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About distractions while working from home

daydreaming distractions while working from home
daydreaming distractions while working from home

… Insta-envy and how to stay focused

It is a known fact that when working from home we fall prey to distractions. Or at least we are more likely to, if we are not careful, don’t plan properly and we lack in the self-control department :). Because nobody sees us so we think it’s ok. That is not to say that those who work in an office setting are not distracted. They certainly are. But that is a topic for another post maybe. For now, let’s discuss the distractions at home.

Where do distractions come from?

Usually, when you think of distractions while working from home your mind immediately goes to the external ones. You tend to think of the postman ringing your door bell, or the washing machine finishing a load and making annoying sounds, or your colleagues pinging you all the time. Well in fact, research has shown that we waste more time due to the distractions in our mind, the wandering thoughts and the lack of focus.

“It’s not the chatter of people around us that is the most powerful distractor, but rather the chatter of our own minds. Utter concentration demands these inner voices be stilled. Start to subtract sevens successively from 100 and, if you keep your focus on the task, your chatter zone goes quiet.” 


― Daniel Goleman, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence

And while that is the only distraction that is completely under our control. It turns out that it is one of the hardest ones to “tame”.

“Insta-envy”

With the level of technology adoption in our lives and the role that social media is playing there, it tends to be very hard for us to practice focus and attention and quiet down the inner chatter. Not only do we get hundreds of notifications and updates every day on our phones and computers, but we then continue to think about them way longer than we probably should. “Wow, that was a beautiful bag”. “I’d love to have one like that one day”. “I wonder where she got it?”. “How come she can afford it?”. “Why don’t I have any nice bags?”. And the chatter goes on and on. And by the time we realize and bring our mind on the task we were working on as we were interrupted, you see 10min had passed. Or sometimes even more.

And that is not only disturbing and tiring for our brains, but also also expensive, for those of us working from home. The less effectively we use our time, the less work we do. And the less work we do, the less money we make. As simple as that.

How do we stay focused?

And if that is not enough to motivate you to keep the inner chatter under control, than maybe the fact that you get less time to do what you enjoy and spend with the people you love might. Or at least that’s what motivates me. When I catch myself “day dreaming” too much during a day, I remind myself that if I don’t finish my work on time I will need to work later in the evening which means less time to spend with my family or less time to sleep. And I am not willing to give up on either :).

“The antidote for mind wandering is meta-awareness, attention to attention itself, as in the ability to notice that you are not noticing what you should, and correcting your focus. Mindfulness makes this crucial attention muscle stronger.” 


― Daniel Goleman, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
A few other practical things I do when I know I need to stay focused and finish taks are:
  • I keep my phone on “do not disturb” mode.

This way I only get to check on all notifications, updates and be fully up to speed on what my friends had for lunch :), after I finish my urgent tasks

  • I set my status to “out of office” in Outlook

This allows my team members and other work colleagues to know if I can be bothered or not. Whenever I schedule focus time, I set my calendar to “out of office” as well as turn on my email auto reply. And thus people know I cannot be reached and I will come back to them as soon as I can.

  • Plan, plan, plan

To me planning is a lifestyle. It gives me piece of mind and keeps me focused. I know what my priorities are and what I need to focus on each day. I deliberately assess and choose what I want to focus on so that I use my time wisely. More on my planning secrets coming up soon :).

  • I meditate

This has been a tremendous change in my life ever since I started meditating. It helps me observe my thoughts, catch myself when my mind is wandering and bring it back to focus mode with a lot less effort than before. I strongly encourage you to try it if you haven’t so far.

But what really matters is that we are happy and satisfied with what we accomplished. So, at the end of the day, you do you. If day dreaming and the inner chatter make you happy, then do it. If you feel you need to be more focused then work to improve here. Take small steps and create new habits. Anything you want, you can do.

Until next time,

Laura

Also read: Me time while working from home

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Featured My Advice

Me time while working from home

Cold autumn or winter weekend while reading a book and drinking warm cocoa with marshmellows. Lazy day with cat on the sofa. Cosy scene, hygge concept.
Cold autumn or winter weekend while reading a book and drinking warm cocoa with marshmellows. Lazy day with cat on the sofa. Cosy scene, hygge concept.

When I started this blog, many of my friends suggested I write about me time. About how I manage to balance my professional and my personal time. And particularly how I manage to have time for myself while making sure that my family and my household are getting the attention they all need. After all, it is not easy when you are a business woman, a wife, a mom and more recently a blogger, who also works from home. I did mention in a previous post (The truth about working from home) that working from home can easily swallow all of your time if you are not careful.

