5 Accelerators for Effective Remote Work | The New Testament to Working from Home

(updated 06/10/2020)

If you are reading this, you are perhaps in either of two camps: 1) The current global health environment has escalated in risk (I will attempt to write this ENTIRE article without mentioning ******-19) such that guidance by your organization has been provided to encourage or mandate a work from home or remote arrangement, or 2) You have finally gotten the opportunity, or the clarity of mind, to adopt a more efficient way of working. I suppose there also exists a 3rd camp, bathed in frustration and confusion, still too absolutely ROCKED to gather themselves and figure out how they will approach their very own future of work in the next several weeks or months - we can pencil in this foggier camp as "work from home (WFH), WTF???" (this could be you below, I speak from personal experience...)

*Quick edit for parents: As I was just finishing this write up, we started to see notifications of school closures due to social distancing guidance - for the next few weeks I suppose we parents will ALL fall into this 3rd camp, and our kids will be home with us...all day...while we are working from home... in the same house...god help us.

We'll flex into all of these areas and why they matter, within the depth of this write up.

We will use "working from home" and "working remotely" loosely, as different people will choose to oscillate across their virtual capabilities based on many variables from workstation to a peaceful environment (I emphasize peaceful here, because at 5pm on the dot each week day, I hear the garage door open and it might as well be the same as lighting a fuse to an intricate system of DYNAMITE sticks across the house...I do in fact, love my kids).

I have worked from home for the past 13 years as I write this - and it is not without challenges, but I cannot emphasize anymore that

remote work is the BEST way to work in a digitally accelerated economy

and this entire piece is devoted to providing you with everything needed to successfully on-board into this operational position of efficiency, performance, and above all...freedom.

Here we go! I invite you to the enter "The New Testament to Remote Work"...

1. Mindset - The laundry machine is the new water cooler

The first item that we must tackle is a reset in mindset. I discovered the importance of workplace environment, routine, and personal preference with a "place" to work vs your "home" to work while in a casual back and forth with my wife as she looks to find more efficiency/performance in her work/life arrangement (indeed, I would call it more of a healthy debate, she would classify it more as an instance of anxiety fueled stubbornness and lack of empathy, on my part, of course, to which I would ultimate have to agree...not as if I had a choice...perhaps, more on this in another article...perhaps a book?)

Trying to aggregate all of the things you believe work to be, and transfusing all these artifacts and emotions (positive and negative) into the safety and personal space of where you love, relax, and rest, is a dangerous cocktail in itself.

Containerizing your work responsibilities, duties, and required success outcomes, into very modular and clear segments that you can migrate across environments, home or work, will help you detach from the actual space and the routine that could be making your work harder than it actually is

To put plainly, figure out what the hell you actually need to do at work so you don't get fired, write them down, and make sure you take ONLY these items to your new work environment (whether on the dining room table, garage, or guest room in your house). You'll be surprised at what you actually do and how positive this experience can be,

This separation is key. It'll help you reverse engineer to understand what kind of environment you actually need in your new remote space - do you need a printer/scanner? Do you need a quiet environment, double screens, etc. Most importantly, it will help you understand how to start building out your schedule so you can commit to being successful everyday. This is just like tracking your spending before you build a budget. Understanding what makes you successful professionally will let you know how you should spend your time when remote, and this will be a great cleanse of your work flow for when you actually want or have to return back to work.

Now, comes the dishes, laundry, and home duties...or stretch projects

This mindset reset is CRITICAL, because now, you can build in ancillary activities that you would NEVER actually do at the office/place of work. Good or bad. That load of laundry enticing you to walk on over and do something with it? Got some dirty dishes in the sink? Oh, your spouse or partner is one episode ahead of you on GOT or The Bachelor? You can only fit these items in until your work duties are fully understood, migrated into your new remote space, and you've taken advantage of remote work efficiencies that open up opportunities to tackle these personal items. This is where the "stretch project" comes in for me, I build in as many opportunities in my schedule through these efficiencies to do actively creative projects that additionally help my impact at work including: my podcast, monthly LinkedIn LIVE content, blogging/vlogging, etc.

Personal rule #1: I never do home chores while working at home, unless on a quick break, or it's been built into my daily schedule, or I'm listening to a business/work related podcast to continue my professional energy flow across the day.

Working remotely is nothing like working in the office. Establishing a healthy mindset around what this is actually going to be for you, how to approach it successfully from a professional perspective, and building out some comfort in your daily work operation, will help you be more effective and happy outside your traditional place of work.

