Working from Home - Advice from a 20 year veteran

1. You will get through your work quicker - most of us at home have fewer distractions (cats and kids notwithstanding) so you’re starting from increased productivity. Enjoy the benefit as well as getting more done in a day. 

2. Intense focus and concentration is hard and mentally demanding - keep up your blood sugar so you can manage the intensity. You’ll still have the 3pm dip but the kitchen cupboard might be nearer.

3. Reach out and call a friend or colleague - check in a couple of times a day (including the brief social chat you would otherwise have in the office but keep it brief). I have a team of key friends and colleagues I reach out to when I need support or help with something. They are literally on speed dial (or iPhone favourites as it’s called).

4. Get some fresh air every day - go into the garden if you have one, walk around the block, visit a local cafe or coffee shop (enjoy them whilst they’re open). It’s important to be in touch (sorry *distanced contact) with other human beings.

5. It’s alright to do the laundry at 3.17pm (or any other random time of the working day) as long as you’re not on a videoconference. It is flexible working after all and sorting washing might spark a new idea. Just remember to empty the laundry afterwards…

6. Be kind to yourself - if this is new to you it will take time to adapt (we all went through it). Solo working sets the inner critic off (judging yourself, getting frustrated) - take time out, talk, relax, meditate if you need to. When it all gets too much for me I play with Lego. It calms me and sets my brain straight. Actually, I’ve drafted some of my best strategies and recommendations playing with Lego…

7. It’s ok to feel down, it happens. Recognise it and seek help as needed. Talk to others. Don’t be too brave. Cry if you need to. No one is watching but they are there caring.

8. Remember teleconference and videoconferencing services have monthly plans much cheaper than regular use of pay per minute calling eg PowWowNow or Zoom. Might save a few quid for small teams if their phone contracts support free calling to certain numbers.

9. Google docs is great for sharing documents and indeed co-editing documents together over the phone and internet. Dropbox isn’t perfect but it might also help.

10. Sometimes the internet goes down (it happens). Just work offline for a bit. If your computer is having a bad day then reading or working on pen and paper can be a practical alternative.

11. Plan ahead. You won’t have instant technical support so best not leave that proposal submission or grant application to an hour before the deadline. Mind you, Starbucks wifi is superfast at the moment and there are plenty of tables right now if you need a different connection.

12. If you feel distracted then just try and keep going for another five minutes. If it’s really distracting go and make a brew (coffee, tea) and start again in a few minutes. Remember point 2 – intense focus is hard.

13. You can be of enormous value in what you think and the ideas you have and those don’t just happen behind a desk. If you’ve spent the last few years rushing from meeting to meeting and never thinking clearly then this might be a welcome opportunity to change.

14. Use the breathing space to think strategically. You’ll find that there’s more going on because of the situation but there’s also less going on because we’ve all realised what is actually important. 

15. It’s ok to watch YouTube for 15minutes if you need a break - just don’t stay on it all afternoon. I find music uplifts me. And cat videos amuse me. All the better for getting back down to focused work.

16. If you’ve never used timesheets to record what you spend time on then now’s a good time to start - it’s illuminating (and you can keep them to yourself). Imagine if you knew where the real value of your time went.

17. Maybe now is a good time to experiment with different ways of working – do particular tasks in the morning rather than afternoon and vice versa. After all, it’s never about the hours you do, it’s about the value in what you get done.

18. Have a plan - it helps motivation and delivery if you know what you have to do and what the most important next step is. I’m my own boss and I still schedule work and tasks in Google Calendar. Sometimes it’s the only reason I get out of bed in the morning.

19. Above all, cut yourself some slack. These are uncertain times so remember we all have human frailties and don’t be too hard on yourself. Burning out won’t help you or those who depend on you. We will get through this. We always have.

20. And the condensed version: Try hard. Give yourself a break when needed. Reach out (and go out). It will happen and we will get there.