It’s hard to believe we are coming up on the end of our sixth week working from home.
The world has changed so much, so quickly over that period of time. I think it’s fair to say this is not something anyone saw coming when we rang in 2020 in January.
I am incredibly grateful to work in a job where working from home is possible. That said, transitioning from an office job to working from home has been an interesting experience.
Today, I wanted to share some of the things I have learned through that transition.
My experience working from home
Jeff and I both started working from home in mid-March.
We both work in industries where the majority of, if not all of, our work can be done remotely. There were some things that needed to be adjusted to fit the new model, but all told, I can’t complain.
Reflecting on the last few weeks, five things that helped make the transition easier.
Having a separate workspace
Before the pandemic, my experience working from home was limited to the odd day or two here and there. The majority of my adult working career has involved spending eight or so hours a day in an office.
When I worked from home before, I typically set up in one of two places: the living room couch or the bed.
These were fine solutions for those one-off days, but when we transitioned to working from home for an undetermined period of time, I knew that would not work.
Lucky for us, we have a spare room in our apartment which does have a desk set up. This space has become my office. It’s not the perfect office, but being able to sit at a desk definitely makes things feel more normal.
Getting dressed daily
Some folks say you should do the whole shebang when you’re working from home — put on makeup, do your hair, put on your work clothes.
I am definitely not that person.
But I also learned early on that staying in my pyjamas all day, while comfortable, wasn’t helping me. So every day, I make sure to get dressed.
Most days, this looks like leggings and a t-shirt paired with sneakers. More often than not, I pull my hair up and I don’t bother with makeup.
It’s not glamorous at all, but it does help me separate sleeping/hanging out from work time.
Setting business hours
One of the biggest things I’ve learned working from home is that if you are not careful, it is entirely possible to end up in a scenario where you are just working…all…the…time. This is especially true if you don’t set working hours.
This one is a challenge for me, mostly because of the type of work I do. That said, I have been making an effort to be a little more aware of this and trying to create better boundaries in this regard.
Something I have found helping is establishing routines. One example of this is the supper hour — every day, I aim to be signed off by about 5 p.m., so I can start supper. I like preparing food and I find this helps me both to wind down and to get offline at a reasonable time.
Setting working hours is still very much a work in progress for me, but it’s coming along.
Accepting that productivity will ebb and flow
There was a quote I read somewhere when all this started that said something to the effect of how it is important to remember you are not working from home during a crisis, you are at home during a crisis, trying to work.
It really resonated with me.
No one is productive one hundred per cent of the time when things are normal. Expecting total productivity when the world is upside down? It just doesn’t work that way.
Working from home in these circumstances means there are going to be days when you’ll struggle with productivity — and that’s not just OK, it’s expected. When I’m struggling with this, I just try to remind myself that I am doing the best that I can, and that’s all I can do. I have found the helpful.
Embracing the super productive moments
The flip side: when I am productive working at home? I’m super productive!
I have two theories as to why this is the case for me.
For one, there are definitely fewer distractions at home. Even with Jeff also working from home and the cats…doing cat things, it is still very different from the office environment. I have a lot more control over who I talk to and when I talk to them when I’m working at home. I have found that makes a big difference.
My second theory has to do with perceptions. Specifically, I think it’s easier for me to be productive at home because I feel like I have to prove I am working hard if I’m not in the office. The thought process behind that is my boss can’t see me at my desk working, so I need to make sure I have other ways to prove I am or they will think I am slacking off. Will they? I don’t know that. But worrying they might does motivate me to want to do the best I can to get the work done.
Like I said, not every day is productive. But these things have made it really easy for me to kick it into high fear when I need to.
Final Thoughts
If you’re used to office life, working from home can be a big transition but there are ways to make it easier.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do if you’re making the transition is accept that it is going to take time to adjust and you will need to give yourself some grace as you work through the kinks. I have found pairing that knowledge with some of the routines above has been helpful for me. Maybe it will be helpful for you, too.
What’s your best working from home tip?
Investing in a desk and office chair have been game-changers for me in this new WFH lifestyle. I spent a little over $100 on a simple desk and office chair from Walmart and it was WELL WORTH the money. Previously I was either working from my couch, bed, or kitchen island on not-very-supportive bar stool, and it was not a great situation. Fine for the days when I was only working from home once a week – not so much on a daily basis!
Exactly! I was in the same boat — I don’t get to work from home on a regular basis but I knew pretty quick that the bed/couch life was not going to work for this new arrangement. The desk didn’t get much use before now, but boy, am I glad we had it here and ready!
(Next step will be getting hubby all set up. He brought his office chair home, but his desk set up involves an op amp and a box with a broken microwave in it haha)
I love hearing people’s perspectives on this conceit because it’s not an option for me at this point. As an outsider, it’s easy for me to paint a rose colored picture of what it must be like to work from home, but the reality I hear or read from others is very different. From what others have told me over the years makes me think you’re on the right path by trying to maintain as much normalcy as possible by dressing and not just sitting in bed to work. You’re also doing what my friend’s fiancé eventually demanded of her: setting specific work times, creating a work space, separating work time from home time, and functioning like someone who works outside the house. They found her working at home was ruining their relationship, hence his setting boundaries for her. She agreed to his ideas and said it helped them tremendously and improved her overall level of productivity and quality of life. Glad you’re doing the same!
And I love the parts about recognizing you’re working in a crisis and that no one is ever 100% productive. That’s so true and easy to forget.
I can totally see how that could happen — especially if you’re living/working in a small space. It’s funny. Sometimes I miss our old apartment, primarily because it had a bathtub and a dishwasher (oh, how I miss my bathtub and dishwasher)…but it was a one bedroom. Trying to find a way for both of us to work there during this time would have been challenging. The solutions we have come up with here are not perfect, but at least we have a bit of space we can play around with, you know?
To the last part — it’s definitely something I try to remind myself about every day because it can be easy to forget. I’ve also found keeping that in mind helps me be more patient with others. It’s only been with some distance from it that I really realized how difficult the first couple weeks of this whole thing were. Everyone was very much in fight or flight which…fair. But it definitely meant I was a lot less willing to extend grace to people around me in times of frustration. I’m trying to be very aware of that these days, with varying degrees of success.
Hi Tara,
I loved this article! And you hit it right on the head with the setting work hours. I find that, like you, when I am productive I lose track of time and all of a sudden the sun is going down and I am still working! Great for getting things done but not so great for my mental health. That was a very good idea about setting a schedule and it is something I will have to work at.
I do enjoy the working from home a lot. There is definitely more quiet time to think. And we did get me set up in an office with a desk, an awesome chair, dual screens and whatever I needed to make me productive and settled as much as possible. This may be the way of the future for some so might as well make the most of it!
Thanks, again, for the perspective and the tips! Always appreciated!!
Hi Debbie! Being more diligent with my working hours has made a huge difference for me. The nature of my job has made it challenging at times (especially where I am on call every other weekend) but for the most part, now that things are a little calmer than they were, it’s been a lot easier to be firm with that boundary. The added bonus is that when I am working from a place where I’ve been able to take a break and rest, I find I do better work.
Like you, I’m also loving the quiet time to think! I do miss my dual monitors (really should have brought them home with me — oh well!) but other than that, I’ve got nothing to complain about here. I don’t even mind the kitty interruptions (yes, even when the cat decides to walk across my keyboard haha). Glad you’re settling in well, too!