Free Your Mind

I’ve written before about the importance of leaving your house when you work at home. Being stuck in the same place, all day, every day, leads to cabin fever which may take on various forms: loneliness, despair, depression, anger, and more. But now we find ourselves in a time when connecting with others is difficult and getting out of the house is socially irresponsible. So what do we do?

Personally, I’ve found myself sitting under my maple tree a great deal more. I have a covered deck (see prior posts about working from home while living through that construction!) and a nice patio. But I’ve been drawn to this bench out in my yard. I’ve never sat there much… until now.

Why do I sit there now? What changed? As I thought about it, I realized it was multiple factors. First and foremost, it is further away from my house. It gives me the feeling of getting out even though I haven’t really gone anywhere. Second, it has no walls and no roof. I am not enclosed by anything, which provides me more feeling of freedom and less entrapment. It feels roomy and limitless. Additionally, it provides me with a different view. The view is one I am not used to, one I don’t see out my window all day. This simple bench under a tree has renewed my spirit.

Of course, there are the other benefits of being outdoors such as fresh air, sunshine, disconnection from devices, etc. But I could have had these benefits in my prior outdoor hangouts. This one is different.

I share to let you all know that I, like you, struggle with being locked down. I miss the things I did to disconnect from work and reconnect with myself. I miss the adventures and the people on “the outside”. So while social distancing is still active, and will be for a while, I have to find new ways to reset.

I encourage you to look for this opportunity. Seek an outdoor location, socially distant per your guidelines, and soak in all that is great about being outside. Use this opportunity to explore a new vantage point, looking at something with renewed appreciation. I may have seen my neighbors tree many times before, but I never truly saw it until now. Look around you and appreciate the freedom that outside offers and remember that you’re only confined if you allow your mind to be.

Find your bench.

BINGO

There are a lot of work at home BINGO boards floating around these days, most of which are on the funny side. You get credit for staying in your PJ’s all day, having a glass of wine, only yelling at your kids so many times, etc. These are all great and make this trying situation a bit more entertaining.

However, I thought it might be helpful if we could all play BINGO for things that we really should be doing to make our work at home situation the best it can be. Each of these items really should be done daily. Can you get BINGO today? What about a “cover-all”? Can you do it all week?

I’m not perfect. I’ve checked off my board for today (shown below) and missed some things. Note that I shower in the evenings (TMI…) so I’ll still get that checkmark! This also allows me to take stock in how my day went, why I didn’t hit those other things, and make a plan to do better tomorrow.

Give it a shot and let me know how well you did!

BINGO Board: (click to enlarge)

My BINGO Board for today:

Imagine

Take a journey with me through Imagination Land. Just pretend for a minute:

What would happen if a vast majority of technology workers did not return to the office after the “all clear”, but rather continued working from home? Some workers have to be in-person for their jobs. But for those that can be as productive (if not more so) from home, what does the world look like if they stay put?

There have already been many press releases about the environmental impact that social distancing is having. Some of these claims are a bit sensationalized, but the reality is that there is a true impact. It is fact that air pollution has decreased as a result of less traffic on the street. If you are interested in more about fact versus fiction on the NO2 levels, clear water, and wildlife impact, this USA Today article is a great source. There is hesitation to state that this is having a positive impact versus a temporary relief because the situation is temporary. But again, what if it wasn’t?

If even 50% of the population remained at home that wasn’t at home previously, that’s 50% less emissions. That also reduces the likelihood of accidents, traffic jams, road damage, and other ramifications of increased drivers. This means the air is easier to breathe, you have less traffic headaches, and you can make your meetings on time. Less traffic jams and accidents also reduce the number of calls emergency services must take, freeing them to help others, and reducing the strain on health services.

Now imagine the office buildings. Have you ever stopped to think about how “piggish” we really are? We have nice homes. We leave them every day to go sit someplace else for hours, and our homes are empty. Then, we return home, leaving those buildings empty. It’s like we have summer/winter homes but by day versus season! Do we need to daily homes?

What would happen if we didn’t return to those buildings? Now there is suddenly a ton of real estate available, often times where such space is non-existent. Let’s dream about what this space could become…

• Housing for the homeless.
• New classrooms, from elementary to university.
• Traditional hospitals, VA hospitals, children’s hospitals, or even research hospitals.
• Shopping centers focused on local businesses, providing them an opportunity to turn things around after pandemic impacts.
• Markets, like a farmer’s market, but even more with locally made goods and art.
• Museums to showcase local artists.
• Restaurant rows, where local chefs can start up and showcase their eats
• Indoor greenhouses and farms for local produce
• Rec centers, sports facilities and gyms for youth and adults

You get the idea. Just about anything really. Most of these facilities have some level of rooms and plumbing on every floor. They are already equipped with stairs, elevators, accessibility items, and safety controls. They are located in the heart of the city. They are surrounded by parking and/or public transit, making them accessible to visitors.

