Your New Office (Or Lack Thereof): A play by Covid-19
Wistfully thinking about your office desk? Its hieroglyphic mess that only you can decipher? The comfy chair that leans just the right amount?
Consider them nostalgic remnants of a not-so-distant past.
Wistfully thinking about your office desk? Its hieroglyphic mess that only you can decipher? The comfy chair that leans just the right amount? Consider them nostalgic remnants of a not-so-distant past. Not in a negative manner. Quite the opposite – believe this to be a necessary paradigm shift for the betterment of our daily routines and contribution to the meaning of work.
Let’s say you’re a business owner. You’re leading your brand with vision, vigor, and virtuosity. However, a certain pandemic knocks gently on your door and says, “Move!” Your concern is your daily routine, people working for you, and of course, the place in which all of you congregate to drive that vision forward. Apparently, you might have been looking at that place from a flawed perspective. Your vision is not tied to a place.
According to an April 8 report by Erik Brynjolfsson et al, researchers at MIT, there is a solid negative relationship between workers still commuting to work and those doing their job from home. What does this mean? It means that many commuting workers could be, and could have been, working from home. In fact, a survey which served as a base to this MIT report, showed that 34% of those who were commuting before, are now working remotely. Keep in mind, this survey was conducted over only 4 days, and estimated numbers are thought to be much higher and expanding daily.
The same number of people who should be working from home was reported by researchers at the University of Chicago, for the National Bureau of Economic Research, in their paper entitled How Many Jobs Can Be Done at Home?
Now, how are you supposed to differentiate work from home, as you so blissfully used to do? Note the sarcastic tone, as we all know keeping work away from home was already difficult.
First – Organize your little (or large) work station to match your workflow as you feel comfortable. The state of your controllable surroundings usually reflects your state of mind. If you modify the surroundings to resemble the state of your mind at work, it’ll be much easier to approach it in such way.
CB2 RIDGE BLEACHED OAK DESK
Second – Structure your schedule to resemble the normal work schedule, as if you were at an office. No, don’t be always available, but also don’t fall into that Netflix at noon trap.
Third – Consider dressing for the occasion. What you put on, has an impact on how you feel, and reflects your mood. Are you saying to yourself, “Let’s get it done!” with that wine-stained hoodie?
And finally – Make it joyful! This is a unique opportunity to put that workflow music on blast, not worrying if it’ll bother someone. Or listen to your podcasts, smell your essential oil diffusers, anything – we won’t mind.
Key Takeaways:
- Shifting our paradigm is not as bad as it seems
- A large part of the population can, and should, be working remotely
- Approach your remote work space as a haven, not a punishment
- Realize you’re saving both time and money
paraiso recommends how to upgrade your working-from-home look.
Luxurious knits and sophisticated sweats.
