On Working From Home: The Survival Guide
It looks like we might be stuck in here for a while. Let’s make the most of working from home.
We’ve all had the fantasy of rolling out of bed and working in our PJs instead of waking up 2 hours early just to get bumped and knocked around by strangers shooting you cut-eye on the subway (just a hypothetical example… yes…).
WFH isn’t all fun and no pants.
But thanks to COVID-19, the nature of work has suddenly changed for just about everyone, and we are just as suddenly faced with confronting the question of if we really wanted that Work From Home fantasy to come true after all.
Don’t let this happen to you!
If you’re lucky (or unlucky… depending on your perspective) enough to be working from home right now, you’re likely trying to navigate shifting to a new routine and trying to figure out how to make working from home work for you. There’s the added stress of navigating gathering basic necessities in light of social distancing protocols, taking care of dependants, and figuring out what to do with yourself since basically everything else is closed.
This new situation can be destabilizing, and without some consideration or adjustments, could lead to decreased mental health, well-being and productivity.
What can we take from Psych and Behavioural Economics that can help us get through our workday and stay sane in the process?
Side Note: economic shocks like this one related to the COVID-19 pandemic are hard and there are a lot of negative consequences from the shake out. Many people are out of a job (hopefully temporarily), small businesses are going under, and the future might look uncertain. I feel your grief and encourage you to take advantage of any government subsidies and support, and seek out help as necessary. Which part of the economic downturn will be temporary and what will be permanent (i.e. will maybe there remain a surge of demand for delivery and logistics staff after the COVID-19 pandemic passes) is still to be determined. My sympathies are with you during this destabilizing time.
Working From Home: Is it Hazardous to Your Health?
Working from home can take a toll on mental health for some, leading to feelings of isolation and disconnection. Going to the office can provide opportunities for social interaction, and (hopefully positive) feedback loops from colleagues – which can be a source of motivation and encouragement (when you’re working with the right people). Indeed, in the 2019 State of Remote Work study, 19% of respondents who frequently work remotely struggled with loneliness and 8% struggled with motivation.
The study also revealed that for 49% of respondents, their greatest challenge in working from home was their mental health. Working from home can create anxiety. According to Jane Scudder, you can feel the pressure to appear busy, including making yourself constantly available, with 22% of people reporting difficulties disconnecting from work when working at home. You might be face to face with competing priorities – do I do the laundry now or finish this report? Not being able to do everything at once, or look around for cues from colleagues that now is the time to focus on report, and laundry later, might cause feelings of frustration. Feeling guilty for time when you’re not working is another symptom, which, when combined with anxiety, can put undue pressure on our feeling of self-worth.
So, What Helps?
Surveying the literature, I have found a couple themes that might help you not only know yourself a bit better, but provides tips and tricks to come up with a strategy to stay sane while #WFH. Let’s take a look…
Motivation: Introvert vs Extrovert
Are you introverted or extroverted? It is a widely-held misconception that extroverts are easily identifiable because they are loud, and introverts are the shy ones in the corner.
But that’s not it at all. They are the ends of the spectrum in some theories about personality, it’s about how these ‘types’ interact with and see the world. The difference between introverts and extroverts is akin to having an inward vs. outward focus. Neuroimaging has found that introverts are more attentive to internal thoughts and are more introspective, whereas extroverts are driven by sensory stimulation like sights and sounds.
What does this mean? Extroverts tend to thrive with social stimulation, whereas introverts get energy from being alone or in small groups. (You can take this quiz to see roughly where you sit on the continuum).
Introverts might enjoy the social scene, but report feeling tired from it, or overwhelmed when it’s happening. Introverts are said to ‘recharge’ from spending time alone. Extroverts prefer the opposite, they gain energy from others, and likely feel the struggle of isolation more acutely. (If you are interested in the neuroscience of why introverts and extroverts differ in this way, I found a really interesting article here.)
Perhaps having a better sense of who you are can better prepare you for working remotely. Here are some tips.