So I decided to write about this not because I have THE ANSWER. I really don’t. I struggle just as much as anybody else. But throughout these last 6 years that I’ve spent working from home I might have learned a lesson or two and I would love to share those with you. Maybe you find some inspiration too. But before you read any further, you might want to grab a snack or a drink because this is a long one 🙂

Prioritizing time for yourself does not make you selfish

In fact it is the opposite of superficial or selfish. This might seem counter-intuitive to some. I used to fall into the trap of believing this as well. But I learned early enough that if I don’t look after myself I cannot expect anybody else to. And if I am not happy and fulfilled, I cannot share happiness and joy with my family and friends. Or I cannot focus at work and do my job as best as I can. So I learned to prioritize time, and I try to do that every day, for myself. To do what gives me joy, what makes me happy, what gives me energy.

Now, I am an introvert. I’ve always been. I take my energy from being alone, by myself and with my thoughts. I get energy from meditating and reading more than I do from interacting with others. But if you do, that is great too. It is just important to have an honest conversation with ourselves and figure out what it is we truly enjoy. What is it that truly gives us energy. And do some or more of that.

So I make it a point every day to save even if only 30 minutes for myself. To do what I enjoy. And I encourage you to do the same. Trust me, anyone who loves you will understand that and will not feel deprioritized or left aside. On the contrary, they will appreciate the fact that when you are together you really spend quality time, that you are present and happy instead of complaining or being unhappy.

And this brings me to the next lesson I’ve learned.

How to find the time?

Many times even if we understand that we need to look after ourselves, we fall into another trap, an even larger one. The trap of time. Our society has conditioned us to believe we don’t have time. Even worse, it has conditioned us to believe that being busy is good. That it makes us important and it gives us status.

Time has become the most precious and sought after commodity of our generation.

But at the end of the day, time is just an illusion. And whether we think we have time or we think we don’t, we are right.

–

The lesson I’ve learned over the years is that it is all about intention. And transforming that intention into action through planning and prioritization.

Planning is transforming intention into action

I was always a structured and organized person, I’ll admit that. But over these past years I believe I’ve taken planning to a whole new level. I always used to-do lists and calendars, but everything changed when I started using a planner. The planner helps set an intention and work to make it happen. It help you prioritize and choose what’s really important to you.

At first I used a planner I bought online but then soon after I realized I needed much more than it offered me. So I created my own. I built my own weekly planner that helps me FIND TIME. It helps me prioritize, stay motivated and look after myself. I call it my Mindful Planner. In a nutshell, it helps me stay sane and productive, while inspiring me every day. If you guys are interested in more details about my Mindful Planner I am happy to write a post dedicated to it and how I use it. Just let me know 🙂

Another change I made that literally changed my life is waking up earlier. After reading Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning (https://www.miraclemorning.com/) I started waking up at 6am. And this gives me 1 full hour in the morning, before anybody else is up, just for myself. I will soon write a post to share more about my miracle morning.

The last learning I want to share with you is about

What do I do with the time I make for myself

First of all, as I said, I try to book more slots of time for myself during the day. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. And that’s ok. But even if it was a crazy busy day at work, or a day when my son was sick and had to stay at home and I had no time for anything else, I do try to set aside at least 15-20 min at the end of the day for myself. And then, I either have a cup of tea and read, or I meditate, or I watch a quick YouTube video – depending on what I feel would bring me more joy.

Other times, when I do a better job staying on top of things at work and when it comes to my household, then I take more time for myself. I really enjoy cooking or baking. So even though most week days I look for the quick and easy meals, once in a while I will take my time in the kitchen. This relaxes me and it also brings joy to my son and my husband who are big lovers of good food ;). Also, I enjoy a lot going to hot yoga. So when I have more time, I sign up for a 90 min hot yoga class close to my house. This helps center myself spiritually, mentally and physically.

Make appointments

Last but not least, I do plan time for myself to go to the nails or the hair salon. Even though one might think it’s not necessary since I work from home. But this makes me feel good. It gives me joy and makes me feel stronger and more secure in my own body. It also is a great way to make sure I do take time for myself even during crazy busy times. Because I have an appointment and someone is waiting for me.

I truly hope that these 3 lessons I’ve learned over the years about finding and planning for me time have inspired you too. And that you will look to find more time during the day for the activities that make you happy. And trust me, it doesn’t need to be 90min. It can be just about going out and getting a cup of your favorite coffee. Or going for a quick run. On even sitting on the couch and relaxing for 5 minutes. As long as you are present and enjoying that moment to its fullest.

