst position to use.
2. Have a light source, preferably a window, behind the computer so that natural light is coming in your direction. If you have to, use a white light source on a small tripod, positioned behind the computer/camera. Do not have any light source, including a window, behind you. In particular, turn off all overhead fluorescent lights.
3. Blurring your background absolves many sins.
posted by yclipse at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
You answered your own question.
Ablute, groom, dress as you would normally if you had to leave the house, commute, enter office. Regardless of whether you'll be on video at any time during the working hours.
I'd almost suggest creating a dedicated "working" area - but I know few people have the space/ extra computer - not your recreational computer area, not your eating area.
If the dog is being needy, it needs to be in another room. Never, ever, apologize for your pet if it's causing distractions in a video/ audio call. If they act up, they go into another room. If they're still loud enough to be a distraction even in another room, you need to find an alternate arrangement. They need to be trained to understand that there are times that you are not available for them.
Avoid using your personal computer if possible. Have a dedicated work computer that you only use for work - even if it isn't monitored, treat it as if it were. If you must use your personal computer, perhaps set up a different browser profile for work (versus your personal profile).
If you're doing video calls, if your video method allows blurred backgrounds, that's great. I'd avoid using any stock backgrounds that come with it because that's lame. I have a CFO who took a picture of his office from his laptop/ workstation position and uses that as his background (lolol!). People can tell when he's actually on site, but no-one cares.
posted by porpoise at 8:31 PM on February 24, 2022
Ablute, groom, dress as you would normally if you had to leave the house, commute, enter office. Regardless of whether you'll be on video at any time during the working hours.
I'd almost suggest creating a dedicated "working" area - but I know few people have the space/ extra computer - not your recreational computer area, not your eating area.
If the dog is being needy, it needs to be in another room. Never, ever, apologize for your pet if it's causing distractions in a video/ audio call. If they act up, they go into another room. If they're still loud enough to be a distraction even in another room, you need to find an alternate arrangement. They need to be trained to understand that there are times that you are not available for them.
Avoid using your personal computer if possible. Have a dedicated work computer that you only use for work - even if it isn't monitored, treat it as if it were. If you must use your personal computer, perhaps set up a different browser profile for work (versus your personal profile).
If you're doing video calls, if your video method allows blurred backgrounds, that's great. I'd avoid using any stock backgrounds that come with it because that's lame. I have a CFO who took a picture of his office from his laptop/ workstation position and uses that as his background (lolol!). People can tell when he's actually on site, but no-one cares.
posted by porpoise at 8:31 PM on February 24, 2022
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I don’t try to shower before work in the morning. I know that’s a losing game against sleep. However, I pretty consistently shower sometime between 11 and 1pm during that “downtime” that you reference. I also take a lunch walk which is essential to my mental health and getting me from the computer for a bit. I wear the same clothes for about 3 days straight (other than underwear) but I also change into “work sweatpants” every morning and pretty much never wear my actual pajamas
If you feel like you might be making a work friend, see if you can go into the office the same day as them each week.
Be realistic about your best working conditions. I bought myself a fancy sit/stand desk that I love but when it comes to reviewing long reports, I’m going to get comfy in an armchair. It’s not realistic for me to expect myself to sit in a less comfy spot when I’m at home. When we moved into our house I realized that our dining room actually had much nicer morning light than the guest room/office we set up. While I don’t have the best set up in the dining room, it’s worth moving there for the light (in the winter) for a bit in the mornings.
Basically, figure out what works for you and then work with that. Don’t stick to a rigorous wake up, shower and sit in the same spot all day if that’s not realistic for you. That being said, make sure you limit your work spaces to work spaces and don’t let it take over everything in your home.
posted by raccoon409 at 7:18 AM on February 24, 2022 [5 favorites]