How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Working from Home

I’ve been working from home for three years, and there’s very little I miss about being in a physical office building. My commute time is as long as it takes me to get from one room to the next, my schedule is more flexible, and I’m more productive. While working from home is not for everyone (or is not possible for every job) it is becoming more common and the work-from-home directives during the Covid-19 outbreak may very well have lasting impact on the way we work.

For those of you who are new to the work-from-home lifestyle, I’d like to offer some advice based on my experience. For those of you who already work from home, maybe I have some pointers which will help you as well.

1. Maintain a Schedule

I get up every day Monday through Thursday at 5 a.m. to go swim at 6 a.m. for a U.S. Masters Swimming team. Since I live in Oakland, California, most of the pools are outdoors and heated. While it doesn’t get very cold in the winter, standing on a pool deck in nothing but jammers will certainly wake you up. For some, a schedule like this makes perfect sense because the early morning is the only time you have in the day to work out. For others, getting up at 5 a.m. for any reason makes no sense at all.

What does this have to do with working from home? Maintaining a schedule. I put this as the first point of advice because I believe it is the most important. Having a flexible schedule while working at home can potentially lead to bad habits and can impact your personal productivity. The answer is not to get up early in the morning to get a head start on the day, but to find the schedule that works for you and stick to it.

For me, getting my daily activity out of the way in the morning gets me started and ready for the work day. In addition, since I’m on the West Coast, it gets me up and ready for my clients and colleagues farther east. Scheduling as many meetings as possible in the morning is best for me because of time zone availability and the fact I feel mentally sharper in the morning. Part of maintaining a schedule is recognizing what you do best at what times of the day. I save the creative aspects, like writing an article or brainstorming in meetings, for the mornings. My afternoons are better for heads-down activities like project and product planning.

I also block out times on my calendar for the work I plan to do during the day and do my best to adhere to those blocks of time by switching whatever I’m working on to the new task when the time comes. That said, there needs to be some flexibility. Sometimes, you get into a work groove so productive, everything else needs to fall away. Likewise, I have at least one client who has a fixed time for meetings very early in the morning for me. I either change what time I swim during the day but make sure I can get to the meeting on time. Despite my next advice, I admit I’ve been to more than one virtual meeting in my parka and wet swimsuit. Those are the meetings I switch off my camera.

2. Act Like You’re Going to Work

Remember you are working from home. If you’re not used to it, working from home can feel like a vacation or a light week at work. Don’t fall into that mindset. Get up in the morning, do your workout or take your shower, get dressed, and get ready as if you would be picking up your bag and heading off to the office. Self-motivation can be a challenge. Find what moves you to get ready for the “office”. Swimming is important to me for my health, for the team unity, and as a benchmark for the rest of my day. It's what moves me.

I’m a t-shirt and jeans guy. I don’t put on a dress shirt and tie while working from home, but, aside from the occasional meeting in a swimsuit, I get dressed and ready enough that I could switch on my conference call video or answer the front door. Don’t think you’ll work in your pajamas. It sounds like a good idea, but being too comfortable can also lead to finding yourself acting like you’re not working.

The same goes for your environment. Maybe you didn’t run to the grocery store the night before and you need milk. Maybe you just noticed the floor needs vacuuming. Maybe the dirty dishes are stacked up. Ignore it. If you wouldn’t leave your office desk to do it, don’t do it just because you’re home. It’s a strong temptation to find other projects when you’re at home. I treat home as the office during work hours.

Part of acting like you’re going to work is avoiding distractions. This one is difficult. Usually, I’m the only one at home and the only distraction is my little dog looking at me wondering when I’ll get off the call and take him for a walk. This week, my thirteen year-old daughter is off school and my wife is also working from home. My daughter is old enough to keep herself occupied, so I sympathize with those of you who have younger and/or multiple children. In that case, it might be a case of “see number one” and find the schedule accommodating and mitigating those distractions.

3. Designate Your Work Area

Each person may find unique challenges to the points on my list. Designating your work area is my unique challenge. Houses in the Bay Area are small and expensive. My “office” is a standing desk in the living room beside the couch because we don’t have an extra room. The space isn’t elegant, but it is set up with everything I need to do my job.

