Written in 2019 BEFORE lockdown
There are many formal and research-based articles and essays about working from home (#wfh) — Its advantages, disadvantages, and the kinds of people and roles that are suited for wfh. This essay isn’t one of those. It’s just a story with a “sample of one.” Your mileage may vary.
I can break up my day. Which makes me a better employee!
If you work for a company that expects a butt in the seat from 7:00am to 7:00pm this section isn’t relevant. If your company expects results in a solid 8 to 10 hours, you may find this section useful.
What has the ability to break up my day meant to me? Here’s an example of a day similar to one I have most Tuesdays:
This day gives me 9 hours of work time, allows a workout or swim, allows me to attend Toastmasters (professional development not booked as work), gives travel time to a local shared desk, and provides decent amount of personal time even if I go to bed at 10 or 10:30pm. If I replace Toastmasters with another personal commitment — or adding sleep or personal time, I still have a solid 9.
Sometimes I break up the days even more (think: doctors appointments, school IEP meetings, visiting with my son at school, etc.) Of course each day is different depending on projects and meetings, but you get the idea. (Note: My family situation also allows my current approach to my schedule. Not all family situations work like mine, but WFH flexibility can help family / life balance for other family situations.)
Compared with a previous “butt in the office” reality
In my last in office position, a 9 hour day could mean no gym, a 6:45am commute at 1.25+ hours inbound with coffee in the car, at work at 8:15am, a 1 hour lunch (or workout), leaving work at 6:15pm, and home at 7:45pm if lucky. Skipping lunch in order to go to gym. No time for toastmasters. Still a solid 9.
Commuting is a big factor here, but not the only factor. In my situation, the “broken up” #WFH day afforded:
Time to exercise – Sure, I used to be able to do it at lunch. But now I can do it in the morning or, on days I can arrange it, in the afternoon or early evening at a reasonable time. Not to mention saving my back and blood pressure from not sitting in traffic.
Meditation breaks – I can book meditation time on a regularly scheduled basis and I can squeeze it in at home or in a nook at my shared office space in a way that most of my in-office experiences didn’t allow because of space and, to be frank, social expectations. (In North America, how many workplaces look at a 20 min power nap or meditation session as something to be done in the office?)
Creativity boost – This is a big one. For me at least, having the day broken up matches my personality. Working in different locations (home, shared desk, a coffee shop) helps me be more effective. Sitting still for extended periods of time doesn’t work for me. And, in an office, the up-and-down nature of a fidget-er like me can cause disruptions.
Tracking, engagement, and ideation
Better tracking and note taking – For some reason, working remotely in 1:1 and small groups on Zoom and Slack encourages me to practice better project and time and task management. I find myself taking much better notes and using Trello and other tools much better to track things.
I know there isn’t a perfect correlation, but for me, not having a person next to me to easily ask something makes me more likely to take the time to track it on my own. I am pretty sure it’s the nature of the kinds of tools and how we can use them to create meeting and discussion artifacts that make me more cognizant of them as a remote employee. Whatever the reason, tracking seems to be better, at least for me, when I am WFH.
Engagement with peers – In a weird way, I get a kind of engagement with my peers that I don’t always get face to face. Don’t get me wrong. I firmly believe that when being physically available or a task necessitates it, a face-to-face peer is the optimum approach. But what about all those other times?
Sometimes being on a different floor in an office is very similar to being in a different city – If someone is on the far end of the 19th floor and I am on the 18th, I will probably use Slack. And, what’s different about that than if I am in another city?
Looks may not have as much of an impact if you are remote – If I am exhausted and I don’t want a peer to see that. When I am in person there is no hiding it. WFH, I can just turn my camera off and use audio.
Peer collaboration tools work well remotely – When I need to work with someone on a document or other artifact, a peer editing or collaboration tool can work just as well in two (or more places) – and can be easier to schedule – then getting everyone in the same physical room.
But wait, there’s more! Coming up in Part 2:
- Saving money money money (money!) for me and the company
- Cheaper and more diverse space
- Loyalty, acquiring and keeping talent
- Employee saving on taxes (sometimes)
Your thoughts? Additional points to add to future installments?