Glenn Fleishman - Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily (1.0)

Glenn Fleishman

Welcome to Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily, version 1.0, published in March 2020 by alt concepts inc. This book was written by Glenn Fleishman and edited by Joe Kissell.

Many people have just been asked or required to work from home for an extended period for the first time at their jobor in their career. This book offers hard-won advice from long-time freelancers and remote employees about how to make it work for you.

Copyright 2020, Glenn Fleishman. All rights reserved.

You can access extras related to this ebook on the web (use the link in , near the end; its available only to purchasers). On the ebooks Take Control Extras page, you can:

• Download any available new version of the ebook for free.

• Download various formats, including PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket. (Learn about reading on mobile devices on our Device Advice page.)

• Read the ebooks blog. You may find new tips or information, as well as a link to an author interview.

If you ordered this ebook from the Take Control website, it has been added to your account, where you can download it in other formats and access any future updates.

We know that many millions of people who have never routinely worked remotely have been asked, told, or ordered to carry out their job at home, or have taken the opportunity offered to them to do so, due to the global spread of the coronavirus.

If thats you, we know it may be daunting if youre used to an office for structure, socialization, focus, and resources. But if you must, or you think its advisable to self-isolate for your own mental or physical well-beingor for that of your family or roommateswere here to help.

We authors of Take Control titles have racked up hundreds of years of home-office experience across our collective careers, and wanted to offer some advice that we hope will aid easing the transition for you, whether your remote-work requirement lasts days, weeks, or months. I also solicited tips from folks who regularly or always work at home to provide more insight. (Thank you to them!)

Working from home can be a challengeand it can be an opportunity. No one style or set of advice works for everyone. If you have an employer or manager who can roll with the punches, you can find a style that lets you be efficient, calm, and productive while reassuring them about the quantity and quality of work you perform.

This isnt necessarily going to be easy. Were all in it together. Lets get through this and find a new way forward.

Note: This book assumes that at times or for a long period, normal third places often used for workcafs, libraries, parks, co-working spaces, conference centers, and so onwont be available. This might be because youre self isolating, because of a recommendation public-health officials, or due to an actual government shutdown. You may be unable to meet up with colleagues safely in person, and conduct all business electronically or by voice and video.

Before you can work effectively at home, you should figure out where you will carry out your job. It might be a separate room, if you have one; a defined area in space other people use; or a temporary space you set up and break down each working day.

It might be tempting to work ad hoc, balancing a laptop on your knees on a couch or working at a dining room table or kitchen counter (Figure 1). But making a space for yourself that you can comfortably spend hours at each day will help you define your work structure.

Figure 1: A convenient and comfortable place to work helps with focus and productivity. (Source: Auckland Museum.)

While you may not want to or be able to leave the house to equip your space, having a small amount of furniture or hardware delivered could help, or you could repurpose items you have.

You may also find yourself working alongside family or housemates who already work at home or are doing so for the interim. Look for tips on that in , late in this chapter.

Start with an area in which you can work. If youre already know you will be required to work at home for an extended period of time, you should think about the extent to which you can transform a space, including purchasing furniture.

If its for a shorter periodor at least thats the initial plandont feel committed to remain in that space if it stretches longer.

Where is the most sensible place in your home to work? Ostensibly, youre reading this book because you dont have a home office already set up. And most people lack a convenient empty room thats just ready to goor any additional rooms that you had kept more carefully defined as non-work space.

If you live with other people, a room with a door is obviously ideal, even if it requires rejiggering stuff in a room that has another purpose. A separate room, however small, lets you keep work and non-work apart, and signals to other people that youre working when youre in there. It also provides at least some aural separation.

Tip: Stephen Foskett, an IT expert, suggests that if you have a family that you close the door whenever youre workingwhen the door is closed, youre not at home. A friend of Stephens has a Hue remote control light in the hall to indicate whether he can be disturbed or is on a call or recording. His friend even wired it into automation tool IFTTT so that the light turns red when his Google Calendar shows he has an appointment!

If you live alone or lack that precious commodity of a room to work in, I recommend defining an area. Anything you can do to prevent endless, continuous work for yourself and to set an at-work space if you have roommates, a partner, or a family will improve your working life.

Rosemary Orchard, author of Take Control of Shortcuts, doesnt have an extra room to use for her office, so she suggests rearranging furniture. A bookcase currently along the wall could be pulled out into the room alongside your desk to make a room dividerjust make sure to secure it so it cant tip over!

No bookcase? Try stringing up a curtain or sheet hung from the ceiling or across coat racks. Anything that provides a visual barrier can help create a psychological one.

Ergonomics in a workspace involves making sure all your tools fit you, rather than you contorting yourself to fit your tools. A few easy steps you can take as you configure your new working area:

• Work at eye level: Make sure your monitor or monitors are at eye level or slightly below. You should not crane your net up or have to crouch or crook your neck down.

• Place your monitor at a comfortable viewing distance: This is typically 20 to 40 inches from eye to screen. You shouldnt have to squint or move your head forward or back to read and work.

• Set adequate lighting: It might be time to move or buy a desk or floor lamp that illuminates your space well. Avoid glare and usually eschew overhead lighting.