This could be the dawn of a new era. It could be the start of truly utilizing our technological advances to keep modernizing the world, but also bring back local commerce and community development. The opportunity to provide opportunities is abundant!

I ask you again to just imagine. Pause for a moment and think about the positive changes to the environment and the community that could be possible if we continue working from home. I’m not sure it will come to fruition, but it sure is fun to ponder!

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

Yes, This Impacted Me Too

Ever since social distancing was enacted and many folks started working from home, I have been asked every day: “This really hasn’t impacted you, has it?” Implying that because I have worked from home for some time that nothing changed.

My world has changed. Without question. Sure, I already worked at home. I have all the equipment I need. My office is comfortable and tweaked to meet my demands. But work isn’t all keyboards and monitors.

First, even the physical connections and tools for work have changed. There are far more people at home sharing the same internet connections, and more people sharing the corporate remote connection tunnels. This creates traffic jams and impacts productivity. To manage the traffic, many have been requested to stop using video during conference calls, and other conveniences like GIPHYS in collaboration tools have been disabled. Visually seeing people is a key way to connect, and I greatly miss this! It seems lonelier when it’s just disembodied voices. I also miss the humor that GIPHYS bring to lighten the mood and connect on a “real” level with people. The result is slower, less connected work on a daily basis.

Additionally, the distractions are greater. My husband is home and that creates more noise in the house. Far more people are walking around in the neighborhood and that causes my dogs to bark more, which interrupts more of my conference calls and deep thought. My mom and dad, who live next door, are watching my niece and nephew more. While I love seeing them and love being “Aunt Cortney”, when they play outside or try to wave through the window, that’s further distraction. Sometimes that’s an amazing break and sometimes it just upsets my furbabies! While it doesn’t impact me, others are also trying to be parents and teachers while also working. I'm truly grateful I'm not trying to juggle working, parenting, and teaching at the same time - bless you parents!

There are other distractions that are more mental. Every day I’m bombarded with the latest news. I’m trying to stay informed with closures and rule changes. I’m trying to check in on my friends and family, both remaining social and caring for their health. I’m so thankful that everyone in my family is healthy right now. But so many others are also sick or balancing sick families while trying to still work. I’m trying to find toilet paper, which we use more of since we’re all at home. I have to plan days in advance for grocery shopping and getting creative on how we get the goods we really need.

My days all run together. I can’t get out of the house to see my friends and family. I feel disconnected. The things I did before while working from home to be social, I can’t do any more. My getaways to help recharge my batteries, such as sports and concerts, are all canceled. There is no solid way to differentiate one day from the next. They all look the same and grow in isolation.

I’m not complaining. I’m truly not. I am very blessed to still be employed, to be able to work from home, to have my spouse do the same, to be healthy, and to be putting food on the table. My only point is that it is different. And there are emotions tied to it being different. There is loneliness, concern, frustration, depression, anxiety, and so many more. And I’m one of the lucky ones! Many others already working at home are dealing with so much more.

Understand that today, like any other day, there are constraints in peoples’ lives that impact their mental and physical state. They may not show their cards, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have struggles. Working from home before does not mean someone is not experiencing issues now.

Realize that everyone, truly everyone, has been impacted by current events. Don’t assume you know anyone’s situation. Let’s all be kind. Allow people to feel their feelings. Support one another. We’ll get through this together.

For all those new to working at home – we’re here to help.

For all my existing work at home peeps – it’s ok to need help too.

When Two Isn’t Company

I’ve worked from home 7-8 years now. (I’ve honestly lost track!) During that time, there has only been the rare day when my husband has also worked from home. He’s one of those office people. When he’s been home, it’s been novel, cute, and a bit of a treat. But then suddenly, he began working from home daily. Every. Single. Day.

I love my hubby more than anything. We had our first date 13 years ago today. I never thought having him here all day would create an impact on our work and home lives. And yet, it has. Here are some experiences and tips to cohabitate together to keep work productive and home life sane.

Physical Separation – You must be in different spaces. Preferably different rooms. You and your significant other didn’t sit across from each other before, and there is no need to now. When you learn your spouse is a “loud talker” or “dad-joke maker” or “let’s put a pin in that” person, you can never go back. You see them differently. Let them keep their work disguise on. And same for you – you don’t want them to really know how you yell at your team do you? Not only this, but it’s likely that you talk about confidential matters, you type really loud, or your mere cuteness is a distraction.

