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Our
Basil has sprung to life again this spring!
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In May of 2015, I was offered a position with a
company that offered remote working option. That meant no office, no meeting
rooms. It means that employees carry out their duties away from a
traditional ‘office’ setting.
When I started to consider the pros and cons
of this new “remote” work-life, I did what anyone from my generation would do.
I took to the internet and explored every blog post I could find.
Most of the articles spoke about “what to expect”, “what not to do”, “what
to do”, “how to transition”, “how to not be lonely", "most efficient
ways to be your own boss", "rules of engagement for a remote
gig" and so on. They all had great information, however none of them focused
on how the person’s life changed or what it was really like for them
day-to-day. Folks, who know me closely and read this blog regularly know that I
am an extremely social and extrovert personality. So, for me it was a special thing or challenge.
I want to take a
minute to share with you how working remotely has transformed my life and what
I have learned. Of course, no points for guessing that I accepted that
consulting assignment and boy was I glad that I did!
Here are 7 things (out of many more) that
I have learned from working remotely in the past year:
1. The “Office” is a catch
In every job where I had to report to an office, I spent entirely too much time there. I stayed late, arrived very early, ate there, had a key, braided my hair in the bathroom and so on. No matter what day of the week it was, there was just never enough time to finish my work. I am a program manager and there is always one more thing to tweak, assignment to finish. I just could not stop. I would end up leaving after dark, never having seen more than what my commute to work allowed. On the days I did try to leave on time, say around or sometime before 5, I would get those dagger eyes from fellow employees, as if my 8+ hours spent at my desk were simply not enough. I found myself sneaking out or telling white lies about having to run this errand or go to a doctor, just to escape. I dreaded Mondays, didn’t even glance at my computer for personal or social media on the weekends, because I felt angry and overwhelmed from how many hours I worked the past week. I felt drained and I felt trapped.
In every job where I had to report to an office, I spent entirely too much time there. I stayed late, arrived very early, ate there, had a key, braided my hair in the bathroom and so on. No matter what day of the week it was, there was just never enough time to finish my work. I am a program manager and there is always one more thing to tweak, assignment to finish. I just could not stop. I would end up leaving after dark, never having seen more than what my commute to work allowed. On the days I did try to leave on time, say around or sometime before 5, I would get those dagger eyes from fellow employees, as if my 8+ hours spent at my desk were simply not enough. I found myself sneaking out or telling white lies about having to run this errand or go to a doctor, just to escape. I dreaded Mondays, didn’t even glance at my computer for personal or social media on the weekends, because I felt angry and overwhelmed from how many hours I worked the past week. I felt drained and I felt trapped.
After a year of working from
home I can tell you that I have done better work that is more satisfying than I
ever have in my life. There is something about sitting in your yoga pants
with your baby in his bouncer, those familiar smells of home sneaking into your
office that just makes the day better. It makes all of the work feel less like
work. All of a sudden my days were more productive, I dreaded sitting at my
desk less and work got done. I leave my desk whenever I want now, whether it’s
to get a snack or to take a walk around the block with my munchkin and for some reason at 5:00pm
I am done. The work is done!
2. Makeup shmake-up.
In the hundreds of blogs I read to prepare myself for remote life the #1 most consistent “tip” was to still get ready everyday. Ummm, I don’t know who these men and women are, but what a waste of time! I have already applied this tactic during remote interviews in the past and know the pros and cons. If you have a face-to-face meeting or a video Skype/FaceTime call scheduled by all means, put a little pride in your appearance. Otherwise, shower or don’t shower, I don’t care and I promise you the other remote workers you talk to all day probably won’t care and might not shower either. As for makeup, I don’t even have a lipstick at home now to apply in case of an emergency!
In the hundreds of blogs I read to prepare myself for remote life the #1 most consistent “tip” was to still get ready everyday. Ummm, I don’t know who these men and women are, but what a waste of time! I have already applied this tactic during remote interviews in the past and know the pros and cons. If you have a face-to-face meeting or a video Skype/FaceTime call scheduled by all means, put a little pride in your appearance. Otherwise, shower or don’t shower, I don’t care and I promise you the other remote workers you talk to all day probably won’t care and might not shower either. As for makeup, I don’t even have a lipstick at home now to apply in case of an emergency!
Side note: If you stop by my house
unannounced, I will be in some sort of workout clothes that could include yoga
pants. I have brushed my teeth and washed my face but my hair will be
in a messy bun. That also says that I have a four and a half month old baby to take care of.
Just saying.
3. Finding the Om!
The rumors are 100% true. People who work from home are much less stressed and overall more pleasant to deal with on a daily basis. My coworkers, whom I Skyped with, ask me how I am doing, tell me to have a great weekend, the works. What they don’t do? Complain, whine, nag and so on. This is because typing your thoughts instead of just blurting them out gives you that split second to re-think what you are about to say. Moreover, no more water cooler or restroom break gossips for me too.
