Publivate from its first days over a decade ago had great work flexibility. If for no other reason than we could not afford to pay office rent. Over that time we have learned a great deal about what does and does not work for the average person working remotely. In the new normal of #Covid19 we thought we would share our top ten tip suggestions for making work at home work for you.
1. Structure, structure, structure. Some can live without it but for working at home, for the average person, setting up a regular structure (with some flexibility built in) is the place to start. You’ll see a number of the other suggestions tied to creating a successful work at home structure for you.
2. Set up multiple work stations at home for a change of scenery. Go between them if you start to feel stale or even alternate between work stations from one day to the next.
3. Schedule breaks or at least ensure you take a couple. When at home, this is often tied to food...nothing wrong with that...we even have people making breakfast during our daily meeting (see below).
4. Schedule/advocate for a daily team meeting. We have a 15-30 minute video call (good that everyone gets to actually see each other) everyday. Without fail.
5. Set a time to finish work and stick to it. Don't let it creep.
6. Set some goals for the day. Of course, like some others on our list this is a good one to use when you’re in the office too but it is particularly important when you are working remotely.
7. Stay healthy. Have healthy snacks (don't have a house full of junk). Plan in your breaks to do something involving exercise, it can be a simple, 10 minute walk.
8. Work with a friend/colleague if possible (either in-person, or via video chat)...look for beneficial ways to extend the social side of work.
9. Invest in the right remote tools. Slack/MS Teams etc as a common chat space to have so everyone can collaborate and communicate. Zoom/GoTo Meeting/Join.Me or some sort of virtual meeting (with video) tool.
10. Keep it fresh. Look for different, fun things that you can do. This week for us its a Zoom virtual background competition...some pretty hilarious ones!
Got others? We'd love to hear them. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Keep your distance.