As the end of the day, it’s all about those little moments that make us happy.

Until next time,

Laura

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Featured My Advice

Remote working etiquette

adult-application-asian-733856
adult-application-asian-733856

In one of my first blog posts, The 5 biggest challenges while working from home and how to overcome them, I was talking about remote working etiquette. And I promised then I would write a post dedicated to this topic as I believe it is really important for everyone who work remotely. So that day has come. Go grab a coffee, tea or any other beverage you enjoy, as this is going to be a long one :D. You might be able to tell it’s a topic that I’m really passionate about 😉

But first and foremost, before we go into the nitty gritty of dos and don’t, let me put this out there. Working from home or any other place, camera on or off, does not spare you the need to act with common sense and in a polite and considerate way. If anything, when you interact with others virtually, I would say you need to be even more considerate and careful, as you might miss important queues in your communication with others. This is of course a skill anyone can develop over time, but at the beginning, try to put more effort into your conversations than you would in your face to face interactions.

So let’s get into the details.

INTRODUCTIONS

Just like in real life, when you speak to someone virtually, via Skype, Teams, Google + or any other platform, you still need to greet them. Also, if it’s your first time talking, you should introduce yourself. Of course they can check your online profile and know who you are. But introducing yourself will not only save their time, but also help break the ice and give you an opportunity to connect with the other participants on a more personal level.

BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS’ TIME

Show up on time. Working virtually does not make it ok to be late. In fact, when you work remotely there is no excuse to be late other than “my other meeting ran over”. But trust me, this does not make your colleagues who have been waiting for you in the call for 10 minutes feel any better. And if it does happen to run late, do me a favor and give them a heads up. There is nothing worse than wait in a call for 10min and have no idea if the other party will eventually dial in or if they’ve stood you up. The only thing that might make them feel better when you show up late though is assuring them the meeting with them will still finish on time, regardless of the delay.

TIME BACK IS A GREAT GIFT

And continuing on the same note related to time: if you happen to finish the conversation ahead of the scheduled time, do give the time back if you are the organizer of the meeting. Trust me, regardless of the level that your conversation partner has, they will appreciate the time back. I know that in some cultures you might feel that you “need to fill up the time” to show how important your topic is or how busy you are. But my experience shows that everyone appreciates getting those few minutes back, even if it’s only enough to get another coffee.

“Time is what we want most,but what we use worst.” 
― William Penn

BE THOUGHTFUL AND MAKE IT EASY FOR EVERYONE

This one is related to those cases when you receive a meeting request with no details on the topic to be discussed. Expect and provide clear details regarding the purpose of your meeting to allow the other participants to prepare ahead of the meeting and make it a productive one. Everyone wants to finish as soon as possible. So please take 1 more minute and explain the scope of any meeting you set up. Sometimes 1 line is enough and it makes a huge difference.

FEEL FREE TO SAY NO

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”

– Josh Billings

In fact, one rule that I have with my team is that they can decline any meeting request where they do not receive context on the scope or where they don’t feel they can add value. This is driven by the fact that when you work remotely, people feel they need to set up a call with you for everything. And if you are not careful you can easily get sucked into a cluttered schedule full of useless meetings. This in turn usually leads to the need to work over time to catc up on all the work you wanted to get through that day but couldn’t due to all these meetings that kept you busy.

I challenge you ;). Try saying no. Trust me, it is refreshing. Not only does it save you a lot of time, but also keeps the “virtual” clutter away.

REITERATE THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING

Another aspect that I find critical is reiterating the purpose and the scope of the meeting at the beginning of the conversation. This helps clarify for everyone on the call what you are looking to achieve and usually allows you to reach that goal within the scheduled time. Otherwise, you run the risk of going in circles and feel you are not getting anything out of the conversation.

WORKING VIRTUALLY OR VIRTUALLY WORKING

This is another aspect that annoys me a lot. People who dial into calls and say/ contribute nothing. Really, why would anyone want to be a wall flower? Time is so precious and scarce, why would anybody want to waste it on meeting where they bring no value? Is it just to look busy? Of course, if you are new to a topic and it is a valuable conversation for your learning, by all means. But even then I’d assume you would have clarification questions to ask. So please please do me a favor and if you chose to join a meeting make sure you have something to contribute and add value to the other participants. Otherwise simply don’t join.F

TECHNOLOGY GLITCHES HAPPEN BUT ARE VERY ANNOYING

It does happen sometimes that technology doesn’t work. You might be in an area with poor data coverage or your device decides to restart unexpectedly. And even if the other party can understand, it is still annoying. So you do want to make sure you check on the minimum requirements before you dial into a call. Be sure your device is charged – no one wants to run out of battery in the middle of an important call. I’ll touch on this topic in a post on charger and cables and how I manage this in a post that is coming soon.

