Remote work; COVID-19 teachings
COVID-19 forced us to confine ourselves at home. The lucky ones working in sectors such as hi-tech, like me, switched immediately to remote work.
Personally, I believe these past 6 weeks have been by far one of the most productive times of my life. The ability to be alone with my thoughts is, in fact, one of the key advantages of working remotely. It allows me to get in my place, my zone, allowing me to be able to reach that flow required to get sh#t done.
When I need to go to work, my commuting life looks something like this: the alarm rings an hour earlier and I arrive back home that much later. I lose time, patience, and freshness. My brain and body go through a sequence. “Breathe in other people’s smell of exhaust and body odor, breathe out my personal health, sanity, and patience”.
Commuting to work takes 2 hours out of my life, every — single — day. This adds up to something like 40 hours a month. Avoiding the commute has provided me an additional 40 hours, which I could use to get more work done, or other activities such as working out, meditating, talking to my friends and relatives or preparing healthy home-made food.
If you asked me, even before COVID-19, where I go when I need to get work done, I would simply tell you “home”. In my case, in order to be productive at the office I would have to be there super early in the morning before anyone gets in, or stay late at night, after everyone’s left.
“In thirty year’s time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices every existed” — Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
Of course, there are great things I miss from going to the office. I work at Bringg with a very fun and smart team. We make jokes and laugh constantly, we eat like kings thanks to Mati Nakash(in-house Chef), we compete in FIFA on the Playstation and we have access to a great gym right in front of the office.
I think that like everything in life, it’s about balance. A few days ago it was announced by Israel's PM Bibi Netanyahu that quarantine measures for COVID-19 are beginning to relax. I feel strange about the idea of going back to the office every day when I’ve finally built some kind of routine and adapted to the life of remote work.
I decided to share some details of my personal routine. It’s a work in progress and reflects what I’ve learned along this remote journey…
Daily:
- Upon waking up, I immediately make the bed, switch from pajamas to presentable clothes, meditate, and learn something new for 15 minutes. Create separation between a personal and work state of mind.
- Keep and review the prioritized to-do list. Check and confirm if any changes are required.
- Don’t accept any meeting requests without a clear agenda.
- Before closing the workday, review the to-do list, prioritize tasks for the next day, and finally, mute work-related notifications.
- A daily dose of increasing my heart rate -AKA workout. I’m currently trying the Insanity program and I love it. I managed to exercise 11 times in 17 days. My body and mind feel so much better with regular workouts.
- Check-in with family and friends living in different time zones. This activity is sometimes hard to do, but immediately after I feel so happy about it.
- Wind down by cooking a healthy meal, reading a book, listening to a podcast, or watching Netflix.
Weekly:
- Keep an updated calendar and a to-do list. I find it extremely useful to schedule and calendarize all types of activities: work and personal included.
- Set realistic targets for work projects, workouts, and leisure.
- Get the fridge stocked up with healthy food (and snacks!) These days I’m trying to reduce carbs, sugar, and fat intake. The goal is to simplify decisions and not to indulge in unhealthy food when hungry (or anxious).
How do you feel about remote work? What are your challenges? What is your routine? I would love to hear and learn from you.
The inspiration to write this post came from reading the book “Remote, office not required” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.
