Keeping a Strong Mentality When Working from Home
Working from home can be a difficult change of pace, but it may be our reality for the foreseeable future, so it’s important to make the best of the situation.
Those who worked out of the office before the coronavirus pandemic already knew the difference between “remote work” and “working from home.” The former includes the freedom to work anywhere you want, whether it’s in your home office, a coffee shop, or a cowork space. The latter is typically confined to your living quarters, which typically doubles as a shared family space.
If you find that the shift from independent remote work to a comparatively restricted work from home (WFH) setting has created stress and frustration, it’s important that you take steps to ameliorate the situation sooner rather than later.
Working from home sounds like a paradise — to those who have never had to operate professionally from a home environment. Once you’ve left that beloved coworking space behind and you’re actively in a WFH setting, though, everything from making your own coffee to dealing with familial distractions or the demands of homeownership can quickly become a problem.
Here are a few suggestions for different ways that you can keep your spirits up, maintain positivity, and keep your WFH situation both productive and enjoyable over the long term.
Take Control of Your Situation
The critical first step in thriving when working from home is taking control of your situation. If you treat WFH conditions as a punishment or consider yourself a victim of your circumstances, you’ll only atrophy in your enforced isolation. However, you can proactively take steps to regain a sense of control by:
Creating a designated home office space (even if it’s just a corner of your bedroom) where you can be undisturbed while you work.
Setting work-life boundaries that allow you to both focus on work during the day and disconnect from work when you’re finished.
Take advantage of a flexible WFH situation to set up the schedule of your dreams.
Remain organized and schedule everything in both your personal and business lives.
If you want to avoid workplace burnout and its nasty side effects — things like excessive stress, depression, and irritability — it’s important that you make the most of working from the comfort (not the trap) of your own home.
Create Virtual Cowork Sessions
If you’re feeling the lack of socialization getting to you, you may want to consider setting up virtual cowork sessions to boost both yours and your coworkers’ spirits. Find coworkers or even like-minded individuals who are willing to hop onto a virtual work session via Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts for a few hours each day. The presence of a coworker can do wonders to keep you focused and on track.
Understand Your Rights
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you’ve lost the rights that you shared when you worked in an office. For instance, while it’s a bit more complicated, workers comp still applies to certain situations even when you’re working from home.
Knowing that you’re protected by the same (or a very similar) sets of rules that kept you and your coworkers safe in an office or shared workspace is helpful. It calms stress, reduces anxiety, and enables you to focus and enjoy your new work setting.
Work Towards a Safer Future
If you want to stay strong over the long-term, it’s important that you take steps now to ensure your future security at home. For instance, if you’re a freelancer, begin hedging your bets against future crises by using the lessons that you’ve learned now. A few suggestions include:
Codifying safety and sanitation best practices for your work in a crisis.
Improving your finances and building up an emergency fund.
Advocating with other freelancers (remotely, of course) for the right to a livable wage.
By preparing for the future now, you’ll be able to weather other catastrophes (or even reoccurrences of the current pandemic) if and when they threaten your livelihood down the road.
Turn Coffee Making Into a Hobby
Finally, if you’re missing your daily cup — or your five cups, as is more likely — don’t get frustrated with that old, beat up coffee pot. Instead, look for a popular coffee publication like Sprudge or Whole Latte Love and start studying up on how to brew the best darn cup of coffee on the block. The first time you sit down with a fresh pour over or a steaming espresso shot, you won’t regret the investment.
Staying Strong When Working From the Home Front
The ability to work remotely has been a saving grace during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s allowed countless businesses to stay open, sustain continuity in their operations, and keep their employees on their payroll. Nevertheless, when your remote work solely consists of working from home, it can quickly lead to feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and even trapped.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways that you can take your virtual working destiny into your own hands. Whether you’re hosting a virtual working session, brewing a fantastic cup a joe on a break, or squirreling away cash in a growing emergency fund, there are many ways you can calm your nerves, overcome your challenges, and both survive and thrive while working on the home front.
Noah Rue is a journalist and content writer, fascinated with the intersection between global health, personal wellness, and modern technology. When he isn't searching out his next great writing opportunity, Noah likes to shut off his devices and head to the mountains to disconnect.