By: Eli Jochim and Kit Murray
PRP is a completely virtual company, and we’re not alone. A recent New York Times report found that 43% of Americans are now working remotely. Anyone looking from the outside might look at our lack of a commute and say, “Wow, you work from home? You’re so lucky!” but they often don’t realize the true challenges of telecommuting. When the rest of our friends, clients, and edtech colleagues are at their office jobs, working from home can sometimes feel pretty lonely.
In an effort to help our fellow living room laborers shake the laptop-loneliness, we’re sharing three ways to regain balance when working remotely.
- Get dressed. We’re serious. Get up in the morning and get dressed like you’re going to work. If you’re going to sit in your pajamas all day, the odds of your being productive are pretty slim. Treat your home office like a real one.
- Find new walls. One of the biggest challenges of telecommuting is separating your personal life from your professional one. Being at home can remind you of distractions like laundry that needs to be done, a barking dog, or picking up the remote and turning on the TV. (Pro tip: To counteract the distractions right in front of you, try logging out of every social media account before starting the day.)
It can also help to take advantage of the fact that you don’t have to work in the exact same place every day. Each week, try removing yourself from your designated work space and heading to a café, library, or public lounge.
You can also use this time to get to know the people you work with. Provided they live nearby, give them a shout once a month to see if they can meet up at a local spot. Put it on a collaborative calendar as a repeating group event to keep it consistent.
- Jam out! Working from home means spending Monday through Friday at your dining room table, in your office, or on the couch. Apart from the dust bunnies and spiders hiding in the corners, you’re spending these days by yourself. But that doesn’t mean you have to feel alone.
Try listening to podcasts on Spotify or iTunes (a few of our favorites include: “My Brother, My Brother, and Me,” and “The Daily.”) We’ve noticed these can have an invigorating effect on overall mood and attitude. The sound of voices talking but not singing mimics the industrious cacophony of an office. Having the conversation in the background is soothing, helps you feel connected, and bonus, it’s informational! If podcasts aren’t for you, try listening to the radio, or creating an instrumental playlist that encourages focus and supports concentration.
- Take breaks. Break time is important at home, too! If your schedule is non-stop go-go-go, take a few minutes to remove yourself from your office and breathe. Take your lunch. Hang out with your dog or cat. Join a spin class or go for a jog outside or at your local gym. The power of letting your subconscious mind unwind is just as important as actively working. If you don’t have time to physically go somewhere you can practice mindfulness wherever you are.
For the sake of our mental health and our productivity, working from home should be treated like an office job. If we take the time to surround ourselves with humans when we need a little company, and revert to being alone when we need to concentrate, working from home can be the best of both worlds.
Thanks for sharing!