I’d be curious to know what is your experience with remote working ettiquette. Leave me a comment below. I’d love to talk.

Until next time,

Laura

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Featured My Advice

What devices and gadgets I use to work from home

As I promised over on my Facebook page, today I am going to be talking about the devices and gadgets I use to keep myself at the top of my game while I work from home. Read till the end for a bonus: what I’d love to get and hopefully will soon 😉

COMPUTER

First and foremost, is my computer. Shocking, right? 😀 I would not be able to do any work without it, particularly when it comes to my own individual contribution. Presentations, analyses, basically everything where I need to use Microsoft 365 or calls where I need to share my screen. My computer is a crucial component for me being so productive.

Now, when it comes to the one I use. I have been using a Surface Pro for many years now. I even upgraded from Surface Pro 3 to 5 last year, for more power. And the reasons I chose the Surface are really easy:

  • it is thin and light. Which means it fits in any of my bags and I can travel with it really easily
  • It has a touch screen, which makes my experience as a user so much more natural. I love using my fingers as opposed to a mouse
  • It comes with a pen, which means I can hand write (I already told you I am a big fan of writing 😉 )
  • The battery autonomy is amazing – I don’t need to carry the charger with me when I go to work from the cafe next door for a few hours

PHONE

As far as my phone is concerned, I have always used an iPhone. Well, that’s not exactly right. I have been using mostly iPhone, except for a short couple of years when I tested out the Nokia ones. I came back to iPhone about 4 years ago, as I was really missing my apps which were not available on the Nokia platform. Last year I upgraded to an iPhone X and I cannot be happier. Even though I find it still a bit too large and too heavy for my liking, my phone is soon going to steal the first place in my top devices I use for remote work.

I have it with me at all times and I use it as my “first response” device. That means that I take many of my Teams calls from it – so I can be mobile and keep doing household chores when needed. But also that I use it to reply to urgent emails on the go, approve system requests for my team (holiday requests, expenses, you name it).

Other than using it for work, I use my phone for literally everything I need in my personal life. I make payments, I book hotels, I check bus schedule or purchase movie tickets. And of course social media. My phone is the main outlef t for posting and checking all my social media channels.

WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER

But my close attachment to my phone would probably not be that close had I not been using a wireless phone charger. This was really life changing. Not only that it charges my phone really fast and I am never worried I would run out of battery. Since I also use it as a phone stand on my desk so my phone is basically always charging while I use it. But I also absolutely love the fact that it saves me from the “cable drama”. And I’m sure you know what I mean :D. Do leave me a comment below if cables are also one of your pet peeves 😉

WIRELESS HEADPHONES

Another critical one are my headphones. Since probably 50-70% of my work is done via conference calls, I need a good pair of headphones to ensure great quality sound. And here I honestly tried everything. I tried wireless speakers, I tried the over ear ones with vacuum function for noise cancellation, I used wired ones. You name it. But I truly swear by my Bose ones I’ve been using for the past year. They are comfortable, don’t fall out of my ears. The sound quality is amazing both for me and those I speak to. And the battery life is awesome. I charge them every night and have them running through the day. Last but not least, the fact that they always hang around my neck allows me not to “lose” them around the house or in my bag 😀

APPLE WATCH

This one is not so much for work as it is for my wellbeing. I don’t use the watch for emails checking or anything work related. Its main use is to keep me grounded and healthy. I love that it reminds me to stand, as this is a great opportunity for me to take breaks. If you haven’t already, check out my blog post where I talk about the importance of taking breaks when you work from home: My top 3 tips about working from home. It reminds me to breath and most importantly to exercise.

