4 Tips for Transitioning into Working from Home

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Amy Kulisheck
March 20, 2020

As we are trying to figure out how to quickly transition to working at home…at the same time our partners are doing the same thing…. while simultaneously keeping our kids active and learning… how do get anything done?!?

While some of the tips offered by people who have worked remotely for years are pertinent, never before have so many people tried the transition at the same time as right now – working the bumps and crimps out simultaneously. Additionally, most parents working from home don’t ALSO have their kids and spouses at home for the full work day!  The result?

Much of the work-at-home guidance that is out there DOES NOT APPLY!

First, there are no magical tricks that will make it easy to be masterfully productive with a gaggle of other people at home with you making noise, needlessly interrupting you, or legitimately needing you. However, if after one week of feeling compelled to work MORE into the evening or weekend than you normally would even though you no longer have a commute… I have 4 tips that may help you get in the right mindset to design your new (hopefully temporary) work space, schedule, and relationships.

1)       Don’t assume your evening and weekend work habits will transfer to your workday
The work you take home in the evenings and for the weekend is typically designed to be independent work because you got most of your meetings and collaborative work done at the office.  Additionally, you might be in the habit of eating, watching Netflix, or otherwise multi-tasking while work at home. Those distractions probably won’t serve you well in this context.

TIP: Try to re-create the sense of “being at work” while you are home such as getting up at the same time, wear the same type of clothing you would to the office, take similar breaks and schedule your “end of work day” to preserve a boundary between work and home life.

2)    Don’t assume your office routine will transfer to home
Hopefully, your workspace at the office is physically set up with the type of work you need to do in mind. Your home is not. You may not have 3 screens to see all your work on simultaneously. You won’t have the same privacy to take calls.

TIP: Focus on recreating or adjusting for the 2-3 most critical elements of your office routine and physical set up. What can you hope to re-create? What will be more challenging? Get creative with your solutions and recognize they won’t be perfect. Maybe you don’t have the physical space to have your own office, but you and your partner(s) could create a schedule for a make-shift conference room to share. If there are kids at home needing supervision, create a shared schedule for taking turns to be “on duty”. Some of your work may take longer or require either more structure or more flexibility, so don’t forget to discuss the impact(s) of these modified working plans with your managers and teams.

3)    Start thinking of your family your new “department”
The same way you need to communicate your needs and work styles with the people in your cube farm or on your project team, the people you live with need to be able to work in concert with one another even if you aren’t working on the same project.

TIP: Over communicate your needs and recognize they have their own. Consider a nightly or morning team meeting where everyone reviews what needs to get done that day and highlights any special needs.

4)    Give yourself a break: literally and figuratively

TIP:
Literally, don’t forget to work into your schedule the opportunity to get up and move around; find ways to unplug and relax even for a few moments every hour or so. All the news we are bombarded with through the television, radio, new pushes and social media feeds is taxing.

Figuratively, don’t expect to be perfect on day 1 or day 5 of this new way of doing business. Make your goal each day to be a bit better at it than you were the day before.

Amy Kulisheck is an executive coach, success strategist, and owner of Stand Tall Coaching, LLC. She helps clients achieve their unique visions of success through better, more confident decision-making!