There is all kinds of advice swimming around as we embrace the new normal: working from home.
This may be well-meaning but, as with all things, choose what works for you. Try stuff out. Keep it if it works, if it doesn’t leave it behind.
Ask yourself what routines, working practices and habits have worked for you before. Stick with these if you can. But be open to trying something new.
After nearly 10 years of working from home, I can still have unproductive days when things don’t click into place but these are few and far between.
Here are 10 ways I manage myself and my workspace that may also be helpful to you.
1. Have a beginning and an end to your working day
By necessity - such as dealing with a major issue or a crisis - your day may be long. You will also be productive. But at other times you need to set yourself and your colleagues’ boundaries, otherwise the temptation is to always be ‘working’, tied to your computer and e-mail. When that happens productivity slumps and unhappiness rises.
2. To do lists
I love a to do list and alternate between a range of different ones depending on the clients and projects I am working on at the time. There are three basic types I use:
a. Kanban board – a simple structure to limit ‘work in progress’ and get things moving. Generally this is used for a specific project such as pulling together a new training course. Tasks are split between ‘To do’, ‘Doing’ and ‘Done’.
b. Task based – a to do list but I make sure that it is granular in its focus so instead of ‘article for Boris’ I’d have ‘agree themes for article’, ‘understand purpose for article and desired outcomes’, ‘draft key messages’ etc…
c. Time based – particularly useful when tight on time. Simply write down the hours in the day available to work (8am-10:30am, 1:30pm-2:45pm…) in list form and portion out the work you need to complete to these slots. Be honest with yourself as to what is achievable.
3. Triggers
I was told this week of someone who puts on a pair of pink fluffy slippers as a trigger to themselves that they are starting work (and signal to their family they are in work mode). I’m lucky to have a home office so when I walk in here, I am working. Think what your triggers could be.
4. Habits
Just like triggers, habits can be a brilliant productivity booster – they can also be a productivity crusher. Something as simple as always checking e-mail (or social media) when you turn on your computer can mean you soon lose control of your day. Instead put in place good habits – such as ‘when I open my laptop, I will write one sentence’ – as a way to get stuff done.
5. Periodisation
All top performers in all walks of life use breaks as a tool to refresh, refocus and review progress. I take the dog for walks or have a cup of tea in the garden.
Exercise should also be built into your day if possible. It is good for you but I often solve problems and have my best ideas while exercising.
6. Working environment
In the beginning I worked at my kitchen table in our London flat. It was ok but came with a lot of limiting factors to developing good working habits (a comfy sofa temptingly close by as well as a fridge and a biscuit jar…). Now my challenge is the tidiness (or otherwise) of my desk and office. I know that when my desk is tidy, I work a lot better.
Think through what working environment helps you and try and put it in place. This might be making sure you are comfortable, your outlook (I love to be able to see some nature even if it is just trees moving in the breeze), a clean kitchen not full of last night’s dirty dishes…
7. Dealing with the silence
Hours of silence (other than the dog snoring) can be agony. I use music as it eradicates the silence but helps my focus and can also reboot my system when a slump in morale or productivity hits. I have particular playlists that I like as they disappear into the background almost unnoticed, and others that I turn up and sing along to as an energy boost. I have even found songs or artists help with certain tasks (Johnny Cash is good for speechwriting).
8. Talk to someone
In the early days when I’d had an unproductive, sometimes lonely day, it had a big impact on my morale and one bad day could easily lead to another. And that’s coming from an introvert. If you are an extravert who thrives on constantly stoking your energy levels by talking to colleagues then build time in your day to do just that. Or call up a friend or relative. Even five to ten minutes of human interaction can go a long way.
9. Focus
Just like developing good/bad triggers and habits you will need to know what is required to help you focus. Turn off e-mail, your web browser, chat apps. Find a way to get focussed. Sometimes it will be a battle and you will feel the strain as you settle into your work. But by taking away distractions such as your phone or the TV it is easier to just get started and this battle is more easily won.
10. Give yourself time to wind down
A joy of working from home is that your commute is seconds long rather than an hour with strangers breathing all over you. But that commuting time can actually be very important psychologically as you wind down from a stressful day before meeting your significant other or family.
So, build in some kind of buffer at the end of your working day for at least five minutes to wind down. Perhaps listen to a podcast, read an article or a chapter of a book – anything that is not directly related to your work before you ‘arrive back home’.