Working from home?

Working from home?
Yes, we are

Has capitalism got us by our collective balls and labia more than ever? Our jobs have now followed us all the way home – as if they weren’t already hanging around like a nosy neighbour.

If you’re working at home due to these COVID times, you may have already overdosed on remote working tips. But I think you should read mine too. I’ve only written three today, because work. But if you like them, let me know and I’ll share more.

1.     Beat the traffic

If you’re an early riser (or even if you’re not), try getting up before everyone else, make a tea/matcha/vodka coffee and then take the laptop back to bed. Yes, some freelancers swear the first 1-2 hours from the comfort of the duvet is some of their most relaxed and productive time. If this sounds too much like rolling in your own (work) filth or your bedmate will throttle you for tick-tacking away on a keyboard next to their head, then try the couch or armchair.

Bonus tip: moving around is good. There’s no need to work in the same space all day. And if you have young kids, you’ll probably have to do some of your work wearing noise-cancelling earphones while crouching on the bathroom floor anyway.

2.     Cut the narration

What? This means two things. The first one is: ever noticed how people you live with just say stuff all day? It’s like they’re narrating their lives. They see a bird, they point it out. They have a thought, they share it. So, set a small schedule. Tell any adults (and children old enough to take it) that you need to do two hours of work. After that, you can be available again for half an hour. Then work for another one or two hours, then be available for another 30 minutes – or whatever you decide.

The second is, don’t you start telling yourself a story about what you need or don’t need to get work done. You can get it done, you’ve got all day, you’ll fit it in. Some of your work may be done between the hours of 9am-5pm and some of it may be done while eating corn chips at 10:30 at night. But it shall be done.

3.     F**k the list

People put too many items on their to-do lists. Just write three or four items. If they’re big things, just choose two. Nothing makes us feel more useless, unproductive and causes us to dread work than trying to achieve more in a day than we actually can.

Lockdown is the perfect opportunity to put your foot down. Think of your to-do list as essential services. Only the most important activities are needed today. The pressures of your workload/boss/colleagues can be seen for what they really are, expectations linked to the way we used to live.

The world is different now. Do what you can.