The rumors are 100% true. People who work from home are much less stressed and overall more pleasant to deal with on a daily basis. My coworkers, whom I Skyped with, ask me how I am doing, tell me to have a great weekend, the works. What they don’t do? Complain, whine, nag and so on. This is because typing your thoughts instead of just blurting them out gives you that split second to re-think what you are about to say. Moreover, no more water cooler or restroom break gossips for me too.
It is AMAZING and in the end
makes everyone better, including myself. This past year has been such an eye
opening experience for me. I have seen the light on the unneeded, unwanted
stress that I used to carry around. I truly feel like I am a different person
now. Lots of people ask if you get lonely working from home, but I feel like I
have more time and actually want to see people more now. I schedule brunch
dates or coffee get-togethers because I can, whereas working in an office you
probably just want to go home and take your pants off.
4. Do I have own a vehicle?
So, this part is relative to where you live and what you like to do. I am extremely lucky as I live less than a mile from a park, the gym, subway and bus stop and the grocery store. At my age, these the only places I really go to. Sad but true! Since I am walking/jogging/riding public transport/taxis to run my errands, I do not own a vehicle. I don’t have to get gas so I save a ton of money on fuel costs and general car maintenance.
So, this part is relative to where you live and what you like to do. I am extremely lucky as I live less than a mile from a park, the gym, subway and bus stop and the grocery store. At my age, these the only places I really go to. Sad but true! Since I am walking/jogging/riding public transport/taxis to run my errands, I do not own a vehicle. I don’t have to get gas so I save a ton of money on fuel costs and general car maintenance.
5. Enjoying my workout.
This is hands down my favorite part of working from home. I get to go to workout midday. It is so hard for me to work, take care of my baby and then go to gym when HD is home at night. I love working out and now I sneak in a workout whenever my baby is taking a nap. Moreover, since I do not have to save time to shower and be presentable when I get back to the office, I do not rush through my workout. It offers me the perfect break in my day to wake up my mind and body, putting me back in the mood to be productive and get my job done. How am I in the mood to go to the gym instead of just take a nap you ask? Go back to #2 and read about what I wear. Half the work is dressing the part. You can make yourself feel pretty guilty trying to take your sneakers off and nap in your workout clothes.
This is hands down my favorite part of working from home. I get to go to workout midday. It is so hard for me to work, take care of my baby and then go to gym when HD is home at night. I love working out and now I sneak in a workout whenever my baby is taking a nap. Moreover, since I do not have to save time to shower and be presentable when I get back to the office, I do not rush through my workout. It offers me the perfect break in my day to wake up my mind and body, putting me back in the mood to be productive and get my job done. How am I in the mood to go to the gym instead of just take a nap you ask? Go back to #2 and read about what I wear. Half the work is dressing the part. You can make yourself feel pretty guilty trying to take your sneakers off and nap in your workout clothes.
6. Tidy Up.
A clean home is a happy home (and office). Keeping clutter at bay and the living room tidy, really helps me stay focused. If I walk to the kitchen to refill my water bottle and step on laundry and baby toys, guess what I am going to want to do? Fold laundry and put away the toys.
A clean home is a happy home (and office). Keeping clutter at bay and the living room tidy, really helps me stay focused. If I walk to the kitchen to refill my water bottle and step on laundry and baby toys, guess what I am going to want to do? Fold laundry and put away the toys.
I try to do a walk through in
the morning. I tidy the living room, wash any dishes, laundry, etc. That way
everything is in it’s place before I start working and that makes for less
distraction.
7. Investing in a good gear.
The last thing I learned right away was that you have to have all the office supplies and gear you need to do your job, at home. Don’t try to work at the bar in the kitchen if you need a drafting table to get anything done, it just doesn’t work that way.
The last thing I learned right away was that you have to have all the office supplies and gear you need to do your job, at home. Don’t try to work at the bar in the kitchen if you need a drafting table to get anything done, it just doesn’t work that way.
For me, its easier. I have a
macbook and a windows laptop. A really good computer chair that has
moveable wrist rests and wheels and tons of online cloud storage from Dropbox
or Google Drive rounds off my list. If you work for a good company, they might
assist in the costs of some of these items, especially a computer. If not, make
the purchase, save your receipt and write it off on your taxes. You will
be glad and look forward to working when you have good gear while “going to your
office” every day.
Here are a few other things that have
tremendously helped my transition to (LOVING) working from home:
SKYPE| FaceTime| GOOGLE APPS| ASANA| YOUTUBE|
HUITESUIT| WORDPRESS| DROPBOX| WALMART SUBSCRIPTION| COURSERA| COFFIVITY| JANGO
AND/OR SPOTIFY| POPSUGAR
If you are thinking about working from home, I
say go for it! But either way, I hope what I have learned this past year
working remotely enlightens you or helps you on your journey. Or maybe you already work
from home. Do you agree with any of these? Do you disagree? Have you found
better ways to do things? Do you have any must-haves on your list? I would
love to know, please feel free to share!