White Noise/Noise-Canceling – Even with space, it’s possible for noise to travel. Sometimes these noises are just nuisances, and sometimes these can be private conversations that really shouldn’t be overheard. You may not realize it, but most office buildings have white noise at all times. This helps to deaden the sound and keep your noise from carrying. You can do the same at home with a white noise machine or app on your phone. My prince charming shakes his leg all day. He’s a tick he has. He doesn’t do it on purpose. He’s now sitting directly above me in his office and that shakes the floor. It’s amazing how loud it is, at least when I’m used to the only noise being me. I’ve been telling “what’s her face” over here to “Play some background music” when it gets to be too much. If adding some cover-up noise doesn’t help, you can remove the noise altogether by sporting some noise-canceling headphones. The only problem here is that when I yell to tell someone to stop shaking their leg, they literally can’t hear me!

Do Not Disturb Notice – Sometimes you need to let the other one know that you cannot be interrupted. There are multiple creative ways to achieve this. You could simply text each other. You could have a sign on your door. We’ve devised a creative way with smart devices and lightbulbs. We each have a button that controls a light in the other’s office, and turns on red if in DND mode, and then cleared when not. It’s kind of like an “on air” signal. This is the least invasive way for us. It also allows us to keep the signal up for the duration of the need.

Share Your Schedule – I don’t mean you should make your calendar public. But, we do discuss meetings we have for the following day to generally understand what we have going on. In particular, if we have meetings with senior executives, are conducting training, or otherwise have some of those “do not disturb” times, we let each other know in advance. This helps us as well with managing our dogs and other potential interruptions by planning ahead. It’s even as simple as lunch. We work at different times as we support different timezones. I want to ride the bike during lunch that is next to his office. Usually that’s ok, but if he doesn’t want the TV, 3 dogs, and me at that time, letting me know allows me to shift my schedule or plan an off day.

In general, I go about my day as if my hubby isn’t here. I’m at work. He’s at work. We have work to do. He’s adjusting to working at home in general. Meanwhile, I’m adjusting to the changes his presence brings to my operating procedures. With some open communication, creativity, patience, and lots of love, we’ll be able to keep working together for as long as necessary.

To my hubby – I love you so much! Thanks for your support now and always. There’s no one else I’d rather share an office with 💕 XOXO

No Connection

We all get disconnected from time to time. Sometimes we lose our Array/VPN connections. Sometimes our internet goes down. Sometimes a particular technology has load issues. Does that mean you just hang it up for the day? No – You get creative.

Contact Information - First thing, you need to have contact information for your leaders and teammates in multiple locations. If this is only on a SharePoint list and your network connection goes down, how will you reach anyone? Even to just let them know you are down? At minimum, you should have an HR system or team list or whatever you use to track this information. You also need your backup. This could be a local copy. For me, I prefer to keep my peeps as contacts in my personal cell phone. I keep their work and personal info so that I can reach out to them via phone or text if something happens. I like to keep these on separate devices, disconnected, for disaster recovery purposes. If one is hard down, I still have the other.

Alternative Methods to Connect – Many companies and products allow for a variety of ways to interact. With email, for example, there is the email client on your computer. But there is also likely an email application you can configure on your cell phone. Collaboration tools often have the same capabilities. It may not be as easy as your connected computer, but it’s still an option.

Meetings – Most meeting clients also offer means to connect through your computer, your phone, and alternate machines. Many have smartphone applications, and almost all have a web client you can use from any device. If you are participating to listen or contribute through talking, you can still join in. Unless you are presenting content you cannot access or control effectively, or trying to look at content that’s just too small on your mobile, there’s no reason you can’t be a part of the call. (You could even listen while going for a walk and getting those steps in!)

Work Product – This is the hardest part. If you work on documentation, source code, or other artifacts that live on the network that you cannot access, there’s not much you can do here. If you have advance warning about a planned outage, you could save a local copy and then upload or merge later. If this isn’t an option, there’s still likely something you can do locally. Many people still have word processing and email applications installed on their local machines. This might be a perfect opportunity to write some of the support documentation we all neglect to do.

Training – Worst case is that you just can’t get to anything. Hard to believe with everything above, but if you can’t or the downtime is extended, it could happen. If you truly can’t do something with your work product, look at what training you could be doing. Does your employer offer books and classes online? What about training resources on the web? Or even those physical books you have on your shelf? People always complain about not having time for training, so use this as an opportunity versus a setback.

Exhaust all of these options before walking away. Your company still needs you. You might not be as productive as your usual self, but you have value to add. This will also save you from getting behind schedule when all is well again.