Remote Work Advocates! This Is Your Chance!

With the remote work onslaught taking place thanks to a pandemic known as COVID-19 I thought I would share my thoughts on how to work from home like the badass that you are.

First off, this really is your chance. The one you have been wanting for years. To convince your boss that working from home is not only a good idea but a great one. In order to do that you need to be really productive, I mean even more than you are in the office.

This terrible pandemic does provide a golden opportunity for proving that remote work actually works.

If you have a desk, us it. If you have a dining room table, us it. If you have a cozy couch, us it. It matters not where you set up shop, it only matters that you are comfortable and have access to power for your devices. Personally, I have a desk, a dining room table, and a kitchen counter, but I am writing this from the couch (see above image) as it is in a part of the house free from distractions, which leads me to the next tidbit.

These can be literal walls separating you from the rest of the household distractions, whether it be pets, kids, snacks, or TVs. Find a place that allows you to get to work and not be distracted every few minutes.

If you get in the zone, it can be easy to just stay inside slouched over your machine all day, but you need some air. Get up and take a break every hour or so and get some air and do some stretches. The Pomodoro Technique works wonders for this.

When working from home, you will find yourself slipping out of your habits and routines. For me personally, I go to the gym every morning before heading into the office. Now that I am working from home, I find it way to easy to just skip the workout and get straight to work.

Since I have some kettlebells at home I place them right next to the couch and also make sure to go for a run midday to work off the excess caffeine. Do not let this new routine spoil the good habits you worked so hard to build. Find a way to keep them around.

I would also suggest calling friends and family members to get your social fix. Cabin Fever will creep up on you like a stealthy ninja in the night if you are not careful and you will find yourself bombarding your roommates or partner when they get home because you have not had a chance to talk to anyone all day.

To piggyback off of the last note, it will be good to see people’s faces even if it is through a screen. Facetime your friends and family and turn that meeting into a video conference to make it a bit more human.

Staying focused and getting shit done while working from home may come easy for some because their offices are so distracting, but if your home is more distracting you need to be the boss. Call the shots for your family, your pets, and most importantly yourself.

Practice self-discipline and get your ass to work. You will come to love it and hopefully when this whole thing blows over we can prove to ourselves and our bosses that remote work is not only effective, but the way to build the businesses of the future.

I would also like to acknowledge that the light-hearted nature of this post is in no way meant to undermine the lives impacted by this terrible virus. I simply want to encourage remote work, because it could literally save lives.