You may be considering working from home (or nearby rented office space) either because it is your choice, or you have been instructed to do so. Such is life for many hundreds of thousands of employees who would never have considered this prior to Covid 19. For most people, the idea of working remotely is exciting. After all, it does away with the daily commute, the cost of season tickets, fuel for the car, and most importantly for many, the time saved traveling. For family orientated people there is also the advantage of seeing their partners and children far more.
With so many advantages, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, the list is probably endless, but let us consider a few things that are regularly discovered by those who haven’t given serious thought to their new venture.
You must be self-disciplined.
There is no simple way of disguising this. If you are the type of person who needs constant supervision when working, then this may not be a venture that ends well. It is vital that you set a timetable and stick to it. It probably doesn’t matter if you start work at dawn and finish earlier in the afternoon if you have completed your work for the day. If that timetable suits you, then go for it.
But don’t suddenly think that the next day it will be acceptable if you start at midday and still finish earlier. This is a big mistake that many drift into. And also consider that if you are working for a company, someone may try to contact you late afternoon when you won’t be at your desk. You could argue that you started early and have done your bit. In theory, that’s true but the impression you send to those in your head office is one of you lazing around doing as little as possible. That may sound harsh, but it’s true. If you don’t believe me, consider the following. I live in a seaside town, and not surprisingly there are seagulls nesting on the roofs of our houses. I took a phone call from someone in my office who reported me for being on the beach during work hours. This was because he could hear the seagulls calling to each other as a background noise during our call. Unbelievable but true!
So if you fall into the category of needing supervision (and you all know who you are) then my advice is to set a timetable and stick to it rigidly.
When Home Life Affects You
It could be that you are fortunate enough to have a dedicated office or room to work from. In theory you can close the door and get on with your days work in private. But not everyone is this lucky. Many have to make do with sharing a sitting room or similar with the family. Or maybe you have created an office under the stairs, and people are constantly walking past you.
Tempers can become fraught when you are constantly being pestered by the children, or even an adult. They wouldn’t be able to do that if you were at your traditional place of work, so why should they do it now? Well, the answer is quite simple…it is you who has intruded into their routine, not the other way round. You have to accept that you are the “outsider” and rules need to be suggested and agreed. If you don’t do this, it will all end in tears.
Taking A Break
It’s only natural that you occasionally take a break during the day, whether it be for the call of nature or just a cup of tea or coffee. The potential problem comes when you become embroiled in family life during those breaks. Your ten minutes suddenly becomes thirty, when someone asks you “Can you just…?”
We’ve all been there and it really is difficult to say no. But you have to, if you are to keep your mind focused on what you are meant to be doing. Always take the stance that the family wouldn’t be able to ask you if you were not there. I don’t recommend putting that into those blunt words, but I’m sure you get my drift.
Lack Of Social Interaction
When you work in a traditional office environment, it is easy to socialise if you choose to do so. It may be a quick chat about the weather, last nights football match, your family or what work projects you currently have on the go. You know that the mixture of social and work related conversations can be important when working alongside your colleagues. But that is something that no longer exists when you work remotely.
For some this can be the best thing that happened to them. Not everyone wants to spend time chatting, and those who are totally work orientated will increase their production. If you think about it, how much time is wasted every day by people gossiping around the kettle while waiting for it boil? I don’t know the answer, and I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess!
But for those who prefer the closeness of others, this change in lifestyle can be very strange, or even upsetting. I’ll guarantee that no matter how much you like your cat or dog who’s perhaps crept into your office, they won’t respond to your thoughts on the latest sales figures, accounts problems or design ideas.
So be prepared to be alone, but balance this against the pitfalls of being in an office where socialising is acceptable but definitely a distraction.
Setting A Timetable
I have touched upon the potential problems of working when surrounded by family. But one important thing is to discipline (yes, that word again) yourself so that when you finish work for the day you really mean it. If you’re the sort of person who has always been available to others in the evenings, then don’t change it. It’s all too easy to suddenly remember something work related and pop into your home office to sort it. You may only mean to be away for a couple of minutes, but if you are not disciplined you can soon turn those minutes into an hour or more. You will not be popular!
So do what you have always done. Make a note of what comes into your mind, and deal with it the next day. Your timetable should be simple…work during working hours, and relax during leisure time. Don’t let the two things overlap or you will fail working remotely.
Office Furniture
And finally, one of the most common problems with working from home is the “make do” attitude when it comes down to your office space and comfort. Perhaps your budget doesn’t stretch to furnishing everything with brand new furniture from day one. That’s understandable, but make it one of your priorities to look after yourself as soon as possible. If you sit on a chair that is uncomfortable, or work from a desk that is falling apart, then don’t be surprised if you soon become disenchanted with working from home. Start slowly if you need to, but set yourself a target of working in the surroundings that you choose.
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Thanks for the great article!
Thanks Ben,
Your comments are much appreciated…Michael