Hey Nerds,
It’s two weeks in to Working From Home for this Head Nerd and wouldn’t you know I’m feeling it. I am now acutely aware of how many loud trucks drive by our house on the “major” road one house away from us. Their bass bumping loud enough for us to bang our heads against the wall to their beat. These same drivers are the ones that peel out from the stop signs and sound like they are going to careen into the front of our home. And let’s not forget our (really nice) neighbor and his truck that beeps when he backs it out of his driveway what seems like thirty times a day. I’ve got 99 problems and 3 of them are truck-related.
Let’s get honest here: I always thought I would make a good hermit. Despite my result as an ENFJ Protagonist personality, I am still happily an introvert.
Fun Fact: ENFJs are energized by time spent with others, focus on ideas and concepts, make decisions based on feelings and values, and prefer to plan and organize. In our over 15 years together, there isn’t a vacation I didn’t plan the ever living crap out of…well except the all-inclusive in Jamaica. The plan there was to drink–and drink we did! Other famous ENFJs include: Oprah Winfrey, Pope John Paul II, Dick Van Dyke, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Diane Sawyer, and Barack Obama. They are also the most introverted of the extroverts, or so I’ve read.
Back to my dreams of hermiting: I genuinely thought I’d make a good hermit. I don’t really love large crowds or excessive noise. I have always enjoyed my own company and never felt the strong need to go out. But oh my damn, these past two weeks have proven me wrong. Even though I don’t go out THAT much, my weekly visit to our local cidery and obligation to college sporting events meant that we were getting out on our terms.
So with that, I wanted to share some Do’s and Don’ts of Working From Home that I have learned over the last two weeks to help make the time more productive and my head not explode.
DO: clearly define a work space
Having a space that is your “work” space helps you get into the mindset that “hey, I’m workin’ heeyah.” You’re more likely to remain focused on tasks and less likely to wander over to Netflix to watch some show on tigers.
DON’T: sit on the couch and work
OK, maybe you can do this but sitting on the couch made me slouchy and mixed business with pleasure. Instead of seeing the living room as a leisure space and your office/desk/dining room table/ironing board standing desk as your work space, the two areas mix. Keep them clearly delineated and you’ll find it’s easier to shut off when it’s time to power down and shift over to enjoying your YOU time.
DO: stay active
Take quick breaks to keep your body active. At your work you probably were like me, you’d get up to go to the printer or walk a long hallway to get to the restroom. Now you’re in your home and the walk is dramatically shorter. Take breaks for your own physical and mental well-being and do some reps with free weights or a kettle bell. Don’t have weights? Lift a jug of milk or your vacuum or whatever you can find. Take walks around the block or your backyard or the house. Find a yoga video on Youtube and work that core. No yoga mat? Use a towel!
DON’T: forget to drink water
Staying hydrated is great for your health. It lubricates your throat helping keep viruses from taking hold, hydrates your skin, staves off headaches, and forces you to get up frequently to move (via bathroom breaks). Make sure that you’re still following your water regimen even when you’re home. Health professionals recommend drinking eight 8 oz glasses of water daily. 8×8. Easy to remember. Hate the taste of water? Mix in some orange juice! Try 1 part orange juice and 7 parts water. (ex. 4 oz OJ, 28 oz H20)
DO: take advantage of video conferencing
Yeah, it sucks having to look semi-presentable. You’re at home and who wants to unnecessarily have to do their hair? Not this nerd! But video conferencing, even with a hat on, helps keep the human connection when stuck working at home. It also forces you to remain more present in discussions and less likely playing Candy Crush on your phone. (I’m not saying you’d do that, but I’m also not saying I haven’t done something similar on a boring conference call without video.)
DON’T: forget to scope out your background when using a webcam
There’s nothing more embarrassing than a half-naked nerd walking around in the background of your early morning conference call because you didn’t remember that the hallway to the bathroom is visible from the dining room table. (That hasn’t happened to us…yet.) Or GOD FORBID you don’t realize your webcam is on and you take your laptop to the bathroom while on a call. It’s happened. (Again, NOT to us.) Google it. Take the extra effort and test your camera each day when you settle in. Also, if your laptop doesn’t have a built-in privacy cover, consider using a post-it or go all out and buy one online. (Pssst…these are also becoming very popular at conferences as swag. I know we’ll have to wait until conferences start back up again, but when they do keep an eye out for a free one!)
DO: work
Your an adult, act like the responsible human you are and still get shit done. If not, the WFH train may leave for good. This feels like the worst test ever, but in the end employers won’t have the argument that “we just can’t do business working from home.” Don’t give them a good reason to never allow it in the future.
DON’T: work way later than normal
If you’re in the zone on a project and it’s already 5 o’clock, get it. Finish that up and leave yourself in a good place to start tomorrow. But don’t leave your laptop open and answer emails until 10 pm. I’m a firm believer that if a company wants you answering emails that late, they aren’t the company for me. Especially if it’s not an emergency. I’ll allow an occasional emergency email, but someone wanting you to confirm something that can wait until the morning can do just that–wait until the morning.
So there you have it, a few things that have helped this nerd with working from home. And to take my own advice, I’m going to shut down and make my way over to the living room to enjoy a s’mores beer and watch a movie with my favorite nerd. I will leave you with one parting piece of advice: a Scentsy warmer is great for keeping the house smelling fresh, except when you’re sitting a foot away from it for an extended period of time. Then you taste the scent and you want to vomit.
Cheers,
Head Nerd