Advice for working from home
My advice for working from home is split into two components.
Things for yourself:
- Create a “going to work” and “leaving work” routine and stick with it. People are creatures of patterns. Following a routine will help set your mind into “work” mode.
- Have a work area, NOT in your bedroom if you can help it. If your work area is exclusively and regularly used for business, you can deduct portions of your mortgage interest, taxes, etc.
- Create a schedule for “office hours” and try to stick to it. Having defined hours reduces slacking off AND overworking.
- Have a plan for meals. Similar to working in an office, it’s better to know what you’re going to do for meals.
- Schedule breaks. In an office environment, breaks happen due to interruptions. Working from home reduces said interruptions. It’s important for physical well being to pause ever so often. I use software that Microsoft provides that monitors keyboard/mouse usage and enforces breaks to prevent RSI.
Things to help stay engaged with your coworkers:
- Use video conferences rather than phone calls if possible. Facial expressions are helpful in reminding people of your existence. (Buy a good webcam if you’re able to do this. A quality webcam is important.)
- Buy a good audio setup (mic/headphone or speakers). Having crystal clear audio reduces issues in large conference calls.
- Over-communicate with everyone. This is critical if your team is primarily collocated and you are not. You’ll be missing all of the “water-cooler” chat. So a far more frequent stream of text is helpful. When you travel to the home office, schedule many one-on-one meetings.
- Schedule regular one-on-one discussions with your boss (I do this once a week). Most “so, how are you doing” type questions happen in a normal office environment in the hallways. If you have scheduled time, it will help remind them you exist and you can communicate any needs or issues.
