Lessons learned from working at home
Given that there will be an increase in people that will now be working from home as part of companies response to COVID-19, I thought now would be a good time to share some of my experiences of remote working through the years; including what has worked for me, and just as importantly - what didn’t.
LinkedIn Learning have also shared a bunch of detailed content on relevant topics that looks to be a really good resource for those working from home for the first time.
I first started working from home when I joined Metamako back in 2014, there was no US office at the time and the majority of the team were in Sydney, Australia so it was a lesson in remote working from day 1. Aside from always previously having a laptop or cellphone nearby, it was then that I realized that working from home on a more consistent basis was a completely different experience than being able to log on evenings and weekends to catch up on email.
When starting Many Mind Consulting in 2019 I knew a significant amount of time would be spent helping clients remotely in addition to visiting their offices and attending client meetings. I needed a setup where I could be productive at home, but also on the road. Over the years the technology to work from remote locations has significantly improved, and at that point I spent some time doing research into technology and tools available to aid with remote working in a goal to build a setup that allowed me to be as productive as possible. I’ve suggested a few products in here that have made my life easier, these are not endorsements or the only products of their kind - I’m sure there are other alternatives that work just as well but after some trial and error this is what worked for me and ultimately increased my productivity.
1. Find your space, and make it comfortable
Having a good, consistent space to work from is key. I’ve tried working from the sofa, and also a large padded desk chair, only to find myself spending time at the chiropractor. As soon as I invested in an office chair which kept my back upright and something which had my monitor/laptop at eye level things improved greatly. At first I achieved this with raising a monitor up with a ream of paper. The Kensington® SmartFit® Easy Riser™ Laptop Cooling Stand was a great find for anyone working from a laptop with a separate keyboard/mouse to raise the screen to a comfortable eye level.
Given many of the ad-hoc home offices popping up with folks COVID-19 working from home, the location of choice may end off being a kitchen table or a desk in the corner of a room, but choosing a consistent and comfortable spot is key.
2. Set yourself work hours.
This one seems simple, but it’s very easy to fall into the trap of rolling out of bed, grabbing a cup of tea and sitting down to work. I’ve found myself to be much more productive when I get up shower, get dressed then sit down to work for the day. Knowing when to stop is also just as important. It’s still possible to be just as responsive via smartphone, email etc. as you were before working from home, but try not to fall into the trap of working 16 hour days (because there’s nothing else to do!) then being burned out by the end of the week - nobody wins from this.
A few years back I realized the importance of lunch breaks also. Many times (whether at home or in an office) I’d grab some quick takeout, sit at my desk and power through things. The net effect of this was that by mid-afternoon I’d be brain dead, and simply not feel like working any more. Since working with the folks at Enyx more recently, I’ve realized that the French culture when at the office is to have lunch away from your desk, and with the rest of the team. I wasn’t aware of the positive effect this has on productivity and team morale. While remote working 100% of the time over the next while, I plan to challenge myself to call a friend or colleague during my lunch break - just to catch up on a personal level.
3. Give yourself some time to decompress.
Normally I’d suggest grabbing a beer at the local bar after work - but given the social distancing restrictions in place, this may be as simple as doing something non-work related at the end of the day (read a newspaper, walk the dog, listen to some music, exercise). Your commute was likely serving a purpose that you probably didn’t realize. It was allowing you time to draw a line between your work life and home life. Trust me, your family will thank you for this - I learned this one the hard way.
4. Have a good audio/video conference setup.
Every conference call goes like the Tripp and Tyler sketch - it’s just the way of life. Technology has problems. Try not to be the person who sounds like a robot from the future, or echoes back what the last person said every time you go off mute. Join conferences a few minutes early to make sure your video and audio works as expected; there’s nothing worse than scrambling around behind your desk for cables while the call starts. Finally know what technology you’ll be using for each type of call. Do you need a different headset for connecting to a web meeting from your laptop than you do if a client calls on your cell phone? Be prepared.
The ideal setup (after years of trying many headsets and cameras) for me was the Jabra 710 Speak which I can take with me when I travel. It connects to both my computer and my cell phone, and has an on-device mute button which is really handy. I also own a set of Apple AirPods for when on the move, but typically revert back to the Jabra 710 when working from home or in a conference room.
The Logitech C922 webcam was a great find for me, and gives HD quality video at a reasonable cost.
If it is physically possible, run a network cable from your home internet router to wherever you are working. Wireless technology has certainly improved in the last few years, but in my opinion nothing works as well as a wired connection, especially when it comes to live video and audio.
As we all know - moments like this will likely happen. Expect that almost everyone is in the same situation right now; If it happens; introduce your kids or let the dog awkwardly stare at the camera from behind you - it will be a fun moment, we could do with some of that right now.
5. You are in “charge”.
This one has caught me out more often than I’d like to admit and, of course, I couldn’t resist a pun. A lot of peripherals are battery powered these days. Check your battery levels every morning, there’s nothing worse than your mouse dying midway through building a presentation (or worse giving one). Have a backup plan like a wired keyboard/mouse, or a laptop for when you forget a key client presentation is not the time to be digging through that box of old computer parts.
Hopefully these are useful tips that can help over the next while more folks are working from home. My general thought is that this reactive response from many firms to allow for remote working will ultimately allow for the adoption of wider work from home policies. I plan to use some of this time to post more often on behalf of Many Mind Consulting, so if you found this useful - please follow the page on Linked In; or feel free to comment below on what worked well (or didn’t) for you when remote working.
Stay safe.
Cheers,
Ciaran