2. Efficiency - Not driving, is more fuel efficient than a Tesla Model 3

I'm not going to belabor this post by doing the math...but let's do some quick math. According to a study done by the US Census Bureau, the average American spends 26.1 minutes commuting 1 way, 5 days a week, that adds up to round trips totaling 4.35 hours per week. That is 9 days a year, of just commuting. Let's just approximate and say this is 32 miles per day, with the IRS's most updated business mileage expense at $.575 (which we can say includes fuel and wear and tear), this comes out to $18.24 per day, $91.20 per week, and $23,712 per year! WOW. No matter how you slice it, not driving to work is far more fuel efficient than driving a Tesla Model 3, and a lot better for the environment.

Unless something has greatly changed in the last several years, urban real estate prices have dropped allowing more middle class workers to live closer to work, or big business is moving out to the suburbs, commutes are only going to increase for more people (see graphic at the right).

Not just efficiency, but performance...

Everyone is different, but I would argue that reducing your commute to zero and chopping 4.35 hours week to week out of your schedule will greatly add to greater performance and focus. In the beginning, tracking time and objective data that captures your performance could be a key way to begin analyzing efficiency, and learning what things work better for you working in the remote space environment. It's far easier said than done, and some workplaces and leadership teams need to be convinced that presence is less important than performance, "location independence" is a considered a key benefit and should be treated as such, and is a key contributor to task automation, time management, and ultra efficiency as mentioned in Tim Feriss's book "The 4-Hour Work Week".

Now just imagine if you will, having 1-2 hours of absolute focused work, listening to your favorite dark soundtrack playlist on Spotify, and knocking out project after project and task after task, with room for ideation and creativity between emails and priority items, with

no fear of pre and post weekend banter and serendipitous exchanges about the rising cost of Disney Land tickets, the stock market, and unpleasant world wide epidemics - not that we don't miss talking about these things, but hell, we have sh*t to do.

Characters such as Steven Kotler, a New York Times best seller and award winning journalist, even talk about the glorious FLOW state, where at some threshold period of time around the 90 minute or greater mark of unchallenged focus, you find a state of being that is compared to some fashion of work related ecstasy (and if you are taking the time to read this lengthy write up, I'm 100% those last couple words made you giggle inside and out)

The reality is, you will be AT HOME, and the only thing getting between you and the most absolute high performing YOU, are either external environmental factors you cannot control, or your own lack of discipline - ie, kids, a messy home, and a barking dog, or your innate ability to not get off Instagram and group texts, or stay away from the laundry room and at-capacity dishwasher.

A final word about the Tesla. Above and beyond trips out to see customers/clients, or networking events from time to time, no one will see or will care to see what you are driving. Your 60-month term financed luxury SUV, will sit in a carport or garage unmoved and gas mileage (along with the attached green house gases) will become absolutely irrelevant. Adopting a work from home professional lifestyle change is not only good for your personal performance and the environment, but also good for your pocket book.

Personal rule #2: I try to do everything I can to maximize work time at home so that my scheduled time to work, is the ONLY time to work - no emails or calls unnecessarily bleeding into my mornings, evenings, or weekends. Maximization includes eating and snacking while working (no true "breaks" for me usually, I rather have more time with my family in the morning/evening) riding my bike to the gym in the morning as part of my cardio routine (full admission, I tend to take "non active" calls such as "all hands meetings" or learning sessions, while on my bike or at the gym).

3. Schedule - Don't call me, I'll call you

Efficiency can only truly be unlocked with a well managed schedule.

If it is not on your schedule, it doesn't exist!

This is not going to be a monotonous "how to manage your calendar" rant, BUT, this is the perfect opportunity to manage your schedule to the utmost aggressiveness. With the option to decline calls, emails, texts, messages, and any digital outreach, you cannot be forced through guilt, to walk into a last minute in person meeting or get pulled into something you didn't agree to by an impromptu discussion usually ignited between meetings in the hallway office (I know this sounds familiar, it sounds like...a typical Monday, right?)

The capture at the right is a sample "blocking" schedule, where you literally block out time to complete tasks. Need to finish up that PPT presentation, BLOCK TIME. Driving to a customer or to a doctor appointment? BLOCK TIME. Need some focus hours? BLOCK TIME. I try to color code as appropriate and when I have time, but it's more work and I tend to only do this ~60% of the time.

Be smart about when you personally operate at your highest energy level, and schedule projects based on your energy levels...

