Working-From-Home? Just Follow Some Kindergarten Wisdom!

Ah, Kindergarten. Do you remember it? A time of innocence and educational introductions, filled with wonderful little nuggets of wisdom that likely stuck with you forever. If you're like me, you've worked in a remote, virtual, or work-from-home environment for almost a decade or more.

OR maybe, more likely, you're someone who only just started working-from-home or remotely because of new organizational efforts or because of potential coronavirus precautions.

No matter your reasons, I was reflecting on how funny it is that so much of the advice I learned in Kindergarten keeps resurfacing in new and amusing ways as I work from home. And it feels like a great time in history to share some with you:

Wear Some Pants!

While virtual and remote employees always hear “I would kill to just work in my pajamas all day!” Um, I wear pants. Most of us do. And a shirt, actually. And I shower. Every day. And even comb my hair. brush my teeth, use a little lotion and hair gunk. Because I’m often I’m on camera. and I’m an adult. And it's still an important part of a daily routine.

Eat Your Lunch!

When you work from home there are one of two things happening more frequently than you'd like to admit: 1) you’re either almost always snacking or 2) you never eat and constantly miss lunch. Yet somehow I'm always on my 3rd cup of coffee? Anyway, lunch isn’t only a good thing to make sure to eat for your health and wellness, but it helps smartly break up your day. Lunch is a nice reminder to get up, stretch your legs, walk around the house, make or microwave something delicious, and take at least a 20 minute break from your screen(s).

Do Your Chores!

Now look, I know this one is sometimes "controversial" but hear me out. You work at home now. Or at least for a few weeks or months. Wise up! Take advantage of the situation. Take a moment or two in-between calls, emails and objects to clean off that dining room table. Or put in a quick load of laundry. Or wash those handful of dishes from lunch. It honestly takes no more time than you would have likely spent talking about your weekend to a co-worker, walking seven times to the water fountain, or making copies at the printer.

Stop Squirming!

Even if your'e only working-from-home temporally, I implore you, please: invest in a nice office chair for your home. Trust me on this one. Don’t settle exclusively for your couch or your recliner or--heaven forbid -- one of your hard, wooden dining room chairs. No, dear lord no. You have 16 hours left in the day to sit on one of those. You’re still at work, my friends. Don't squirm in irritation or pain all day. Get a nice, smart, comfortable office chair for your work-from-home adventures. Sit like you still know you're a professional hard at work. Because you are.

Make Friends!

Don't let working-from-home make you feel alone or disconnected. Play with your pets. Make a call to a loved one or friend over lunch. And sure, you can't just casually walk over to the next office to chat with your co-workers or neighbor, but you can chat briefly on an instant message system or via text or email when you have time to share some thoughts, a funny meme, or work-from-home anecdote. Just don't forget about the true value of interpersonal interactions when working. And even if you're a happily introverted, make sure to carve out some time to talk to your plants.

Be Patient!

Working remotely, virtually or at home isn't easy for everyone. Even for folks who love it! It takes some getting used to and time to become the new normal, or a temporary new normal. Technology isn’t perfect, email can stall, files can still get lost, and webcams can break. Everything needs to be scheduled smartly. Not everyone answers their phone right away. Time either wildly speeds up or weirdly slows down a little bit when you work from home. This is normal, believe it or not. Now you just need to accept it, work within these realities, and lean in a little bit.

Working-from-home can a mixed bag — some great things, some weird things — but as long as you remember and rely on some age-old wisdom from your childhood? You’ll should be just fine. And if not, know there are people like who have not only been doing this for a long time successfully, but have written about the subject at length to get you started, settled and successful.

Enjoy the time at home,

Ben

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Ben Bisbee is a dreamer, a doer, a madman with focus; the good kind of dangerous. The co-author of the acclaimed new book, The Unashamed Guide to Virtual Management by ATDPress, Ben and co-author Kathy Wisniewski address the unanswered, unashamed, and critical questions covering how to work and manage virtual, remote and work-from-home teams with advice that’s never been attempted before, but will quickly become the new normal in all remote and virtual workplaces. Sold where all books are sold online.