Through the pandemic, we learned that working remotely and living life virtually can really drain us. From too many meetings to constant notifications to a huge increase in screen time with loved ones, creating boundaries can be hard but imperative to our health. Protecting and efficiently managing your time is an important role in self-care.
Virtual work, whether it’s hybrid or full-time, is here to stay. Buffer teamed up with Doist, Remotive, and We Work Remotely to survey 2,300 remote workers and found that 97.6% would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. That’s huge! But it also means that we can’t spend it in back-to-back meetings hunched over our computers with no start or finish to our days.
Now is the time to start developing healthy habits to work virtually. We’ve put together 4 key tips that have helped our team keep a healthy work/life balance.
Kick “9 to 5” to the curb
Sitting in an office chair for 8 hours isn’t healthy. We’ve been conditioned to recognize 9 to 5 as a workday. The reality is that remote work schedules are fluid and different for everyone. Start off by asking yourself: When do I do my best work? Once you see a trend of when you do your best, deep work, protect those hours.
When those hours come, mute your notifications, add music or white noise to help you focus, and stay heads down to do your best work. Our virtual spaces were built with this in mind and include a built-in ambiance noise to help you focus.
If your best work involves a computer, avoid eyestrain by practicing the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes you spend looking at your computer, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Ditch meetings for office hours
Did you know that 15% of the average workweek is wasted just managing meetings? That doesn’t include the meeting itself. Waiting until a meeting to discuss something important can take too long and compound a problem. Being more accessible allows you to address issues quickly and efficiently.
Start holding office hours during your lighter, more task-based work hours. This can be on video, via chat, or by phone. For those with a Workfrom virtual space simply tell people when they can stop by and share your space’s URL. Then watch your calendar open right up.
Adopt more inclusive communication
Slack is a great tool for staying connected and inclusive when done the right way. When done the wrong way it can be a significant distraction or exclusive. Utilize your status to effectively communicate to your team (“OOO until Monday”, “I’m heads down”, “At lunch”, etc.), try not to over-tag people and channels, and properly utilize threads & emoji’s. Most importantly, while Slack is a wonderful messaging tool using it in an “async-first” capacity means recognizing that it’s best not to be used as an instant messaging tool.
If you’re not a fan of text-based messaging opt for voice messaging. Check out what our wonderful friends at Yac have built.
Keep movin’ and shakin’
A lot of people struggle with keeping active when they work remotely. Consider adding a timer to remind yourself to get up and stretch, grab lunch or coffee somewhere away from where you’re working or find an accountability buddy to make sure you move.
At Workfrom we have informal and not required “walk and talks” daily. We ping the team and those available get on the phone together and chat while we exercise. Most often we walk and talk outside, but we also have people on the crew that cycle indoors, and even walk stairs!
Implementing a healthy work routine now will keep you from burning out and set you up for a future of virtual work success. Here’s to healthier workdays!
Hold office hours and cowork from a Workfrom virtual space. Sign up for and enjoy a space on us.
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