"From Tomorrow we will be closing all Schools until further notice."
My world of work became incredibly small, incredibly fast. Social distancing I could take, bad economies will recover, but schools closing.... that means my Working From Home routine is about to go out the window. And with that my capacity to think and create.
So many question fired through my mind when I heard that announcement... Does this mean we are now homeschooling our two boys? How will this work with work? How are they going to cope with being coupe'd up like that? Etc etc
The answer to ALL those questions is a big fat, I DON'T KNOW.
But what did occur to me (via my amazing wife) was that I have been working remotely successfully for more than five years, across the US, UK, EU and Australia. And even though it took a long while to figure out how to 'get in flow' at home, it did happen.
And from all that madness, emerged a method.
Over the next 5 weeks I'll share the five steps I'm taking and how I'm re-setting my way of working from home. I'd be honoured if you came along with me. Here's the outline.
Week 1: Curate your environment for you.
Week 2: How to set boundaries you can stick to. (And that your family honours)
Week 3: Caring deeply about Self-Care.
Week 4: Write your culture. Practice your rituals.
Week 5: Practicing Progress.
How it works
Each week you take 10 mins to go through each Step in your own home, and experience how you can improve your WFH situation. There is a week between each Step to try, test and see what works / doesn't for you.
The hope is that this can save you some heartache, as the world forces you to change where you work and how you work. And that we can collectively recognise that working from home, being isolated, with family or kids is simply hard to do. So please be kind to yourself.
Ok, let's get into it.
Week 1: Curate your environment for You, not your boss. You.
Your physical space at home. This is where we start. Where is it? What does it look like? Or more importantly, what would you like to look like? Your physical work space should make you feel three things.
Safe - You can your authentic self here without fear of being judged.
Alive - It's a space where you can find Flow and feel energised by how it is set up.
Creative - You are able to write, video, sing, record, draw and sticky anything you need to.
These three ingredients are critical. I can't emphasise this enough. If your space is compromised on any of these three elements, you'll never feel 'at home' in your work and it will be a stress just to be there.
Let's start making that happen...
First, go through your home and ask yourself these questions:
Where would I be most comfortable speaking openly and as loudly as I want?
Is there enough light and air in this space for me to feel like I can sit and work here for an extended period of time? (i.e can you see the sky / trees / nature?)
Am I getting really good WIFI connection in this part of house or am I constantly worried about coverage dropping out? (i.e Check out WiFi amplifiers)
Can I use the walls and windows here to put up drawing, thinking, ideas that are not perfect?
Is there enough space for me to do basic physical movements like, pushups, downward dog, air-squats, sit ups etc?
Can I control the lighting? What does it look like on video conference at night? Do I need a softer lamp?
Is my work desk large enough for me, or do I feel like I am back in high school?
If being seen and heard really clearly is important to me, should I look at Microphones and Webcams. (i.e this is my Mic - I didn't think I needed it, until I got it)
Next, sitting at your space, now it's time to curate your 'Flow' experience. Ask yourself these question to try and get a sense of what you personally needed to find that level of focus and groove.
What times of day work have you felt most 'in the groove'? (For me it's mid morning, after a certain sequence of events)
Were you listening to music? What was it? Do you need a pay for a ad-free subscription so you that you're focus doesn't get stolen by lame ads)
What did you physically do leading up to being in 'Flow'? (perhaps it was going for a early morning Run, or just getting outside for a walk)
What food did you eat leading up to being in Flow? (also consider last nights meal and your quality of sleep)
What was the nature of the work you were doing when you found Flow? Was it drawing, typing, creating a pitch? Was it tight deadlines or loose? Or was it working with others?
Lastly, having the right materials around you when working from home is key. Having to scramble for the right pens, paper or online resources is a very common way to be distracted.
Think about the times when you were really in the groove, and then something happened which broke your rhythm.
What pens and paper do you actually enjoy using? I know this sounds silly, but having old school hardware that feels good to use makes a surprising difference. I like to use black Artline Pens, 0.5 or 0.8. They make you want to draw and write more.
What books or online reference materials are you studying or find inspiration from? If possible, try to have the physical copy because writing notes in or around the book can be valuable reference material, and having the physical copy means you won't get sucked into opening another window whilst searching online for what you're looking for.
As an example, below are my notes from about a year ago. I try to refresh this at least once a year and will do through this process.
OK, that's the kickstarter! Let me and others know how you get on and stay safe!
Next Week - Chapter 2: How to set boundaries you can stick to. (And that your family honours)
