Have you noticed how everyone and his brother is suddenly a work from home expert? The same sort of worthless generic advice we’ve all been subjected to since the dawn of free content.
Create routines, have a regular schedule, establish boundaries, take breaks and vacations, be positive, yada yada.
I keep hearing how this is going to be the new normal.
No it isn’t going to be the new normal and I’ll tell you why.
Working from home is a lonely business. It takes focus and discipline to be productive. It takes work ethic to put in the time when nobody’s watching over you. It takes a certain situation and personality to enjoy that sort of thing. And the one thing nobody talks about, it can be taxing on a marriage when both spouses are home 24×7.
In other words, it’s not for everyone. To be honest, the vast majority of people can’t pull it off over the long haul.
You’re either one of those people who’s focused and disciplined, self-motivated, strong work ethic and all that — or you’re not. You just have to figure out which one you are.
I should also point out that workforce productivity for companies in coronavirus shutdown still paying employees to work from home has probably declined significantly. I can only guess at the number, but I’m sure the decline is in the double digits, perhaps 25% or more.
While companies may continue to allow some people to work from home occasionally post shutdown, and staggering work hours a bit to avoid rush hour traffic is a good idea, I expect things to return to normal, that is if normal ever does return.
That’s all you need to know about working from home. The rest comes naturally — if you’re cut out for it, that is.
Take it from me. I’ve been doing this for the past 16 years and on and off for a lot longer than that. Turns out, I’m the type who’s cut out for it, at least at this point in my career. Question is, are you?
Image credit Jeremy Keith / Flickr