BONUS: Second screen

If you have read until here, thank you ;). As promised, here is a bonus one: a second screen. For a long time I did not use one. And I believed I can manage with my Surface screen. And I did. But once I was introduced to the idea of a second screen, I was blown away. Not only that it allows me see everything at a larger scale (and I don’t strain my eyes), but it is also much easier to keep track of things in parallel. Since the one I am using now is a really old screen (my husband used to use it as a desktop screen many many years ago), I am now considering buying a new one. And the Surface Studio has grabbed my attention. What do you guys think – should I take the plunge and get it? 😀

I’d be curious to know what devices you use to work from home. Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,

Laura

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Featured Stories

Why I love working from home

adult woman working from home office in the bed
adult woman working from home office in the bed

and would never see myself back into a 9 to 5

To me working from home has been a blessing and a motivation. Even though it took me a while to figure it out, and through trial and error understand what works for me. This is a lifestyle I never knew I wanted, but which I would not see myself giving up any time soon. So for today I thought I’d share with you my top 10 reasons why I enjoy working from home. And why I do not see myself going back to a 9 to 5 job in an office any time soon.

#1: Flexible schedule

Yeah, yeah, this is somewhat an obvious one. But I still wanted to mention it because I believe not everyone truly realizes what a flexible schedule is. Essentially, it does not only mean that you start and end your day when you choose to. But also that it does not need to be one single block of working time. Instead, you can take breaks when you want no matter how long they are. This is an approach I’ve used for years. Recently I learned that this is called the block schedule system and has been promoted by Jordan Page.

If you are curious how I use the block schedule system, leave me a comment below and I will write a post dedicated to this.

#2: Working from the beach? Sure, which one?

I already told you that on Fridays I work from a coffee shop. Usually a different one. But I can be accused of having worked from pretty unusual places for most. I took calls from my nail salon, I drafted slides at the hair salon, I attended virtual meetings from the airport, the doctor’s, the post, the hotel room, the beach and while driving. And this is not all. Because when you work from home even the timezone doesn’t matter. You can literally be anywhere in the world and connect to calls, reply to emails or work together with your colleagues on shared documents. So which beach would you like to work from? 😀


#3: Time is the most precious asset you have – and you can get more of it

One of the main reasons I enjoy working from home is that it saves me time. Time I would spend on getting ready and commuting. Although where I live the transport is quite fluid and it would not take me long to get to the office any way. But I still enjoy this as I get to focus during those 60-90 min I save on other activities that are important to me.


“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” 
― Charles Darwin, The Life & Letters of Charles Darwin


#4: Who doesn’t want more money?

Another key reason I prefer working from home is that it allows me to save between 3,000 – 4,000 USD per year on lunch and transportation. Of course, the amount of the saving would differ from one country to another. But if you add daily coffee or any other small cost “daily habit” you might have, all that adds up. So why not add that to your holiday budget instead and spend more time in a more exclusive location? 😉

#5: Fewer distractions

This is a debatable one. But for me it does make a difference. And that is all the interruptions, the chatter, and even the noise that distract you especially in an open floor office. I still remember those days when my my team were shouting over the desk dividers to ask me questions :D. Every 5 minutes :). And of course, this could also happen in the remote working life as well. But there you have methods of letting others know you are not available. I promised I will write a post on remote working etiquette and I will do soon 😉

#6: More independence and problem solving

This is one I truly value. And what I mean is that not being in an office and having people who can solve your questions around, you end up looking up the answers yourself. And while sometimes this might not be efficient, I realized that this has helped me develop and learn so many new skills.

#7: Avoid passive stress

What I found is that I am way less stressed working from home. And the main reason for that is I don’t need to deal with other people’s stress. I am a quite empathetic person, so if those around me are nervous, stressed, angry, upset, I end up sharing some of those negative feelings. Whether I realize it or not. At home though, this no longer happens as I am surrounded by my loved ones only.

#8: Allows me to balance family responsibilities

This is probably one of the key reasons I am writing this post in the first place. Being a wife and a mother, I need time to look after my boys. It is something I enjoy and gives me energy. But with a 9 to 5 as demanding as mine, this would have been almost impossible. However, working from home I can balance the time I spend working and while I take breaks I do some of the household chores that relax me. This way I am efficient and I get to do what I need to get done in a pleasant way.

#9: More comfortable and personalized atmosphere

Don’t even get me started on this one :D. Who doesn’t enjoy personalizing their space? Really..People do that even when they are working in an office. So how could you not enjoy the flexibility of working from home, where you can have anything you desire on your desk, under your desk, next to your desk, above your desk, no desk … You get the idea 🙂


#10: Family and me time

Last but not least, working from home allows you to spend more time with your family or for yourself. Of course, this needs to go hand in hand with proper balance and planning as mentioned in my post on My top 3 tips about working from home. For me, just like number 8 above, this has been a blessing. Having a baby and then a toddler, working from home allowed me not only to arrange my schedule so that I spend more time with him. But it also allowed me to be flexible when he needed to stay at home on sick days. Again, I am considering writing a post on how I manage my day with a toddler at home. Please comment below if this is something you’d care to read about.

