The five commandments of successful remote work

Finally, meetings follow one another at a hellish pace, which often leaves little time to do the actual work… or even to catch your breath. We've gone from presenteeism at the office to digital presenteeism! 

So here are a few golden rules to make working from home truly add to your personal, family and professional quality of life.

For the human and family manager who works from home

1- Realistic expectations, you shall have: 

Realistic expectations are more easily met, but the problem is that when working from home, we sometimes think we can fit three days into one! If our math is right, on the days you work from home, you gain about one to three hours, which is the time you'd spend commuting and at lunch.

To use that time in a truly satisfying way, it's best to identify a few clear priorities. To help you, try emptying your head completely early in the morning or the evening before (a mental declutter) by writing down all your “I should…” items. Then identify the real needs and priorities in each area (work, family, personal life) and ask yourself whether it's realistic to get them done in a single day. Each morning, choose realistic goals based on the context, the time AND THE ENERGY you have. Above all, resist the temptation to say yes to everything or to add too many items to your list. What must and can absolutely be done today?

2- A remote work routine, you shall develop.

Whether you work fully from home or in a hybrid mode, the routine you set up matters! 

It's easy to get swept along by your to-dos and the Teams invitations pouring in, but have you thought about organizing your day in blocks, so as to mark clear transitions?

• For example, you can start your day with a block for yourself (walking, exercise, reading) during the time you'd normally spend getting to work.
• You can also give yourself a family block to make the most of the time you've gained: driving the kids to school or daycare, playing with them, or taking care of a few light tasks… like doing a load of laundry.
• By working in blocks, you can vary your modes (meetings, focused work without notifications, reading and research, planning, admin) and your work locations (rooms in the house, office, home, third place). 

Put your recurring blocks in your calendar, then fill in the rest with your current tasks and the unexpected. 

3- Clear boundaries, you shall set:

Proactively managing your calendar can be intimidating at first, but it's essential for preserving your satisfaction in every area of your life. 

#tempsblanc (“blank time”) breaks in nature: it's proven, 20 minutes in nature lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) levels. But even just 5 to 10 minutes at a time makes a difference too, between meetings for example. Open the door, settle in by the window, walk around the yard. We breathe and let the contents of our mental space settle, and space opens up.

Disconnecting: clearly mark the start and end of your day, as if you were at the office. Use the time you gain intentionally, to do something that makes you feel good and to take your mind off things. Setting an “opening” and a “closing” ritual can help you switch off!

For the professional, passionate (or not), who works from home: 

Working from home means being glued to your chair! Here are a few tips for working in a way that's both efficient AND satisfying.

4- Your modes of communication, you shall vary.

Not all meetings are created equal! Why not vary the modes by holding active meetings like, for a change, a phone call without a screen? It's important to clarify whether our meeting is about collaboration, creativity, taking the team's pulse, or is simply an information and follow-up meeting. That helps keep them shorter and varies the format!

5- Priorities, you shall manage.

To shorten your to-do list, our advice is always to focus on needs rather than goals. Check in with your team members to learn their needs, and plan your day in a win-win way.

What we do every day becomes our life, so it's important to intentionally cultivate healthy habits that leave us feeling satisfied with our day, whether that's starting your day by doing laundry, working out or going for a walk BEFORE sitting down at your desk, so you feel less guilty about not doing housework during the day, or always shutting down your computer at the same time, turning off your notifications or closing the door when your day is done. The idea is to be fully present, in all our roles, one at a time.

Now that's leadership! You have our full permission to become the leader of your own remote work experience.

Who knows, you may even end up influencing your organization's culture!