This is something I started doing years ago but never realized why until I began tracking my time and blocking my schedule. I personally tend to have the most creative and ambitious energy in the morning - so I'll block out items that I need to create or do VERY well, first thing in the morning. Here's a basic block schedule I tend to follow on a daily basis, based on my energy levels:

1. Personal Development & Hard Problem Solving | High Energy | 5 to 6:15am - I spend this time focused on content creation, writing, and tackling my hardest challenges.
2. Family Time & Exercise | Ultra High Energy | 6:15-9am - Playing with the kids, getting them out of the house and to daycare (my wife commutes and owns the daily drop off). Gym is included here, but I tend to think about my day during my workout and usually this is when my best ideas come to mind (I then scribble into my OneNote for future consumption)
3. Customer Calls and Interpersonal Time | Middle Energy | 9-2pm -This is my typically when my energy is flattened out, and I tend to best handle calls, meetings, developing relationships, and working collaboratively during this time.
4. Learning, Mundane Tasks, and Low Impact Activities | Low Energy | 2-5pm - This is my lowest energy block of my work day, and I tend to focus on doing things like expenses, mandatory online training, learning, sending email and scheduling events/calls/meetings - anything that requires low performance brain activity is usually here. (I need the rest for my high energy evening with my family)

Personal rule #3: I tend to treat every minute from the time my kids leave the house, to the time they arrive, as "working time", and do things throughout the day to encourage a work place mentality - I try not to do anything personal unless on my calendar, including personal calls and tasks, which can take over your workday if you are not super disciplined with this. I handle personal items if I must, toward the very end of the day or while I eating/snacking

These are just some sample ways to approach, and sure, you can do this in your office life as well - but working from home is a constant stream of activity and energy that you can CONTROL, versus flattening and pausing your day with commutes, parking the car, physically walking to attend meetings and frantically trying to find time to eat/warm up food.

4. Tooling and Tech - Just make sure AI is in here somewhere, AI = the answer to everything

All jokes, aside, AI actually will likely one day HAVE the answer to almost everything - but let's save that for another discussion.

There is a tremendous amount of tooling and technology out in the world to make working remotely a far easier capability than it was just 5 years ago. I am extremely lucky in that my employer Microsoft, just so happens to be the leading solution provider in productivity and modern workplace technology in the world - we as employees are lucky to be equipped with Microsoft Surface machines with hardware designed to run Office 365 with a full suite of products from Teams (unified collaboration platform), to Power BI (analytics and data visualization suite).

Personal rule #4: I tend to treat LinkedIn like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook combined - meaning, I am ALWAYS on it. I do this because it's entertaining, yet it keeps me closely connected to customers, thought leaders across the business landscape, and communications from my colleagues and organizations I care about - it's the easiest way to distract yourself while actually "working".

If you haven't checked out My Analytics as part of Office 365, it's an awesome AI-powered (told you I'd fit it in here) workplace insights tool that can help you analyze how you spend your time at work across the communication platform, as well as give you suggestions of ways to find more time to focus and stop working after hours.

*Disclaimer, I do not sell Office 365 or care whether or not you use it (although, you should), but this tooling set has enhanced my productivity capabilities to levels I never dreamed even possible, and my approaches to collaboration couldn't be anymore efficient and communicative - from mobile to physical home work station, to omni-device access (Macbook Pro and web browser)

If these topic really tickle your fancy, you will love an episode of my podcast, The Data Binge Podcast, where I interview Sawyer Kelly, a Work Place Analytics consultant at Microsoft (click on image link below):

To see more official data behind how Microsoft employees are handling remote work in the wake of the current health risk environment, please see the blog below:

5. Ergonomics and Health - Get your snack and STANDING game TIGHT

Finally, your physical work space at home or remote, whether in an awkward table position in the back of a Starbucks next to public restrooms (eww), or at your dining room table, IS a critical component for successful work. Below is a photo of my personal work place with some notations of items that I find helpful for maximizing performance.

