Like 46.6% of people in the UK (ons.gov.uk, April 2020), I've been working from home since 18th March. And, like so many others, this now feels like a lifetime ago.
I remember the time leading up to 'WFH', as our company tended to work in the office, we had to conduct test-runs to ensure everybody was able to connect from their personal living spaces. This lasted only a couple of days, when at around midday on the 17th March it was announced everybody would be working from home commencing the following day and until further notice. Panicked and relieved, I gathered up my favourite work-place stuffed toy, the half-used carton of oat milk, and leftover snacks from the team’s secret stash. Truthfully? I think we were all a little bit excited. This would probably blow over in a few weeks, and it would be refreshing to have that extra hour in bed and to cut out the commutes. If I had known I would still be working from home six months later I would have taken my succulent home with me. Rest well, baby, I'm sorry I left you behind.
Disclaimer: I am so lucky to be able to work from home, and to have the facilities to do so. This post comes from a place of privilege where I own a laptop, have an internet connection, and space to work from. I am also sympathetic to the difficulties many others will have, who may live in unsafe environments or their mental health makes this new mode of working a nightmare. More needs to be done to protect you. I am so grateful to those key workers and individuals who are not able to work from home. I see my mother leave every day to go to work, how stressed it can make her in these uncertain times, and how tired she is by the end of the day. I see you all, and I am so thankful and grateful for your hard work and bravery.
Initially, working from home was a bit of a struggle, both on a company level and a personal one. Everyone was scrambling to make sure they had everything they needed, there were hiccups with the VPN, there were communication issues when we realised that you can't just walk on up to a colleague and ask a quick question. Oh no, that had become a half-hour Teams meeting.
And, if we're honest with ourselves, we all struggled in those early days because... well... we were schoolkids with the teacher out of the room. We could hit snooze, tumble out of bed at 8:55 am and still be on time. What were we meant to do with this new working routine? Could we slack off a bit, because they weren't monitoring us? Oh my goodness, there is literally nothing stopping me from going on my fourth fridge raid of the morning! You know the feeling.
Except, we didn't do that, did we? We really knuckled down, and we got things done. My step-dad has been working from home almost full-time for a few years. He'll only go into the office (in Slough, of all places. *shudders*) when he really needs to, so I've had a good role model for WFH practices before I even realised I'd need them. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I think I've started to nail this whole working from home business.
The first thing I do is wake up. I know that sounds really obvious, but working from home has been so good for my sleeping. I used to never consider myself a morning person, but I've come to understand that I am - I just don't like being woken up. I go to sleep at around 11 pm each night, and wake up refreshed and ready to go at 8:30am. I can even squeeze in a quick 20-minute reading session while I'm still in my pajamas when ordinarily I would be well on my way to work at this time. We all hate the sound of the alarm, especially when you have to set three of them just to make sure you're awake at 7 am! Without an alarm, I usually wake up at around 8:30 anyway, so I have found I only need to set one alarm these days, as a kind of buffer, just in case I don't naturally wake up. I know not everybody has this same experience, but I believe there is something to be said for being more in control over your own sleeping pattern. There's no feeling of dread in your stomach that if you don't wake up at 7am, you'll miss your train. You have more control of how you start your day, what you eat to get you ready to go, and how you approach your morning: surely, these things have to be a good thing for your general mood and outlook for the day? I know it makes me feel better to take the morning at a more personally natural pace.
So, what next? I log on. I work in my brother's old room. I've mentioned before he moved out a while ago, and so I was able to create a form of temporary office space. He has a small desk, a chair, bookshelves. Having this designated 'working' space has been so beneficial to me, but know so many aren't privileged to have a unique 'office' space. My step-father works at the desk downstairs, in our living space. I think what is important is having a 'zone' of work. Whether this is at a chair in the kitchen, on the sofa, or just on a cushion on the floor and laptop on something that keeps your posture upright - I think it is really important to not work from your bed. Your bedroom is your space, it is deeply personal and intimate. On a professional level, you don't want your boss to see your favourite stuffed toy and Justin Beiber posters. But, equally and almost more vitally, you don't want to be thinking of your boss when you curl up to go to sleep that night. What I mean is, set yourself a personal boundary. I will not work from my bed, because I don't want to blur that personal-professional boundary and bring it into the place I am meant to be relaxed. If you have to work from your bedroom, I would truly recommend attempting to avoid conducting your work from your bed. Set yourself a zone, and secure a place that you can unwind in once you've logged off.
