HOW TO MAKE WORKING FROM HOME, WORK FOR YOU
BY JOLENE ONDRIK, CHIEF CULTURE OFFICER
I facilitate a Connecting Generations workshop, and talk about how life events impact generations, especially during our formative years (ages 11-17).
Kids even younger than this are going to remember this time as a defining moment. All of us are going to think about this time in history. Reflecting on this as a past event can’t come soon enough.
Working from home day after day after day can seem daunting, but it can also come with opportunities.
Embrace your personality and communications style
It’s time to dust off that personality assessment. Maybe it was Lumina Spark®, Insights Discovery®, MBTI®, or something else. Whichever one you have, read it again.
Personality assessments can tell you a lot about your preferences for work. And what can you do with this information? You can organize and modify your day to support your personality needs.
Are you sociable, needing to interact with people to be inspired? If you have kids, maybe you can ask them to act like Bob down the hall and pop by to brainstorm, but they likely aren’t interested in work-related idea generation.
If you need interaction, be deliberate about scheduling calls and video chats into your day to connect and have conversations with colleagues.
Is the quiet for you overwhelming or exhilarating? If it is overwhelming, think about turning on the radio. If it is exhilarating, make sure you have space where you can get the quiet you need.
If you don’t have a personality assessment, try the free Lumina Splash app. The app asks you to fill out a short questionnaire from the full tool and gives you some insight into your personality and communication style.
This app even allows you to compare your personality with other people. Save this idea for later to do some online team building.
Getting things organized
Google working from home. You will find a list of things to do from setting up a home office, creating a routine, using the travel time you have gained back for learning, or some self-development (seriously, when do we ever get time back), etc.
Working from home for the past eight years, I have taken this to heart. I get up and get dressed (no PJs here) and pour myself a hot beverage before heading into my office to crack open my email and start my day.
Set up your space in the way that works for you, and make sure it becomes your dedicated office space.
Like your office at work, you should be able to walk away from it or pack it up when you are done.
Work at home is different than work at work
I can’t stress this enough. Working from home does not have the same kind of distractions as an office. You may be more focused, which can be draining or distracted by home things, not getting any work done.
For me, I’ve learned that I can get three times more work done at home, then I can when I am in a client’s office or when I was an employee.
I have also learned that this focused time takes a lot of energy. A solid eight-hour day staring at a computer is a lot.
Take some mini breaks. Yes, you can put in a load of laundry during these times, or help your kids mix up a batch of slime.
Be sure to take a decent amount of time for lunch, away from your desk. Take a walk outside, read, watch a half-hour show on Netflix. Give your mind something different to do.
Know when you are most productive
Think of your day in productivity management blocks. Break down your day in chunks of time by answering these questions – What time of day are you most/least focused, most/least creative, most/least distracted, and most/least inspired or motivated?
Match your activities to your productivity times like writing a plan when you are focused or cleaning up your email when you are less motivated.
Consider changing your location to help your productivity.
Consider a quick drive to your local coffee shop drive-thru, opening a window to take a breath of fresh air, or put some flip chart paper on the wall and stand up to do some brainstorming.
Whatever you do, make sure you are intentional and deliberate about making working from home, fit you, your personality, and work style.
Need more ideas? Feel free to get in touch.