1. Double monitor: Studies have shown that having a dual monitor has been said to increase productivity 20-30%, and I've noticed a significant increase in my ability to get work done faster and and far more pleasant with this current setup.
2. Natural light: Another study reported that workers with access to natural light, reported an "84 percent drop in symptoms of eyestrain, headaches and blurred vision symptoms, which can detract from productivity". It also seems to increase my disposition, and makes for great lighting when on video calls.
3. Hard wiring into Ethernet: "a wired Ethernet connection can theoretically offer up to 10 Gb/s, if you have a Cat6 cable, compared to the fastest wifi connections, including new standards like 802.11ac and 802.11n, which offer maximum speeds of 866.7 Mb/s and 150 Mb/s, respectively." - I also like to be able to see the status light of my modem from my work space, just in case I have connectivity issues during Team's calls, I can quickly diagnose.
4. Height adjustable standing desk: I personally really like the "sit-stand-sit" oscillation while working, and sometimes annoy myself by forgetting that I can alternatively "stand". Many studies show that there are increases of calorie burning, cognitive ability, and productivity while having a height adjustable standing desk while working. Some say productivity can increase by as much as 50%.
5. Clean work space: Yes, there are studies for this too! "In one study, participants with messy desks were perceived to be less conscientious, more neurotic, and less agreeable", moral of the story - keep your freaking desk clean :)

(Note: I've gotten a ton of questions and interest in this setup, if interested you can find individual products that I chose to use here and embedded in the graphic above - just suggestions, I tend to go with what is most high performance and simple, on a reasonable budget).

Snack Game...

I essentially snack ALL DAY while working at home, not only it is helpful for me to walk downstairs and grab something to eat between calls to clear my thoughts, but it helps me keep my energy up and attentive during heavy cognitive marathons in the world of big tech, data, and AI (which I tend to far over exceed maximum daily dose).

If you are like me, and your are a normally operating human being (not the fitness phenoms on Instagram who appear as if they can eat anything), you can't possibly function well, whether at work or at home, after a double serving of duck fat poutine (shudder). I make sure I have as many high fat, high protein, low-glycemic food prepared ahead of time for the week, my favorite (2) snacks that keep me going through vicious days:

• Boiled eggs (which if you are not making these in your instant pot, you're missing out) No matter the hunger or time crunch, I can always manage to juggle a couple of these into my belly when I need an energy burst. (I suppose eating 5 dozen eggs isn't very health, but at least you can imagine potentially looking like Gaston, including chin cleft, young lady)

• No-bake Energy Bites: These are super healthy, and a great way to get some high calories in on the rush - fast to make, and you can even share with your kids, although I typically exchange raisins in for chocolate and make some other creative additions.

The fact that I am able to share recipes on this business post, without saying anymore about our Instant Pot or, our Vitamix, should ultimately have built some credibility with you the reader, as I have shown a massive exhibition of self control...

Personal rule #5: Trying to eat as healthy as possible, while staying as mobile as possible, which includes walking around during calls, keeps my energy up and helps project better on video and voice calls throughout the day. Be an energy multiplier, and inject energy into collaborations, your colleagues and customers will be glad you did

That's it!

You made it to the finish line, and I hope that at the very least whether you are about to approach a new work from home/remote professional reality, or you have been working from home for years, you find value in these 5 steps.

Whether we like it or not, the future of work in our digitally accelerated economy is going to continue to allow more opportunities for freedom and productivity as work life and family live harmonize and merge into each other.

Good fortune and health to you and your family as we continue to progress through challenging global changes and economic times. Please reach out and comment with questions, hacks, personal stories, and feedback so we can build a thoughtful and valuable discussion.

BONUS Section (Updated 06/08/2020)

**DSLR as a WebCam, the "Virtual Call DOMINATOR"**

I absolutely could not wait to make an addition to this article, as I have been absolutely OBSESSED with getting my "webcam" setup to the point where I feel as if the quality is deserving of a specific call out.

An entire publication should be attributed to this topic, but essentially here's what you will need for a stunning DSLR driven Webcam setup:

1. DSLR or high quality camera without recording limit (so you can record to your hearts desire without fear of 29 minute cutoff or overheating unit)
2. AC Power Adapter with DC Coupler "Dummy battery" to give your camera constant power
3. A capture device, to convert the HDMI feed out from your camera, into a USB 3.0 format that can go into your device.
4. Tripod or wall mounted boom arm to hold the camera in place while you take virtual calls
5. Lighting: you are getting fancy at this point, and with that, you need some lighting to give your new picture some justice.
6. **Optional** Microphone: I use an ATR2100, a dynamic cardioid mic with both an XLR and USB option. You'll want to get the USB option to plug straight into your computer.

If you like what you are reading/seeing, I definitely recommend you taking a look at the following video to get some more ideas, Sean Cannell of Think Media, is one of my favorite content creators:

You can access the full list of items I use here, or via my WFH setup above.

Below, is an example of the finished product, taken from a LIVE broadcast using the above setup.

*Opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of my employer.