How to make remote working work for you.

I wrote this piece on 'finding your work-life balance‘ for Great2’s blog last year. Having moved out of London during the pandemic and setting up my home office (like many did in lockdown), I embraced remote working full-time (with occasional office trips and meet ups).

Hybrid working and remote working provide much-needed flexibility for many people, and we’ve all be finding our way over the last few years to make it work for us, our teams and our businesses.

Below I share some insights and ideas for helping you find you own positive work-life balance (especially if you working remotely often).

For me, there would be no balance without remote work. We all find out personal paths for creating balance and remote working isn’t for everyone. But it is for me and if you think it is (or could be) for you, then read on. I want to share some of the things I’ve learned over the years.

Flexibility is essential

Great2 offers our team flexibility. That means hybrid working is the norm for most of our employees. For me, that means working remotely 99% of the time.

I’m grateful to be able to do this as I have important responsibilities outside of Great2 that I simply cannot neglect or de-prioritise. I’m a solo parent raising a young child as well as carer for my father. Plus, I live about two hours away from the office. It’s a glorious drive to the office (well the bit travelling across the Peak District is!) but not one I can do every day.

The rise of remote working 

Remote working isn’t new, but pre-pandemic it was pretty rare. Having worked for my own business for several years, I was used to managing when and where I worked. This was also true in previous corporate roles where I travelled globally on a regular basis. Having gained that experience – of working anywhere – I’ve gathered some useful learnings on how to be productive, stay focused and connect with colleagues and clients who may be hundreds of miles away from you.

My simple rules for making ‘remote’ work for me.

Remote working allows me to do a job I really love whilst being there for the ones I love too. It’s the best of both worlds for me, and it’s allowed me to find my way of “Creating Balance” (one of Great2’s core values).

So, let me tell you a bit about how I make remote working work for me.

Setting Boundaries.

Working from home means the lines between work and home can blur – it’s important to be vigilant about this and set some important boundaries. This is a healthy practice even if you spend most of your days in an office.

Let people know when you’re available (sharing your diary slots, working hours etc) and when you aren’t. Turn off work email/Teams/Slack notifications when you are working and be disciplined about not ‘just having a quick look’.

If you have time blocked in your diary for doing ‘deep work’ think twice before ignoring it because someone wants that slot for a meeting. Find another time and protect your time. There will always be emergencies but if its not - don’t treat it like one.

Routine Rules.

My life runs well because of routine. I used to rebel against routine in a ‘former life’ when hopping on a plane to a different country was my only sense of regularity.

As a parent, with a child in primary school, my working day has a fixed guidepost – the school run! Not wanting to outsource this, I build it into my schedule and work around it. I also manage my diary like a ninja…

Diary Discipline.

Most of my career has been spent managing multiple clients and projects – meaning I’ve had to develop some expert-level time management skills. I’m naturally an organised person, so I take my diary planning seriously.

I’ve been using a method called The Default Diary for years – and have even encourage my team to adopt it. It means I carve our slots of time for different types of work (deep work, meetings, socialising with colleagues etc).

I map my weekly diary and make sure all my personal commitments are in there. My deep work slots are planned in. Regular meetings are booked in advance. I leave a little time each week to cover the inevitable (and fun!) curveballs. This method really works well for me and helps me be both creative and productive. It also helps me manage my energy levels – which can get easily zapped if I over commit myself.

Sleep is a Superpower.

I’ve always been a good sleeper – apart from on a plane! However, I try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day (apart from a very much needed ‘lie in’ on Sundays!).  I am an 8-hours person. I can cope on less, but thrive on eight. I play the same ‘doze’ music on Headspace every night to drift off to - it works like a charm! It’s a great app and I also use their morning breathing, short meditations and “wake up” routines to start the day.

Good quality sleep underpins all; from energy levels, making healthy food choices, to productivity and creativity. So, I make it a priority and don’t leave it to chance.

Fresh Air.

It’s easy to just sit behind your desk all day at home as well as in the office. Don’t! Get up. Get out. Get some fresh air. Living by the sea means there’s no shortage of fresh air for me. Nor wind or rain. I make time for this every day – even if it’s five minutes of throwing a ball around with the dog in the garden.

I try to incorporate fresh air into the school run by biking to school. Those are the best days. The combo of exercise and fresh air set me up well for the day (and my son too).

My Office.

I am lucky enough to have a dedicated office at home. With a desk, office chair, printer, second screen, pin boards – even some inspiring artwork. Everything I need is within an arm’s length (literally) - it helps that my office is 1.5m squared! It’s the smallest room in the house and has no window. It’s cosy but sometimes I need a bigger space (especially in summer when it gets a little warm in there!).

Sometimes I work from the kitchen table, sometimes it’s from a console table in the lounge looking out into the garden. It depends on the season, time of day, energy level and what type of work I’m doing. It’s good to have options – even at home.

The To Do Lists.

I have more than one. It’s why I need two pin boards! I have a list for everything. My life runs on them. One for me, my son, my dad, the dog, the house, the garden. And then there’s the work lists! I keep a list for each team member and colleagues that I work with – to keep us on track and make our 121 meetings flow well. I keep lists for projects so I know what needs doing (it’s a light touch approach to project management).

I also have digital Planner Boards (think Trello) that we use to track activities, outputs, projects, ideas – and there’s a certain pleasure if getting to change the status to “complete”. It also sends a nudge when we get behind schedule. We can also align/tag tasks to business goals and assign to team members – it’s To Do Lists on steroids! And it works. I crunch through a lot in my four days a week.

Hydration Station.

I’m known for having several drinks on the go at once. In a good way! I’m always drinking. I have a litre water bottle on my desk – I’m on track if I top it up at lunch. I love my coffee – can’t beat starting the day with a cup. But I switch to herbal teas in the afternoon.

I also love a home-made power smoothie and a cheeky diet coke no and then. Sometimes these can feel like little rewards, or ways to boost energy levels throughout the day.

I often get myself a fresh drink when I start a new activity – helps create a break in between activities and create that mental space to switch into a different thinking mode.

Down Tools.

I have slots in the diary to block my time for the school run. I like to spend a few minutes with my son when he gets home to settle him in, so I can settle back into work (hopefully uninterrupted) for a while longer. Then we eat dinner together – an absolute must for our family. I sometimes work for another hour after he’s gone to bed – if my energy levels and inspiration are there.

I currently work four-days a week (I avoid calling it part-time as nothing about my work feels part-time!) so I keep my focus during Monday to Thursday so I can get through my work and keep my Friday clear for some ‘me time’ be that Pilates, a big walk, house projects (I’m currently re-upholstering some chairs), gardening, life admin (there is always life admin to do!), reading or just creating thinking time.

I love ‘my Fridays’ – they allow me to be the best work colleague, mum, friend I can be. It’s a chance to reset ahead of the weekend (which mostly involves football matches, walks and play dates) and the following week.

What works for you?

I could go on. but those are the important things. And now it’s time to ‘down tools’ for the day. Well done and thank you if you’ve read this far!

This is how I create and keep my work-life balance. It may sound regimented and it would probably scare/bore the living daylights out of my younger self, but it works for me now. And remote working is at the heart of it.

I’d love to here your top tips for hybrid working, remote working and finding your work-life balance. Drop me a line at pipa@verveiq.com