Remote work has been integrated into the fabric of our firm for a very long time. Here, our senior team has put together some of their favorite work from home tips for you!
Heidi Echols:
1. Set up some routines – Set a start and stop time for work the same way you do when you work in an office. It might help to write down your schedule to motivate you to stay productive during your “work hours,” and save the Instagram for your “free hours”!
2. Use your commute time for something meaningful to you – If your commute time takes 45 minutes take advantage of that “free time”. Pick up that book you’ve been saving, sit down and have a real breakfast, or take a quick walk around the block.
3. Be gentle with yourself – While many relish opportunities to work from home, some of us are also faced with the prospect of a long-term school recess, limited childcare options during those extra hours, and the emotional and practical impact of social-distancing on children. If you’re one of these people, we know you are balancing a lot. Some days will be better than others. Acknowledge that this is a disruption in everyone’s normal routines and just do the best you can.
Wendy Heilbut:
1.Create a routine that works for you. Maybe you like to work-out in the middle of the day, or, take a snack break at a certain time. Bookmark your day with those events while building a day that still accounts for all your work hours.
[box type=”shadow”] **Covid-19 disrupter – A lot of us are going to have our kids in the picture over the foreseeable future which makes this critically important! Set aside time when Mom or Dad are ‘going to work” and give your kids a schedule for that time. Let them know when they can come get you.[/box]
2. If you are used to a lot of in-person interaction, working from home after a couple of days will start to feel lonely. Try to have one or two of your calls via a video conference. BONUS: this will force you to get dressed.
3. Without as many meetings on your calendar, your day might look ominous or luxurious (depending upon your perception). I recommend looking at your list of work and blocking out the day with those items. i.e. 9:30-10am draft reply to client; 10am-10:15 posting on LinkedIn, 10:15-11am finalizing report to investors, etc.
Vivek Jayaram:
1.Set up a space that is easy to separate from so that you can separate from work. Setting up a remote office in front of your living room TV might not be the best idea if that’s where you usually spend your evenings. If you’re not aware of your setup, you may end up working from the time you wake up to the time you sleep!
2. Don’t forget to eat! There may not be a collective rush to eat midday at home like there is at the office but eating is critical to work and life and happiness!
3. Make sure your workspace is ideal for phone and video calls. You probably don’t want to set up your video conference in front of your life size N’Sync poster and your phone calls shouldn’t pick up the goings on of your family (and dogs and children and doorbells).
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]/wp-content/uploads/sites/1401671/2019/08/Jayamram_Law-6464-8-copy-e1563382752700-250×300-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] Heidi Echols, special counsel at Jayaram Law[/author_info] [/author]
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]/wp-content/uploads/sites/1401671/2019/11/wendy.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Wendy Heilbut, partner at Jayaram Law[/author_info] [/author]
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]/wp-content/uploads/sites/1401671/2019/11/vivek-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Vivek Jayaram, founder of Jayaram Law[/author_info] [/author]