So you find that now you're suddenly going to #WorkFromHome? Here are some tips I've picked up over the years, on how to be productive and also participate in teams without being in the same room or face-to-face. (Thread)
It helps if your team is remote-first. If everyone just got sent home because of COVID-19 concerns, then the upside is that you're not the lone remote worker on a team who are otherwise all together. So you're not going to miss out on hallway conversations, etc.
Going "remote first" as a team means that all important (and even casual) communication happens on channels that are accessible to remote staff. That typically means email and Slack/Discord/chat as well as Teams/Zoom/GoToMeeting.
You also need to make sure you're tracking work in a remote friendly way. I love real physical kanban boards but for remote work you need to use Trello, GitHub Issues, Azure Devops, or similar.
Being remote means you have a low-fidelity relationship with your coworkers. We all recognize emails are often hard to read in terms of intent. Voice communication is better than pure text, but still worse than face-to-face. TURN ON YOUR CAMERA so you can still have that remotely
Video conferencing is not as high fidelity as in person communication, but it's still way better than voice- or text-only communication. You have a webcam (or you can get one easily) - use it.
Now your team is remote-first or remote-only and you're chatting frequently with face-to-face over camera, but how do you get work done when you're not "at work"? And how to you leave work?
There are many options here. Let me list a bunch that I know work for remote workers I know, and then I'll highlight some my own.
1) Get dressed for work and be at work on time in a dedicated room or space.
Keeping a routine will help you get into the work mindset. Don't act like it's a weekend and you can just goof off or lounge around.
Keeping a routine will help you get into the work mindset. Don't act like it's a weekend and you can just goof off or lounge around.
2) Wear work clothes. Many remote workers find it's easier to be in a work mindset if they're wearing something other than PJs and fluffy slippers.
3) Take time for lunch. Leave your office or work area to take a break for lunch. Also, don't decide to wander to the fridge for snacks every half an hour while you're otherwise at work. Keep a regular schedule.
4) Touched on briefly earlier but have a dedicated work space. This becomes important in a later tip as well. If you have a TV, XBox, gaming computer etc. that are separate from your work computer, try and keep those in another room so they're not distracting/tempting.
5) You've got a dedicated work place at home? Great! Make sure whoever lives with you knows that when you're there, you're at work. Close the door or otherwise keep other family members from intruding as best you can.
6) How do you leave work when you work from home? This can be tough, but if you have a dedicated workspace, it makes things easier. When you're done with your workday, LEAVE YOUR WORKSPACE.
You're back home now. Leave work at work and focus on home life and duties.
You're back home now. Leave work at work and focus on home life and duties.
7) Invest in decent furniture. At work maybe you have a nice chair and a big desk and other amenities. Make sure at home you have somewhere you can work for 8-9 hours at a time without destroying your back, etc.
8) For me, I have a private office space but I also have twin boys (now 5) who don't always respect the rules. I also have an out-of-home office that's just mine where I often work. You may also find that a local coffee shop or coworking space can be nice sometimes.
9) Pro tip: If you need real quiet for a call, your car is designed to be soundproof against external noises. Go sit in your car for that important call while your kids are screaming or the contractor is working on the house.
10) Upgrade your internet. Internet in most parts of the country just keeps getting cheaper. If you haven't called to see if you can upgrade lately, you may be able to get a faster plan for the same rate you pay now. If you've suddenly found you're WFH, call and see.
That's enough for now. RT to spread the word on this and reply with your own tips as well. Thanks, good luck, and stay safe!
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