What are some of the reasons you enjoy working from home? Or what do you believe would be the biggest positive impact to your life if you were able to work from home as of tomorrow? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,

Laura

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Featured My Advice

How I stay organized working from home – work edition

organized woman working from home with laptop
laptop working from home organization tips

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has visited my blog and also liked my Facebook page. Although this is a new thing for me, and I am learning so much, the feedback was overwhelming. And I am so grateful for the positive response.

Now, the topic for today – organization. This is probably one that comes the easiest for me to talk about :D. And if you know me a little bit you know why I’m saying this. And if you don’t, well, fun fact about me, a while ago my close friend Steph was telling people I am sometimes more “German” than her :).

Anyway…so, I thought I would cover today the tips and tricks I use to stay organized at work. Just to keep it short and readable. And will have another post later on regarding the tools I use for personal organization purposes.

PLANNING – take time to save time

As mentioned in one of my previous posts regarding My top 3 tips about working from home, planning is one of my secret weapons. And here I do 2 things.

  1. I take Sunday evening 1 hour to plan my upcoming week. First I work in large chunks. I figure out when I need to block time in my calendar for personal errands and what time slots are non-negotiables from a work priority perspective. I also look for intervals I can block for email, focus time and other key tasks. Then I check which meetings I still need to schedule, which I need to move and so on. While I am getting into Personal Assistants like Cortana and I am training my Assistant Bot to help with my calendar, I don’t feel comfortable yet delegating this.
  2. Every morning, I take 15min to plan my day. I review key meetings I need to participate in and I decide on the key tasks I aim to complete for the day. This gives me a good indication of achievement and effectiveness at the end of the day. For this I use a good old to-do list. And that is simply because I love the feeling of crossing items off the list. I tried OneNote to-do lists (here is a video tutorial in case you want to try it out), I tried Digital sticky notes, yet nothing is as satisfying as my hand written to-do list. Even if the millenials in my team keep telling me I am old fashioned 😀

CALENDAR – give your calendar the power to tell you what to do

I’d be dead without my Outlook calendar. I use it religiously for both work and personal reasons. And I have everything in it – work related meetings, tasks I need to focus on, personal approintments for me and my family – EVERYTHING. And I feel my brain does not need to spend any more effort and energy remembering what I need to do. I just do what it tells me to do. Basically Outlook is more my boss than my actual manager :D. If you are not using a digital calendar, I encourage you to. It is lifechanging, trust me. And of course, you don’t need to use Outlook, it is just my choice because it is straightforward and integrated with my email.

Moreover, it is available on all my devices. And trust me, that makes a huge difference. Because slowly but surely, my phone is becoming my main device for work as well. And having my calendar at hand on the go allows me to stay organized and manage my time all in one place.

INTENTION AND DISCIPLINE – it’s hard but I cannot recommend it enough

“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest, we have to be more disciplined than the rest.” – Warren Buffett

This last one is in fact a segway from the previous one. And that is the fact that I start my days with a clear intention to be productive, to start on time and end on time. Not only the day as a whole, but also each time block I have in my calendar for the day. And I know, this takes a lot of discipline and for many it requires effort at least at the beginning – like any other habit you want to develop. But trust me, once you do it, it works like magic. You will start being more productive and many times finishing earlier than planned. Which is a nice treat both for you and your work colleagues. Everybody appreciates time back.

I hope you found some inspiration here. I’d love to hear your feedback if you try any of these.

Until next time,

Laura

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Featured My Advice Stories

The 5 biggest challenges while working from home and how to overcome them

Working from home is a lifestyle that many believe they’d enjoy as they choose to think only of the benefits: flexibility, comfort, no commuting time. But once they get the opportunity to try remote working, many find it challenging. So today I will cover some of the biggest challenges I have encountered while working from home and what I’ve done to overcome these.

1. LONELINESS

I wanted to start with this one as it seems to be, at least in my experience so far, THE biggest, yet somehow unexpected, challenge many encounter. Although obvious that one is moving from working in an office surrounded by co-workers, to being alone in their home office, this is one aspect that many seem to be blindsided by. Or at least its impact is somewhat underestimated by many. And, regardless whether you are on introvert or an extravert, you will find this to be a challenge as well at some point in time.