In your situation, you may have an entire room available for an office. You may not even have a desk and may need to work from a kitchen table or with a laptop while sitting on your couch. Whatever your space dictates, make sure it is the place you work. You sleep in your bed; don’t work there. That’s not just feng shui, that’s part of acting like you’re working. If you designate a work area, you are working while you are in it.

4. Tools and Access

Part of designating your work area are the tools and access you need to do your job. As I mentioned, I bought an adjustable standing desk when I took a job working from home full time. I also invested in a cushioned mat to stand on and I have a large, inflatable workout ball I use for a chair when I get tired of standing. A large purple ball might not be everyone’s idea of a chair, so invest in an appropriate place to sit.

On my desk, I have a laptop connected to a second monitor set on a raised stand with cubbies for other electronics and items I need to work. I have a set of speakers which can be used for listening to webinars or to play background music when I’m heads-down. In addition, I have a portable bluetooth speaker I place on the other side of the room to get the feeling of working in a larger space with music, much like working at a coffee shop. The best part is, I get to choose the music. I have a lamp with a full spectrum bulb to illuminate my keyboard with additional light. And, although I work in the corner of my living room, I have two windows providing natural light and a view of the street.

I doubt very many people are using a desktop phone, but if you are or you are using a smartphone or laptop for calls, invest in a headset. Since I don’t walk around the house while on a call, I purchased a less expensive headset with a USB cable to use with my computer rather than a bluetooth headset. I also use in-ear headphones when I do need to make calls from the cell phone.

Finally in regards to equipment, I purchased a separate camera to mount on my monitor rather than use the in-built laptop camera. I did this because it offered more placement flexibility and options for video-conferencing. In my setup, I didn’t want to force people to look up my nose while on a call.

The second half of this is access. You need your normal applications for your work such as email, shared document repositories, and any other systems particular to your company or role. Make sure you have the right access. Your company may require you to use the company VPN to get through the firewall, so be sure you know how to do this and that everything works before you’re stuck at home unable to get to what you need. If the company does not require one, you may consider getting a personal VPN if you work with sensitive content. There’s a lot of information out there about which are the best options and how to set one up. Here’s a good article about personal VPNs.

Working from home may also require you to get more creative about what tools you use to be productive. There are some staples like productivity tools (Microsoft Office, Mac-based office applications, and Google Suite), a conference call tool (WebEx, GoToMeeting, Zoom, Skype, and others), a content management system (SharePoint Online, Box, Google Suite, etc.), an email client, and other tools particular to your role. Again, make sure they are set up correctly and securely. In addition, there are knowledge management tools to enhance productivity when you can’t meet in person. There are really too many to name; some are priced for the enterprise, some for personal use, and some have price points for both. Some research online will help you find the tools right for your needs and budget. Look to knowledge management organizations and professionals for guidance.

5. Remember Ergonomics

Ergonomics is not only for the office. I stand at my desk, and I often forget to sit down all day. I’m not sure if this is good for me or not, but I do know that the cushioned mat I stand on allows me to stand for hours without fatigue or other ill effects. Likewise, I do have a chair/ball and my desk is fully adjustable for sitting and standing. My laptop is just higher than waist level, allowing my arms to fall naturally at my sides with elbows bent in the perfect position for typing. I use my trackpad only which has eliminated the pain I used to feel while using a mouse. The top of my separate monitor is about eye-level and just farther than arm’s length away. The monitor is my main area of work with other windows available on my laptop as needed.

I have plenty of natural and full-spectrum light. Even though I look at computer screens all day, the natural light helps me to avoid eyestrain. If you work in a room with no windows, I highly recommend full-spectrum bulbs on or near your desk.

As with productivity tools, there are many sources of information about ergonomic best practices. Here’s one from the Mayo Clinic.

6. Stay Active

Remember I suggested you stay focused and act like you’re working at an office? Well, also stay active. While I maintain productivity, I also go to the kitchen for coffee and sometimes take calls while walking around the house. Often I eat lunch at home, but sometimes I go out to eat or work from a coffee shop to break the monotony. Under the current circumstances, I’m doing everything from home but finding ways to stay active.

The goal, as with everything, is to strike a balance. You may find you’ve created such an excellent work-from-home space you forget to quit working. Don’t. Take a break and walk around, just like you might walk over to your colleague’s desk at the office.

I swim in the mornings. I break for coffee. And, now, I’m going to go take a walk in our local park because my little dog is staring at me sadly, wondering if I’m ever going to finish typing this article.