Suddenly Remote? Five Tips on Transitioning to Work From Home

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is officially a global pandemic. In a matter of days, employers implemented no conference policies, then no travel policies, and now flexible work from home (WFH) arrangements. If you’re an office worker who suddenly finds yourself a WFH employee for the foreseeable future, the change can be daunting. I know because I transitioned from a full-time office position to a full-time remote position over two-and-a-half years ago. Here’s how to transition to WFH so you don’t miss a beat:

1.      Routine rules.

Obviously, your morning routine is going to change when you don’t have to get ready for work and commute to the office. If you typically commute two hours one way and suddenly have a two-minute walk to your home office, that’s fantastic. The problem is, it can be tempting to start work at 7 a.m. one day, and then stay up late binge-watching TV and begin at 10 a.m. the next day.

Avoid these inconsistencies. Routine helps you sleep consistently and stay productive. Not to mention, consider capturing some of that time doing what you enjoy before work starts, like exercising, reading the paper, walking your dog, or spending time with your family. Those activities are incentive to follow a routine that allows you to sleep well, stay engaged at work, and stop working at the same time every day so you can enjoy your evenings (see Tip # 5 for more on this!).

2.      Wear what works.

Let me be clear: this tip is not to wear at home what you wore to work. Of course, do that if it works for you. Some people feel they need to dress more formally to get in a “work” mindset. Others think, “Awesome! Now I can wear my pajamas all day!” However, don’t be surprised if the novelty wears off. Or you may end up scrambling when your boss schedules a last minute video call and everyone sees you wearing a holey Snoopy t-shirt from 1998.

That’s why I encourage you to figure out and wear what works for you. I know I am not someone who needs to dress up to be productive. So, I dress for my entire day. I typically go to a bar class in the early morning, take my son to pre-school or play with him until our nanny arrives, work in my home office all day, and then spend family time together. This is a long way of saying I’m generally in athleisure all day, which is comfortable for exercise, sitting at my desk, or playing in the yard after work. I hasten to add that I’m lucky the dress code at my company is casual, so I simply layer on a casual sweater or other top to be presentable for a videoconference. (Remember, they can only see you from the waist up!) Figure out quickly what works for you and stick to it so you’re ready for whatever you have to face that day.

3.      Set up a designated work space.

Now that you’re not in your office with a physical desk, try to find a semi-permanent work area where you can place your laptop, papers, and whatever else you need to work in one place. Working on the couch out of your backpack or briefcase may feel temporary and may have you rooting to find your things or hinder your ability to spread out your things. This tends to waste time and be distracting. Do what you can to find a designated work area where you can put the things you need, from your phone and laptop chargers to your coffee to your paperwork and pens. If you have the resources and space, consider getting a monitor for docking your laptop so you really “feel” like you’re in the office.

Full disclosure: I am lucky enough to have an extra bedroom designated as my home office. I get that many of you don’t have that option or live in a one-bedroom apartment with your significant other (who, by the way, is also working from home thanks to COVID-19). Try to adapt this rule if you can. For example, if you are working at the kitchen table, think of it like your desk when you’re work and your kitchen table when you’re eating. If you are sharing WFH space in tight quarters, consider taking turns at the desk or kitchen counter while the other works in the bedroom. The key is to stay organized and treat wherever you are working just like your desk at work. Then, put everything away at the end of the day (see Tip # 5 on why this is important!).

4.      Schedule your distractions.

The most common remark I heard when I switched jobs was, “I can’t get anything done at home. I get too distracted.” I get it. All of a sudden you can’t work unless you finally re-grout the shower. You have never been hungrier for almonds. It’s the perfect time to catch up on laundry. There are a million things you could be doing now that you are home, but remember that timing is everything.

The good news is that you can do a lot of “house stuff” while you WFH. You saved time without commuting and are in full control of your lunch and snack breaks. While it’s unlikely you can re-grout your shower over lunch, you can certainly throw in laundry before work and then fold and put it away over lunch. And your 10:30 a.m. break is the perfect time to grab those almonds. Try to stick to more formal breaks to accomplish these tasks. Pretend that you are at your office and physically distanced from those tasks until your pre-planned break arrives. Then, you can “leave work” to handle them. The bad news is that if you get too distracted during the day, you will end up mismanaging your day and working at night. Get used to staying on task as soon as you transition to WFH.

5.      End your day.

This is similar to Tip # 1, but deserves its own shout out because it’s that important. Beware the danger of WFH: working more than usual or all the time because you no longer physically leave the office every day. The lack of a physical distinction and commute between work and home blurs the lines. If you are aware of this now, you won’t fall into that trap.

Let’s say it’s 8 p.m. and you are about to clean up from dinner but you see an email pop up on your phone. It’s tempting and easy to head back to your laptop and respond. Before you know it, you decide to tie up some other loose ends. Now it’s 10 p.m. and you didn’t unplug for the night. (So you end up staying up later to unwind, oversleeping, and starting work too late the next day. Remember that a routine rules!)

As you learn to WFH, commit to stopping work at about the same time every day and “leaving” work. Routine is what allows you to stop work every day. Your discipline is what allows you to truly end your day. You can do it! Shut down your computer when you’re done. If you’re lucky enough to have a workspace with a door, close it when you leave. Do whatever you can to end your day. If you WFH at the kitchen table or bedroom, pack everything up to transform that space back to its typical use.

This one is important to me because over the course of my 15-year career, I’ve come to appreciate the power of recharging your batteries. Allow yourself to do this for personal and professional reasons, from your wellness to the quality of your work product. Having a firm end to your day takes discipline but it’s important. Plus, you have to stay sane if you are working and living in close quarters with people during this pandemic!

A caveat to those of you thinking, “Gee, wouldn’t that be nice?! I have to respond to those emails when they come in!” I empathize with you. I practiced law at a firm for over a decade and the norm was for me to come home and log back on. I understand that it’s the reality for many of us in 2020, regardless of our profession. If that’s you, all the more reason to follow Tip # 1 and reclaim that “suiting up” and commuting time for other things you enjoy. Please don’t use that time to work even more unless it’s the exception rather than the rule. You may come to realize that your new WFH arrangement is the best thing that ever happened to you.

Good luck and stay safe out there! Stay tuned for more tips on how to work from home successfully after you’ve settled in. Hopefully these first five help you get started like a pro!