Tips for Extroverts
Schedule calls with the express purpose of turning your camera ON. Try to recreate a social environment as much as possible.
Schedule social calls after work or during breaks to keep you energized.
Get dressed. You are more likely to have an unscheduled conversation with neighbours or the letter carrier if you’re wearing pants (vs. no pants).
Schedule a proper lunch – if there’s someone else you’re social distancing with, invite them to join you.
Jump into a new hobby or pick back up and existing interest to fill your time.
Join an online fitness class.
Respect that your introvert friends won’t want to always do video calls.
Tips for Introverts
Try to block your schedule so you’re not in calls all day.
Cap the day off with some quiet time to transition to your personal time.
Utilize headphones to block out disruptive noises (perhaps your neighbours are yapping on the street - at an appropriate 6 foot distance, of course).
Politely decline meetings that aren’t necessary in order to maintain balance.
Entertain your extrovert friends or colleague’s video requests once in a while (you still need social interaction, you’re human!), but schedule some quiet time afterwards.
Introverts still need connection!
2. Boundaries
Working from home creates challenges with boundaries. 10% of Remote Workers cite distractions at home as being their top challenges; however, this might currently be a low estimate as people are not fully set up to work from home yet. Many of you out there are surely also faced with childcare and education responsibilities, taking care of elderly parents or neighbours, and other household duties. To maintain sanity, it’ll be critical to rethink your #WFH boundaries.
Get Your House In Order.
That’s just a turn of phrase, but I mean to emphasize that you need to turn your eye to your physical space. Normally, I’d encourage you to turn your workspace into a place you love and look forward to, but we are in a time of crisis where we simply can’t go out to peruse for hipster geometric pen-holders. Let’s talk about the basics: good lighting, a power source, somewhere quiet (ish) for calls and to keep you focused, a good chair helps (or maybe you like to stand, or sit on a Pilates ball). Once the basics are achieved, consider optimizing your ergonomic needs (you’ll thank me when you’re older). On the flip side, try removing distractions from your space, like the TV, personal cell phone, or whatever you need to do.
Remove distractions from your workplace.
The biggest factor is to make sure your home office is separate from your living space. If possible, a space you can say goodbye to at the end of the workday to properly disconnect. Remember that 22% of remote worker’s MAIN challenge was disconnecting from work. Having that physical distance is important to give your brain a break too.
Try to separate personal and professional, if possible.
Make a Schedule. And Stick to It.
Why are humans creatures of routines and structure? Because it takes too much of a toll on our cognitive energy to make new decisions for every moment of every day. What happens when our routines and structures are taken away from us? We might feel emotions like despair, frustration, and a lack of control that decreases our well-being.
Reduce the load on your brain in having to decide exactly what to do every second of the day by creating a work day schedule and a daily routine. Then all you need to do is follow it!
Build a schedule by asking yourself:
When am I most productive? Some people have their most productive time in the morning, some at night.
What other activities do I need in my day? (Breaks, lunch, walks, chore time, etc. It’s really important to get up and move around)
How will I keep myself on track? Do I write my calendar on a note and tape it to the wall or do I block out my time in my Outlook calendar?
Is the plan I put together realistic? Take a critical eye – and adjust as necessary.
If you had cues in the office that remind you to do specific things – like eat lunch – try to replicate some sort of a cue to do the same at home (ex. if you normally meet up with Patricia in the lunchroom, try to schedule a virtual lunch date with her at approximately the same time of the day). Take back control by making the decisions about your day for yourself in a way that works for you, rather than just the status quo schedule of the office.
Rest. You Need it.
Sleep is really important, with a recommendation of at least 8 hours. Not sleeping long enough has implications for muscle repair and immune health (super important in the face of a pandemic!). More importantly for work, not enough sleep can lead to decreased creativity, and can impact your memory, judgement and mood.
