Working from home effectively

Working from home has suddenly become a new norm, yet there is nothing normal about it. I will share a few of my own experiences. Hope you will find them useful.

One internet connection is never enough

We often trust the internet provider we have, but to be honest, this trust is misplaced. The internet infrastructures are unreliable and bandwidth may fluctuate widely when many people need internet access. I use 3 different providers by now: from cable tv, phone company and mobile phone hotspot. One of the 3 is down 30% of the time. The online connectivity is too cheap and too important to try and save money on it. Internet connectivity might be your main productivity tool, so use it wisely.

There is also a question of the upload speed. I prefer to have one line busy in long uploads and downloads (e.g. videos), while the other two lines are open for work: one for video calls, and one for all other internet activities.

The same logic works for computers and screens. I personally need 2-3 computers and 6 screens to be productive. Anna and kids prefer a computer with 2 screens and a mobile device. These devices are cheap.  Use them.

Quiet is a state of mind

I cannot reasonably get a quiet room at home. My wife is handling video calls, my kids are studying and they study aloud. When they rest, they watch TV, which is also loud. So what can be done?

1. Listen to music. Music changes the baseline perception of what qualifies for quiet. Ambient/alternative music will do.  Classical music or jazz might be too complex, metal and rock might be too stimulating for some.
2. Use headphones, everybody. I use noise-canceling Bose headphones. My kids  play mobile devices with headphones. TV is usually almost silent with subtitles. There is still some residual noise from activities, but at least it is contained.
3. Coordinate breaks. When the food is being served, there is simply too much noise, and this happens 5 times a day.
4. Have one quiet room for video calls and share it between family members.
5. Go outdoors if you want quiet. Up to 100 meters from home. Find a quiet corner. Do not work there. Meditate or contemplate. Enjoy the silence.
6. Reduce expectations. Your productivity and peace of mind will suffer. Do not expect otherwise.

If you learned to read without subvocalization and focus on what you read, you can pretty much work in any noise. However, this will have a toll on your serenity. Maybe the best thing is to take a short break rather than power through.

Avoid anything profound until everybody goes to sleep

Try to introduce mid-day nap at least for some of the family members. Then you will get 3 periods when you are not disturbed:  late evening when everybody goes to sleep, early morning when nobody woke up and mid-day during the nap-time. This is your new prime time to do complex tasks.

The rest of the day do simple stupid stuff with an emphasis on multitasking. Use your short breaks to do the dishes or cook and so on. Try to catch a nap when the other family members are most active.

Unfortunately, my work corner is just near the kitchen, so I suffer more from constant interruptions.

Micromanage your own activities

Having the smallest tasks written down in front of me allows me to complete them even in the presence of constant interruptions. If the tasks are 10 min each, it is possible to complete such a task between the interrupts. It is also possible to batch such tasks to use certain equipment.

At the same time, try to avoid as you can any sort of long coordinated activities like conference calls. They are hard to manage, especially since other people you communicate with also get constant interrupts.

On the other hand, text chats are great. You should not worry about background noise, poor connection or interrupts.

Go out and see other people when you can

Visiting the work physically one day a week is still pretty much an option for most of us. It is very important simply to get out of house and change the scenery. Outdoors physical activity involving one other person is also an option.

At the same time, it is important not to take too many snacks, drinks, and other small things we enjoy.

Hug your family

Being intimately close in each other’s personal space is very annoying. On the other hand, it is an opportunity. While we are asked to be more distanced from our friends and coworkers, we can get the warmth we need from our own family. Hug the family members. They need it as much as you do.

Any challenge is also an opportunity. Think about how to make the best out of any situation. It will not last forever.