I then say good morning to my colleagues. When lockdown first began, we were all inundated with Zooms and Facetimes and Teams meetings. That longing for a human face has diminished over time, but I still believe it is important to say good morning. Throw in a gif. Share what you watched on TV last night. I'm so lucky that the team I am in are all pretty close - most of us like gaming, or sharing recommendations for movies and books, or talking about sport. These interactions show I care, that we all care for each other and are thinking of each other, and are a small way to spread a bit of kindness in the morning.
Just as with having a physical zone for working, I try to keep myself to a working time zone. For example, I always make a fresh pot of coffee at 10 am. Just after my first meeting of the day, it seems like the right time for that mid-morning pick-me-up. I used to do this back in the office, where I'd head to the kitchen for a natter. Now, I head downstairs for a quick chat with my step-dad, or mum if she's at home. I also try to do the same at lunchtime, by taking it at around the same time each day and ensuring I physically step away from my laptop for at least half an hour. I think it's important to know that you are allowed to take breaks. When we were all working in offices, those times we would spin around in our chairs for a quick chat happened organically as-and-when we needed them. Now, we're on our own. We have to craft those breaks for ourselves so that we know we can take breaks when we need them. No-one is expecting you to be at 100% efficiency from 9:00-5:30. Take a break, make a drink, center yourself. You'll be surprised how much more energised you'll feel going back to it, afterward!
Now, as for working. With nobody to nag or monitor your progress, we've all had to become our own cheerleaders. Motivation is such a personal thing, but for me, I've found it in lists I can cross off. I am a huge fan of 'Trello' for its clean design and user-friendly functions, where I can create lists that work for me. I believe it's inspired by a Japanese organisational technique called Kanban, where you place your task on the left and the further across to the right you move it means the more complete it is. It sounds complicated, but it's really helpful and customisable to your needs. I've made a board with things I need doing today, tomorrow, this week, and this month. I can shuffle about my tasks, and physically see what needs doing and what is complete. Crossing something off my list, and seeing the list shorten, is so helpful to me and inspires me to keep going.
Also, my work involves a lot of personal responsibility - if I don't do it, it disrupts someone else's work and the client's end result. I know that if I slack off and watch another movie on Disney+, it will impact my colleagues and have repercussions down the line. Just because they can't see me, doesn't mean I'm not still a very important part of the team - just like you are in your organisation! We get it done because it has to get done. This is our job, and we are hard-working individuals with respect and responsibility. We get shit done.
The afternoon is often the hardest part. We've set the day up right, we've worked really hard, we've hustled. But, after that delicious lunch (and way more financially viable as we made ourselves because, let's face it, that sandwich you got from the cafe was overpriced and not that nice anyway...) we're a little sleepy, and Countdown just came on, and honestly, I should probably do the washing up, and... and... you know how it is. One of the primary benefits of working from home over office-based working is that you can pace yourself. Maybe it's 3:30 pm and you need another coffee and a chocolate biscuit. Maybe you need a quick break, a potter down the garden, or to fuss your pet. Maybe watching Countdown in the background is what you need right now. Because, back in the office, what would you have been doing now if you were having a little slump? Maybe twiddling your thumbs? Pretending to go to the stationery cupboard for Post-It's? If you have a mid-afternoon slump, you can ride through it when working from home, without feeling guilty. We all do it, and we all manage to sit back down again and pick up where we left off. I think it's this ability to manage your working day that makes WFH so beneficial for so many people's mental health - mine included. I'm not stressed. Take a moment, breathe, get back on it. You've got this, baby.
So we did it! We go to virtual meetings, we sign off completed work, we send emails, and we finish tasks. It's working as well as it could. I miss my colleagues a lot, but I know we're all coping as well as possible in the circumstances. I am so proud of everyone, of all the hard work we're still doing, and how this quiet shift to a 'new normal' has become habit. Because it does become habit: we've all found our own rhythm, and this is just mine. We focus, we take breaks, we cross off our lists, and we work bloomin' hard. It's our job, and we do it so well.
So, the end of the day comes around. It sounds easy, but I think we all know it's not: we log off. No, I know. That job would take just five minutes. You want to get it done before tomorrow. You want to get finished up today, so it's off your mind. I know. But if you are able to leave it, do it. Just as with our physical zones and allowing yourself permission for breaks between your hard work, it's equally as important to log off. To say 'I'm finished for the day'. Your time is valuable, and while working from home, you may have found yourself granted a smidgen more of it! With no commute, you might have gained upwards of an hour of your evening back! Log off. Enjoy it. Rest up, and get ready to smash the day again tomorrow.