As we continue to move towards a shared working environment more and more, we are challenged with sustaining success with our in-office and at-home schedules. Here are some tips to help ensure the best outcomes in both places.
- Know thyself and what makes you most successful: Not everyone works well from home. Therefore, it is vital to have a personal reflection on what makes you most productive at work and how you achieve that productivity. Take the time to write these things down. Are there tools that can help you succeed in both places (in Technology)? Are you open to learning new ways of achieving productivity by utilizing these tools? (You should ask your IT team to help assess what you are doing and how they can help).
- Prepare for Tech issues: Yes, I said it; there will always be tech issues, but you do not need to be your tech support, and we are here to help. However, you should always have a backup plan if your home internet is unavailable such as a portable hotspot, an extra laptop battery, or a local coffee shop nearby with good Wi-Fi.
- CLOUD, CLOUD, CLOUD!
- If you aren’t already, you should be utilizing the Cloud as much as possible. With so many of our colleagues working remotely, it is essential to access your data simultaneously as your team members.
- This is not just for administration. If you are utilizing heavy computational resources, there are resources in the Cloud that we can help you set up to access them from anywhere with any device.
- Be reachable and keep your calendar up to date:
- Communication is critical for a thriving hybrid working environment. How you use the tools and communicate with others impacts your team’s success for collaboration. Be sure to utilize the same tools (i.e., posting in your project management tool instead of updating your co-worker in person) for posting updates in the office as you do at home to ensure all team members are kept up to date.
- Use messaging/chat to set regular times to catch up and keep others up today, so everyone is moving in the same direction. This also allows everyone to get to know each other too.
- Add your hybrid schedule into your calendar; this helps keep everyone informed about what days you are “in the office” versus “working from home.”
- Create a Hybrid Workday Routine
- Daily routines help us get our brains into “work mode,” so it is critical to create a routine working (in the office or at home).
- Include breaks. We are away from interruptions and distractions when working from home, which helps us dive right into work. However, we also lose the casual, unscheduled breaks and social interactions. These types of breaks help us all to be more productive, giving our brains a much-needed rest. So be sure to schedule a couple of breaks during the day- walk around the block, meet a friend for coffee, or play with your dog.
- And lastly, set boundaries! Too often, when we are working from homework and playtime become one since they are in the same space. It is imperative to set start and end times for your workday, and this helps maintain the boundary between work time and personal time, ensuring you are not working long hours and burning out.