The Extrovert's Guide to Working From Home

To curb the spread of spread of coronavirus, companies across the globe are now asking their employees to work from home. This may sound exciting at first - who wouldn't like to replace their commute with a lie-in? - but it can get tiresome very quickly. Especially for extroverts.

Are you an extrovert?

Here is a description of an extrovert, according to Myers Briggs:

I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. I'm excited when I'm around people and I like to energize other people. I like moving into action and making things happen. I generally feel at home in the world. I often understand a problem better when I can talk out loud about it and hear what others have to say.

Generally, extroverts get their energy from interaction with other people, whilst introverts get their energy from reflection and time with themselves. No wonder extroverts find it especially difficult to be productive when working from home. With social distancing now becoming the norm, how can extroverts get their work done and thrive?

Story of an extreme extrovert working from home

I am an extrovert. My colleagues and friends would even call me an extreme extrovert. Five years ago, I left my corporate job at P&G to follow my passion for developing people. Most coaching and training work at the time was done on a freelance basis, and so I became self-employed. For a variety of reasons, I decided to have a home office. I celebrated my newfound flexibility and autonomy and not having to waste time commuting.

A few months in, I began to miss some elements of corporate life and wrote about them here. On reflection, all the things I missed were related to not having other people around me - which, as an extrovert, is where I get my energy from. Whilst my preference is still to be in a busy office, I adapted and learnt a few tricks that make working from home manageable for extroverts. I want to share them with you, fellow extroverts, who are now having to work from your house, possibly alone, possibly for quite a few weeks to come.

The Extrovert's Guide to Working From Home - Top Tips

1. Choose your mindset - if you are an extrovert who has never worked from home, it's natural to reject the idea and to expect it to be lonely and boring. Mindset is everything - it generates your thoughts, which produce emotions, which lead to your behaviour, which in turn further reinforces your mindset. For example, a mindset of openness about working from home can generate thoughts of opportunity ("I have a lot to gain from this"), which produce feelings of empowerment ("I can design my day the way I like"), which lead to a behaviour of creativity ("Here are some new ways we can tackle these challenges"). What mindset would serve you in working from home right now?
2. Maintain your routine - one of the hardest things about working from home is the loss of daily structure. This is something we all complain about in the office and only truly appreciate it when it's missing. Wake up, shower and get dressed in work clothes (even if you don't have video calls and no one will see you are wearing pyjamas - you are doing this for yourself). Have your lunch at your usual hour and get your team to do the same. Keeping your office routine will help you stay in the flow, to be more productive and to feel like time is flying.
3. Speak with your colleagues - even if you are working on something that doesn't require input from others, call a team mate to bounce a few ideas off of, or even just to share what you're doing. Extroverts get clarity and motivation by speaking things through with others.
4. Talk about non-work stuff - online meetings don't provide as much opportunity for informal side conversations. We tend to get straight to the point, especially if there is a high number of participants. Whilst this makes meetings more efficient, over time it can create a sense of disconnect and make it difficult to build or sustain relationships. Make a point to add a bit of non-work chat to the start of your online meetings, or if that is not possible - call a work friend for a few minutes just to say hello.
5. Play some background noise - extroverts get energy from the outside work, which includes the buzz of the space. Create a working atmosphere in your home office by playing these office or coffee shop background sounds.
6. Co-work with a few colleagues on video conference - even if you're not working on the same project, it helps to feel like you're in a working space. Join a video conferencing call (for example, zoom) with your team and keep it as background throughout the day. This allows for spontaneous connection and some background noise. Go on mute if you need to make a long or confidential call.
7. Learn to be with yourself - as extroverts, we naturally want to fill all our time up with other people. Whilst it is important to honour this need, it is equally important to learn to spend with ourselves. This is different from being by ourselves, or being alone. Being with ourselves means is about valuing our own presence and enjoying our own company. It's all about mindset - which loops us back to top tip 1.
8. Use this time to develop yourself while you work from home. It is a great opportunity to dig in deep and introspect, work on tools that allow you to create more self awareness, and upgrade yourself. This can help build your growth, resilience and positive mindset. (tip from Rajeev Daswani)
9. Recharge and recalibrate - being an extrovert can be exhausting. Take this opportunity to connect with your introvert side, no matter how small it is. This will help you to feel more balanced in your work and life. (tip from Maxwell Wayman)
10. Ask your team what support they need to keep them productive. Be aware that they may be introverted and therefore feel much more comfortable at working from home than you do. Here is some practical advice from Harvard Business Review on establishing rules of engagement. (tip from Pradeep Nambiar)

These are my top tips on how extroverts can work from home without feeling lonely or going mad. It is by no means an exhaustive list and I invite you, fellow extroverts, to share your advice as well.

Leave a COMMENT below and I will add your tips to the above list, crediting your name. Let's co-create The Extrovert's Guide to Working From Home... because 'social distancing' doesn't have to mean social disconnect.