Organizing your space for remote work

- Whether you work from a corner of your kitchen table, or you're lucky enough to have a dedicated workspace, you need somewhere to work that makes you happy and helps you focus. So start by reflecting on the situations that help you focus, the ones that make you feel great and really encourage you to do your best work. Think about any experiences you've had working in an office, as well as the time you've spent working from home. Are you someone who needs total quiet and solitude to focus, or do you do better when there's some background noise or other people around? That's what I'm like. Think about what keeps your energy and your spirits up throughout the day. It might be natural light or having something beautiful to look at, and some people do find it really distracting if there's clutter around, but other people can just tune it out. And make sure your workspace is supplied with whatever keeps you comfortable during the day. I always keep a knitting project at hand, because it helps me focus on long calls, and I have a drawer full of red lipsticks, 'cause I feel naked without them if I'm using my webcam. Think about whether you feel happiest when you nest in one place for the whole workday, or if you perk up when you get a change of scene. Maybe you want to spend part of your workday at a coffee shop or a co-working space, or even just commute from your desk to a sofa. Next, think about the different kinds of work you do and the specific ingredients you need for each one of them. It's pretty common to have some work that's all about connecting with other people like phone calls and video meetings, and then some work that's solitary and focus. That might be drafting documents, making slide decks, analyzing data. And then there could be some work that is solitary, but that doesn't take a whole lot of concentration. Stuff like filling out time sheets, completing expense reports. Each of those kinds of work typically takes its own gear and also might benefit from a different sort of space. So for example, if your work includes calls, you're going to need a workspace where you have some privacy and good lighting for your webcam. And you know, if you don't have a private space for calls, you can invest in noise canceling headphones that help you ignore whoever else is in the room. And also, you know, arrange your workspace so your back is to a wall so family members, roommates, pets, don't appear in the background. And wherever you're going to be using a computer, put a chair that truly supports your back and keeps your arms perpendicular to your keyboard. That way you won't strain your wrists. Make sure you have some control over your lighting. If you are in a room that gets too bright, use curtains or a screen to filter out some of that light. Or conversely, if your room gets a bit dark, try using a ring light to illuminate your face. If the only space you have for work also has to do double duty after hours, think about investing in a foldout workspace. That way you don't have to pack up your desk at the end of every day. You just fold it up, put it on a shelf. When you're not on calls, you have more freedom around where exactly you're working. So personally, I rotate among different spaces in my house, depending on my task. I do my calls and my meetings from this teeny tiny office we built into an open space in our home. It's honestly no bigger than a closet. In fact, the monitor has to be mounted on the wall 'cause there's no space for a real desk. And my husband works from what actually was a closet. We realized we needed an enclosed workspace for him more than we needed a walk-in closet full of clothes. When I write, I often work outside on our patio table or I go to a coffee shop. There's something about the change of scenery, or maybe it's the fresh air that get my creativity going. And when I'm doing mindless stuff like catching up on invoicing, I'll just sprawl on the living room sofa, maybe hang out with my teen. We might even watch a TV show together because it's easier for me to tackle those really boring tasks if I have some kind of background distraction. Here's an experiment for you. Take a look at your current to-do list. See if you can group your tasks by the level of attention they need or how much quiet they require. Then, pick three spots in your home or outside your home that you haven't worked in before. In the next week, try each of these spots for one of the tasks on your to-do list, a task that's suited to the particular level of quieter stimulation it provides. Then see how your work and your energy shift when you move around in the course of your day.