It’s probably no surprise to hear that stress and sleep have a tight-knit relationship. Increased stress can lead to decreased sleep, and decreased sleep can lead to increased stress. This is called the sleep-stress cycle. We are currently faced with a number of atypical stressors: having to navigate a new work situation, perhaps feeling negative emotions like fear or anxiety about the spread of the Coronavirus, etc. It’s really easy to abandon our sleep routines, especially when we’re at home all the time (anyone staying up late watching Netflix?). But prioritizing sleep will help you make it through your workday. Some good sleep hygiene practices include reduced screen time before bed, a good nighttime routine, and keeping work out of the bedroom.
In addition to sleep, understand that the stress of adjusting to your at-home work environment can drain you, and perhaps you are feeling more sluggish in your day. It’s not only okay, but necessary, to take breaks in your work day. Focusing for 8-10 hours straight is not realistic. Work with your body’s natural patterns and give yourself a break (literally) for needing a break. If working from home gives you back some extra time in your day, don’t use that time to work. Use it to recharge. You would normally be using that time to listen to a sweet podcast on the subway and giving your brain a break, anyway. Giving your brain a break is not lazy, it’s productive, and will help you tackle your work tomorrow and figure out how to sustain working from home for the coming weeks.
For more info on how stress can impact your sleep, check out this post over at Sleep Advisor on 10 Tips for Getting a Better Rest in a Crazy World, something I think we could all benefit from.
3. Connection
Social distancing is hard for a lot of people (probably why we see so many delinquents!). Why? Because connection is a part of who we are as humans. We are a social species. Social pain even shows up as physical pain in our brains, and lack of connection can lead to feelings of loneliness. Like it or not, many of us have connections in our working world that vary from acquaintance in a meeting to “work wife”, signalling that we have at least some of our social connect needs met in the office.
Well, not right now. And likely, the social connectedness usually made up of our friends and family is diminished too, thanks to COVID-19.
If you’re like me, you are probably having more video or voice calls for work than with your family. So how do we make these interactions into moments of much-needed connectedness?
Online Meeting Protocol
Start meetings with the personal. When we meet in person, often (in Western culture) we start with some personal chitchat about what’s been happening in our lives. We are less likely to do that online. Make a point of starting a meeting by catching up. It’s worth the time investment to make your team feel comfortable enough to collaborate. Having this personal/professional check-in is key to making everyone feel part of the team.
If noise-levels permit, resisting using the mute button allows for the capture of natural reactions like laughter. Even more personal: turn on the camera. But don’t force people to do it if they aren’t comfortable. Desk lamp lighting is flattering to no one.
Be supportive and welcoming of any at-home noises. In the past I would have been mortified to have the sound of the dog barking on a call, but honestly I find the sound of a toddler in the background absolutely adorable and I welcome all of your pets in our team meeting. Everyone is doing the best to manage their home and work duties, and no one need be ashamed that they have a life outside of work.
You think you know someone…
Coffee Chat Culture
Thinking you had to cancel your coffee chats because you can’t meet up in person? Let’s challenge that belief by going downstairs, making a coffee, and having that chat with your colleague anyway.
Boss Brother
If you are the boss, your role in this new world is to take care of your team. Communicate. Check-in. Provide space in meetings for human connection between coworkers. Make sure that your team knows what their responsibilities and action items are, so they are able to make their own definitive work plans with an end time. Turn up the empathy and make it clear it’s okay to put family first in a time of crisis.
Spoiler alert… it’s all of them.
Pigeon, ur my friend.
The Bright Side
Ok, but working from home is not all bad. Here are some awesome benefits:
You can wear whatever you want.
See above.
Save money on the commute.
Swagger cat has it figured out.
Contribute to local businesses. Rather than paying $20 for a limp salad downtown.
lol
Getting more sleep.
Accurate.
Getting to do bizarre things like dance parties and talking to yourself.
You can do this!
We’re going to get through this! Meanwhile, if you need a laugh, here’s a little game for your next conference call:
Love from the home office,
