I love working from home. I passionately believe that it can be better for productivity and for business. I think the modern work culture is broken because it makes no concessions for flexible working and for how we learn and communicate differently.
The future of work is here sooner than we thought so here are some top tips to not only survive working from home but actually to enjoy and embrace it.
Tip One: Get Vulnerable
Remember no one can read your body language and so everything you communicate has to be verbal. If you’re having a bad day, no one can hear you huffing from the other side of the office.
I really believe video calls work for even the hardest conversations, but I don’t think you can approach them as you would a normal conversation. You have to put your heart on your sleeve so you are communicating openly.
Tip Two: Embrace Variety
Potentially we could spend all of our days on our laptops. We write emails, do work, take video calls, use What’s App on desktop, take on e-learning, watch netflix, now even take a gym class all on one screen.
Don’t make every call a video call. Sometimes put your phone in your back pocket, use earphones and walk around the room. Definitely have a work station for emails, but also go and sit in an armchair for a call. Create your own mental meeting rooms. Voice Notes are brilliant. You can even use them as a way of thinking out loud without typing.
Tip Three: Go Offline
Digital detox is going to matter more than ever, because we don’t have those precious moments where you lose signal on the underground or where you’re in a meeting and it’s rude to look at your phone.
I know it’s counter-intuitive when so much of coping right now is about finding connection.
Tip Four: You Can’t Just Move Everything About Office Life Online
Don’t confuse novelty social interactions with a replacement for the real-deal. HouseParty or 12-way team chats are pretty hellish. They might feel exciting and forward thinking, but actually they are a head-ache.
With a focus on vulnerability I’ve found ways to make 1-1 conversations work really well, but group dynamics are hard. Get clear on who is going to do what, and who will speak when.
With this shift are you thinking about how your weekly routines might need to evolve – and not just how to replicate them on the internet?
Tip Five: Tell Your Colleagues What You Need To Be Productive
Once you’ve taken ownership of your time, communicate it openly to your colleagues. REMEMBER, you are resetting the rules of how you do business. I start working with every new client explaining that I am most productive first thing in the morning.
For UK businesses that means middle of the night messages here, but even for Indian teams, that means that I might be in the gym from 10-12, but they’ll have woken up to a full inbox.
If you’ve ever had a conversation with a new boss about different work styles, now is the time to do it again.
Tip Six: Manage Up More Than Ever
Put yourself in your manager’s shoes. They suddenly have no idea where you are or what you’re doing. If you were them what would you care about?
Do you care whether they started work at 9.01 sharp? Probably not. You do definitely care about how much they got done that day. Be one step ahead of the game. Send them an update email before they’ve even thought to ask for it.
Tip Seven: Eat The Frog
Get really clear on your priorities. I actually think this is life advice, not just work from home advice. The system that works best for me for now is called Eat the Frog.
Every night I take a piece of paper and draw a line across the top third. Under that I write all the jobs I have to do, in clusters by project. At the end, in that top third, I write my frog – the big job that I am putting off the most and that I will commit to doing first.
The next morning, I get up and I Eat The Frog. Then, I move onto the list below, writing numbers in circles by tasks so I have a plan on what order I am going to approach things in.
Tip Eight: Managers, Trust Your Team
Trust your team – don’t assume the worst. In my view, that means you haven’t found the right people. Set routines that work for them, and not for you. Remember to be human – comedy is important
Tip Nine: You Can Still Burn Out WFH
With no distractions and the added pressure show you are working just as hard as ever, there is a possibility that you look up from your laptop and you have worked through your coffee breaks, lunch hour AND commute home.
So remember to take breaks.
Tip Ten: Reset
I’ve found that the WFH day is longer. You cut out moments of small talk, commuting, meetings are much shorter (perhaps there is something we can learn here..!) so I can do more which means I work harder. I think I get more tired.
Closing my laptop or turning off your computer and turning to pen and paper is my favourite way to reset. With your head in a laptop all day I think it’s so easy to be dictated by your inbox.
If you hate WFH, I’ll forgive you – but give it a fair trial by following these tips and see how much more productive you can be.
Post by Lottie Unwin, Freelance Brand strategist and Founder at The Copy Club, who moved to Delhi from London in 2018.
