If you do any kind of work at all, you’re likely working from home. Long gone are the days when you could go to the office or the client site or the local coffee shop.
But if you’ve been working for over a year remotely, you’re likely getting fed up with some part of it. You know what I’m talking about. The meetings where you or others talk but were on mute by accident. Online meetings where the host asks you to turn on your audio and video, even though you really don’t want to. Having no separation between ‘work’ and ‘home’ because your home office is your kitchen table.
Hey, I get it, I’ve been there. But I wanted to share three tips, being a remote worker myself, that has helped my productivity:
15-minute planning session at the start of the workday
Some days, I dive right into the work. But if you’re always putting out fires or focused on the tactical, you don’t take a step back to look at the strategic. As Stephen Covey says, what are the big rocks in your life? Because if you don’t make room for the big rocks in your ‘jar’ called life, you fill it with pebbles instead, or worse, gravel.
What are the big meetings you need to prepare for? What big deliverables do you have that are due soon that you need to make progress on? Who are you still waiting to hear back from?
10-minute walk after lunch
My former boss used to eat lunch quickly and then head outside for a walk. We were near the mall so she used to walk there and then come back. It doesn’t sound like much — what’s 10 minutes? But when you’ve been sitting all day, a walk, and especially a walk outside, can do wonders for your energy, focus and just getting non-recycled air into your body.
5-minute break after meetings
Online meetings are draining. If you can, turn off your self-camera if you are turning on your video because studies show it helps with online meeting fatigue. But if you can’t turn off your self-camera, make sure you take some time for yourself after every meeting. First, review the meeting’s outcomes. What were the major discussion items? Action items? Decisions made? Then, set the intention for the next thing on your agenda.
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