Post Pandemic, world looks at work in a different light. There are those who’d like to go back to the pre pandemic era and only office work days, there are those who see value in working from home. For many of the offices, managers it has been an eye opener how much can be accomplished without physically coming to office. Of course there are exceptions where managers would like to be in control and see their teams in office. Some have reached a middle ground and opted for the hybrid working. How can you make it work for you?
With increasing workforce and more and more cars on roads, working from home can be more viable option both from cost and environment point of view. How do you make it work for yourself? I’ve been working in corporate sector for over 15 years have tasted the flavour of long term work from home during pandemic. Gradually, a lot of organisations are moving to a hybrid scenario including mine. Here’s how I make it work for myself.
Office days
Staying home during pandemic and then a gap from work, makes me more excited about going to an actual office. I love the idea of seeing many faces, a dedicated place where everyone is working and the friendly banters around water cooler or coffee machines. The whole environment makes me want to just get back to projects and the office thinking mode. That’s why I like to make the most of the office days for things that can’t be done the same way from home. (Well not yet some would argue :))
Keep my face to face meetings organised
I like to schedule my week in such a way that I keep all important face to face meetings for days when I am in office. There are always those stakeholders you prefer to meet face to face. Getting some face time with the team is a crucial and wonderful opportunity to keep the bond strengthened.
Brainstorm sessions
When you are working on projects with many members within and across teams, there are stages when brainstorming sessions are needed. If you foresee such a session that needs more than an hour’s time, it’s better scheduled during face to face meetings. This way we can avoid distractions and everyone can get in one room and make some decisions.
Plan in advance
During a hybrid scenario, if you have flexible days when you can be in office it can pose its own challenges. It might be difficult to get everyone you need in office on the same day. This is where I recommend a bit of planning in ahead. If you are planning your days a month in advance minimum (I recommend this), it will be easier to get on people’s agenda and get all the right meetings and sessions scheduled.
Manage personal time
During these days depending on your travel time, your personal goals can take a hit. At the moment I take up to 4 hours traveling in a day. That’s a lot of time when you can’t do much else. (Besides taking calls or listening to music or a podcast). I still try to take time for myself and spend even if only a few minutes on workout and my me time. I make it a point that I don’t bring work at home on these days. So, I can completely switch off from work the moment I start my drive home. If I use public transport, I like to catch up on my reading.
Work from home days
Focused deep work
This is the opportunity, I like to use for tasks where I need to thinking work. Need to come up with a roadmap for the next year? Collected a lot of data and feedback, now you need to make sense of it? This is the time when I like to go in my zone and focus on these items. All I need to do is keep my desk organized and dive right into work.
Plan ahead for other commitments
At the moment, I don’t have to worry about children or other family members besides my husband. What I hear from people who have these responsibilities is that they make arrangements for their kids to be involved in activities they enjoy while there’s someone who can watch over them. Whether it’s a day care service, school or your family or a sitter who can take care of them. Even if you are able to get it done only for a few hours in a day. It can catapult your productivity.
Dedicated work space
All this wouldn’t work if you don’t have a dedicated work space for yourself. You can respond to a few emails from your couch or attend a call from your dining table. However it’s crucial for productivity and work life balance to have a dedicated office / work space in your home. Now don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t have to be a lavish looking study or even a separate room. It can be a folding desk that you can keep aside when you are “Done” with your work. The idea is to separate your work from home. For you to realise now my work is over and I am home. This is time for my family and myself. In our small 75m2 flat, my husband and I have both a small nook each in opposite corners of the living room and hall. Once our office day is over we chill in the living room and kitchen. For now it works for us. 🙂
Make use of the saved travel time
This is the best part I like. I just get excited about the 4 hours I save on days, I’m not going to office. I use this time for longer workouts, to catch up on my reading and just cozy up and spend time with my husband. We both like to cook, so these are the days we spend some extra time in thinking and cooking what we like. Running errands like grocery shopping and picking up something from the post office is easier when you still have some time left after your office is over. This helps us keep our weekends a bit more free to plan more interesting stuff like deep cleaning the house. (Just kidding :)). Well at the moment we are spending any spare time we get to look for a new house. But I have big plans for when I’ll have more time to spend on things I like to do.
Don’t let office bleed into you home life
The debate about work life balance is never ending. There can never be a 50 -50 balance. Some even say that work is a part of life, and I agree. You can’t separate work from life. At the same time, it shouldn’t become so overwhelming that you burn out. It is real, I have experienced it and know many others who have. Especially in the last couple of years. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of taking care of yourself. Your body, mind and soul need to be healthy for you to have a good life. So do what you can to keep that balance. If you are spending extra hours on work someday or some days. Remember to keep it easy on other days. Remember to take out those breaks for yourself. Don’t miss out on things that you love to do for a long time. Remember work is part of life.
It’s only January. There are busy and exciting days ahead! Let’s make it work!
Until next week!
Ciao!