In my case, I am quite comfortable being alone as I find it easier to focus and that helps me be more effective. Nonetheless, I do feel lonely at times. And so, recently I have made a few changes to my working routine that seem to be really helping:

  • I work every Friday from a different cafe. Sometimes I choose the same one if I lack inspiration 😉 What this does, is it allows me to be surrounded by and interract with others, I meet new people and it also forces me to get ready and presentable 🙂
  • I do all my conference calls on Teams with the video on. Again, this not only allows me to see my team and my co-workers and makes the interraction more personal, but it also requires some getting ready and puts me in a proper “working mode”.
  • Thirdly, and this is something I have not tried yet but I am planning to try it out really soon, you could use a co-working space. Nowadays there are more and more of these spaces made available to remore workers and digital nomads. Selina is the one I’ve heard most about, but here in Zurich we have one dedicated to women called Birdhaus which offers a great environment for women of all backgrounds to meet.

2. WORK LIFE BALANCE

As mentioned in my previous blog about My Top 3 Tips about working from home balance is key if you want to myke this lifestyle an enjoyable experience. Taking care of yourself, and consciously deciding ony our start and end working times is crucial. This allows you to spend more quality time with your friends and family, as well as to take time for yourself.

A few other things that work for me:I set up reminders to take breaks, in my Outlook calendar.f

All of my team members and co-workers know I stop work officially at 5:30pm so I don’t take any calls or join any meetings after this time. I have blocked my time in my calendar too so people cannot cheat ;). If you don’t believe you are disciplined enough, I suggest you schedule activities or personal appointments around the time you want to stop working, so you don’t get to cheat either. It’s all about seld-discipline and intention.

3. DISTRACTIONS

This is such an obvious yet annoying one. And it’s not just the distractions around you: your phone, the TV – in case you still watch it, the pot on the stove, the washing machine having finished the load, the door bell, but it’s the work distractions too. Since you are not there in person, many tend to assume you are always available and thus feel fine calling or “pinging” you any time. I will come back to remote working etiquette in another post soon as it is a topic that I find fascinating and think more people should understand these things 😀

4. PERSONAL WELLNESS

Don’t forget to eat and drink enough water. Coffee does not give you more than a short energy boost. And trust me, I am guilty of living on caffeine till late hours in the afternoon when I realize I need to eat otherwise I cannot keep focusing. So I am not one to follow here, but nourishing your body is just as, if not more, important while working from home as it is when you are in an office. And this is because when working from home you have no one else to remind you it’s lunchtime than your own body – so don’t ignore it to finish “just this one more task”.

5. COMMUNICATION

Last, but not least, another aspect that many find challenging when working from home is communication. Ability to bring clarity in your communication and ask quoestions when needed is crucial to being successful here. Otherwise, either you or your co-workers will need to redo a lot of work – and trust me, I’ve been there ;).


“When the bulk of your communication happens via email and the like, it doesn’t take much for bad blood to develop unless everyone is making their best effort to the contrary. Small misunderstandings that could have been nipped in the bud with the wink of an eye or a certain tone of voice can quickly snowball into drama.” –
Basecamp founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier

Again, I’ll come back to this topic in a separate post as, over the years I’ve learned a few skills that come in handy here.

All in all, remote working is not easy and it is certainly not for everyone. But as long as you understand the pros and the cons, and the positives compensate for the compromises, then I suggest you give it a try. You might enjoy it afterall.

Until next time,

Laura

Categories
Featured Stories

How I started working from home

Even though I had occasionally worked from home in my previous jobs, it was not until I joined my most recent employer that I started consistently working from home.

Continue reading “How I started working from home”
Categories
Featured Truths & Myths

The truth about working from home

Most people I tell that I work from home believe I work in my pajamas and maybe from the bed…and that is sometimes true 🙂

In the recent months I have been getting more and more questions from friends but also people I randomly meet about working from home. How is it? Do you work in your pajamas? Do you need to start exactly on time? Does your boss know if you’re late? Some people ask even deeper questions about communication challenges in remote collaboration, ensuring quality of your work and personal motivation. So I thought I’d address all of these myths here today and, if this sparks your interest, I’d be happy to develop any of these topics in further posts.

So let’s start with the questions I get the most: Do I work in my pajamas? The truth is I do 🙂 many times. In fact, until recently, most days I used to work in my pajamas, or some comfortable attire. However, since my team and I started sharing the camera during team meetings and calls, I at least make the effort of making myself presentable from the waist up. The video sharing really helps bring us together, especially during a period when we don’t see each other in person too often. It also helps facilitate the communication, as sometimes only sound and no visuals (no body language in particular) can make the interaction more difficult especially with people you have known for a short amount of time.

