The Challenges of Working Remotely and How to Overcome Them!

Let's face it...many of us have unexpectedly transformed a place in our homes to something that resembles an office. Undoubtedly there is a large percentage of this workforce that are unsure of how to continue this for an extended period of time! I know for myself & my wife, our biggest struggle has been this: how do we maintain any sort of schedule? IT FEELS LIKE CHAOS! But rest assured, it doesn't have to feel this way.

Facing a brave new world

Author Esther Schindler shares the following two items that will dictate your success from The Remote Worker's Survival Guide: "...how you organize your own life as a telecommuter, and how to work as part of a larger team. If you can’t resolve the former, the latter won’t matter." I can relate to what Esther is calling out with regards to organizing my life. For those of us who used to leave the house every day, we had separation of work and home, and schedules for each. Now we have to face reality in that these two worlds are intertwined. Taking time to plot out how this new norm functions is the key.

Make your own new normal

We have two children and a new puppy. It was discovered early on that just "winging it" wasn't going to cut it. A schedule was made so everyone knew what was going on & when, and so we could FOCUS on what we needed to do. My wife and I obviously need to work, but our kids have work and activities they need to do as well. Outlining a current or new schedule helps keep everyone on task and takes away the question of what is happening next.

Your occupation might have you at a desk, or constantly on the move, or somewhere in between. Now more than ever, it is important to take a quick break here and there. The less we move around, it is likely that motivation will be lost and we will become lethargic. Take a 5 minute walk once an hour! Take a 30 min walk or jump on the treadmill in the mid afternoon. By keeping your energy up, you will be more adept to face the ongoing changes we are facing!

My wife and I staggered our work schedule, so we could make sure we had time to juggle our kids (and their new at home educational experience!) and that puppy! We found that blocking off sections of time so that either one had uninterrupted time was very beneficial. That way both of us were not tempted to get up and try to wrangle a child during a conference call!

Stay connected while social distancing

Speaking of conference calls, there are many different ways for your team to connect. Is it by your Chat Service (Skype for Business, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.)? Is it is a daily call? Some companies including ours, do a combination of multiple platforms. John Edwards recently shared some excellent insight in his recent article, 7 secrets of successful remote IT teams. "Live conference calls, while far from being a perfect substitute for routine office banter, can still go a long way toward squelching rumors and helping team members stay on top of projects and current developments. "The biggest mistake remote teams make is leaving their web cameras off," Wilson says. "You and your co-workers will miss having as close of a connection if you can’t see each other."

Tips for keeping on track

I think there are some other key items that, although seem simple, will keep you on task both professionally and personally!

1. Get organized for work and family life
2. Setup a routine, and stick to it!
3. Set aside a space specifically for work...ensure you have some quiet time for calls
4. Have the right tools! Big enough screen? Reliable internet access?
5. Keep connected with your teammates through various platforms and often!
6. Be aware of time differences when scheduling meetings & calls
7. File-sharing that allows multiple collaborators at the same time

I get it, there is something about being in an office and seeing your colleagues in person that working remotely can't always duplicate. But if you & your team are thoughtful about your new environment, you can push each other while finding new ways to be successful with means that will more than likely become the new normal for many of us.