Remote working - does it work?

I am lucky to be in a profession Chartered Accountants Ireland which enables me to partake in remote working

I am lucky to work in a firm Grant Thornton Ireland that permits remote working for periods of time

I am lucky to be able to avail of this opportunity.

Why do I feel fortunate and what is the impact to me; my work; my team; my family and friends?

I saw a window whereby I could avail of 10 days remote working, as my kids were away and my diary enabled me to do my work virtually.?

I took it – with a little bit of nervousness I do admit.

Would I go stir crazy??

Would I be motivated to get through my work?

Would people think I was dossing??

Would I miss out on events / meetings at home (#FOMO).?

However as I come to the end of the week and a half I have the following observations.

I didn’t go stir crazy – in fact the opposite – I had the ability to plan; reflect and think.?Yes, there were times when I missed the kids, of course and when I did crave some physical interaction with friends / colleagues, however that was when I did what my Mum used to say to me and “kept busy” – IE channelled the mind into physical or mental activities.?In general, however I thrived on having the ability to think and really get the head down and plough through some project work that needed full on attention and clarity without distractions.?

The amount of work that I got through in the 7 working days was phenomenal – there was the space to write presentations; do project plans and get through that ever-growing inbox and to-do list.?

My Dad used to say to me as a young Chartered Accountants Ireland that “you need time to think”.?At the time I dismissed this as thought that it was a waste of time; as surely everything was about actions and “doing”, however I now get it! We can spend our working life on a treadmill, “doing” actions and responding to asks, but you do need to have the head space every now and then to plan; assess and work through in your head some tricky scenarios.?

For me this doesn’t mean – scheduling thinking time in the diary but it meant that this week when I had the opportunity for a swim or a run or a coffee (without constant meetings) I could almost subconsciously navigate issues; actions and plans.

Did I have the motivation??Oh my goodness I did – as I got through that to do list; as I set up catch ups and meetings for when I was back; as I cracked presentations that I had been putting off – the momentum grew and grew and I become more and more charged to get through all the “things” that needed to be done so that I had platform; ground work and hunger to get back to face to face meetings when I was back.

Did people think I was dossing??Hand on heart – maybe some did – maybe some thought I was “on holidays” but really I had to get over that.?

And that probably in the main reason for writing this post.?The difference that 7 days remote working brought for me was excellent – and I know that the output of the type of work I did was not something I could have done in the office – however conversely – the work I do in the office – face to face meetings; presentations; business development is not something I could do remotely.?

It is all about BALANCE and it is also all about KNOWING YOURSELF and what you need and what output is needed at a point in time.?This week for me was creative output and building the foundations for an active and busy 3-4 months of physical meetings and interactions – so the timing was right.?And if people thought I was dossing – well that not my problem – flexibility and balance is good for everyone.

Did I miss out on events at home??Physically yes I did – but the power of technology meant I could keep informed and up to speed with what was going on.?

#FOMO can stifle you so much that you end up doing NOTHING WELL – you are present for the sake of being present; but you do not partake as you are keeping half an eye on the other action.?

We CANNOT do everything; we CANNOT be everywhere so try to be content with where you are – I guess it is the starting of mindfulness or being present but it is something I keep trying to remind myself when I fear what I am missing out on – look at what I am experiencing rather then what I not……

So all in all I head back a little bit more energised; a little bit more focused as I have the background work done; a little bit more hungry for the social interaction that my job demands and a lot more grateful.

Change is good for your mental health; for your physical health and for your motivation.?

Flexibility is good to enable you to juggle our priorities and I am proud to be in a firm Grant Thornton Ireland and profession that enables this to happen.

And finally I am very very fortunate and grateful – I do realise that - and I would urge others?- if they can flex things up a bit, try it. And employers if you can enable flexibility – it will pay dividends.??