How does the schedule look like when you work from home? This is another question I get frequently. Truth is – if you are not careful you can end up working more than you do when you have a 9 to 5. And this is because you can start working as soon as you wake up and can stop…when you need to sleep. So while working from home is flexible and can allow you to schedule some personal errands during the working hours – my team and I try to take a 30 min break every day to exercise, go to the gym or meditate – it can also be the enemy of your work – life balance. I will probably develop this in a separate post soon as it requires much more attention.

Working from home is great – you choose which 18 hours a day you work.

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Myth number 3: as amazing as working from home is due to the convenience and flexibility, it can be rather lonely. If you are not careful, you can spend 8-10 hours per day, or more, on your own, in your home office. And of course, you do talk to many people during that time. But there is little to none personal or in person interaction. This is why I have made it a purpose to work every Friday from a different coffee shop around my house. This way I get to meet and interact with other people when I want to get that extra energy and vibe.

All in all, home office has been a real blessing for me, especially after having our son. I can make sure I plan my household chores and my business meetings and tasks in such a way that at the end of the day I am done with both and can dedicate good quality time to my family.

I would love to hear your experience with working from home and/ or address any other myths you came across about working from home.

Until next time,

Laura

Categories
Featured My Advice

My top 3 Tips about Working from Home

If you are new to working from home or have been doing this for a while but feel overwhelmed, here are my top 3 tips about working from home and doing it successfully. These are things I have discovered to be working for me over the years and that allow me to spend my day in a balanced yet effective way. As ever, not everything that works for me will work entirely for everybody else out there and I cannot claim that. What I do hope is that you will at least find a few ideas and inspiration to help you navigate through this lifestyle and find those things that work best for you.

1. PLANNING

Probably one of the most important things I have learned over the years while working from home is planning – taking the time every day, or even once a week to plan and schedule my time for that particular day or week. Now the way you do that is less important. My preferred way to plan is to do that directly in my Outlook calendar, by blocking particular intervals of time to do email, to focus, or to run errands. I decide when I want to start and end my day. In addition to that, for the blocks of time that have a less precise outome, I go the old fashioned way and I use a hand written to do list. That is because I find pleasure in crossing things my to do list. This also helps me keep track of all the short term as well as long terms goals.

As mentioned, there are multiple ways you can plan: to do lists, bullet lists, mobile phone apps like the Notes and Reminder apps, or more advanced ones like OmniFocus, Monday.com, Todoist, Pocket. Also, nowadays more and more use their AI assistants like Siri, Cortana or Alexa.

Choose your favorite and whatever works for you. The goal here is to make sure you at least:

  • Decide when to start and end your work day – otherwise you will end up working way too long hours
  • Decide what are the key tasks you need to complete on that day or week
  • Plan enough time for yourself. We will come back to this later in this post.

2. DESK SPACE

Another aspect that is key to my effectiveness while working from home is making sure my desk space is clean and well organised. Clutter makes me nervous and less productive. I then get distracted by things I feel I need to put back into their spot or by realizing I am missing items I use regularly. And this prevents me from really focusing on completing my tasks effectively.

So I made it part of my every day morning routine that I clear out my desk and get it ready for a great day. I put back all the things that do not belong there and I only keep my essentials: laptop and mouse and my docking station, my agenda, my phone and wireless charging stand so I never run out of battery on my phone and I am alwaysready to go without worrying if I have enough battery left to finish a conference call. Then I have a few “feel good” items I like to keep on my desk: my coffee cup, a scented candle, my water bottle and flowers.

3. BALANCE

Last but not least, make sure you keep your day balanced. Be sure to set some time asside for yourself and plan for that with intention. If you enjoy going to the gym, then plan for a workout break every day or every other day. If you prefer yoga, then set aside time for a few poses. Plan for meditation time, or a run or whatever helps you recenter. At the end of the day you want to feel content with what you have accomplished and not feel that you only “wasted” your time on fixing other people’s problems.

I learned this from one of my former managers who used to book time in his agenda for a daily workout during the lunch break. He would also encourage us, his team, to take an hour every day to work out or practice a sport that helps us get energized. Thank you, Simon 😉 And that was because studies show that when you exercise, your brain clears out and you become much more effective than without that workout.

All in all, working from home has its perks – the flexibility, the quiet time, the lack of commutting time – but at the end of the day, it is what you make of it. So be mindful and plannful. And enjoy every day.

Until next time,

Laura