In this unprecedented global outbreak of the novel coronavirus known as “COVID-19,” many people have found themselves working from a new office: their home. Nixon Law Group has been virtual since its inception, and although we have dedicated office spaces for our team to use, most of us spend the majority of our working hours at home. 

With a fully virtual workforce, we have all become familiar with the challenges and benefits that come with the #WFH life. Each of our team members experiences a different set of challenges and addresses them differently, and we have all had to make our own adjustments over time to find out what works best for us. To help you do the same, we have put together a list of “tips” to help you adjust to your new office, maintain productivity, and have a little fun along the way!

Working from home can be challenging

If you’re new to the #WFH life, you might find that being home all day is distracting. I can hear you now: “Oh I can throw a load of laundry in and work while it’s washing,” or “the dishes will only take 10 minutes, I’ll wash them up real quick and get back to what I was working on.” And then before you know it, the day is over and you’re only half-way through your work to-do list. 

Additionally, if you don’t work from home on a regular basis, you might not have a home office or other dedicated workspace. You might be used to having a space that you have made your own, whether it be in a cubicle or your own office. If you work in a hotdesking environment, you may not have your “own” space, but you probably don’t have too much trouble finding a dedicated area to use each day. 

In this particular climate, you might even have roommates and/or family members that are also home during the day, making it even more difficult to find your space and avoid distractions. Whatever your particular challenge(s) may be, we hope the list below will help you through them.

Our suggestions to help make working from home a little easier

1. Carve out a place that you can dedicate to work - make it productive and comfortable, then close it up at the end of the day. This can be your dining room table, a particular corner of your couch, or a spot on the floor if that is where you feel most comfortable! The point is, make it your temporary workspace where you can “get your head in the game” and leave it all on the court when you’re done. 

2. Set up a general schedule for working and stick to it as if you were in an office – take normal breaks for lunch, a 5-minute walk outside, or whatever else re-energizes you.

3. Laundry, dishes, and vacuuming can wait until your workday is over (just like they do every other day!). If you MUST unload that dishwasher, schedule yourself a 10-minute break to get it done and then get back to work.

4. Turn OFF notifications when you need to focus. G-chats, Slack messages, emails, text messages, and other pings will still be there in an hour or two when you finish what you are working on, and I promise nothing will burn down in that time either.

5. Pick up the phone and call someone if you need to brainstorm. Without the ability to walk down the hall to a co-worker’s office or bounce an idea off of your friend in the next cubicle, finding assistance when you need it can be difficult. Use the phone to make a virtual trip to your supervisor’s office or chat with a co-worker just as you would if you were at the office. This is a two-way street, though – you have to be willing to answer the phone when you can or call someone back when you have a moment. It’s all about trust!

6. A cautionary note for text conversations: it is important to know when to take a conversation to the phone or video-chat. Tone and context can easily get lost in written word like email or instant message. If you’re in the middle of a written conversation and you feel like you aren’t getting your point across or understanding another’s perspective, the best way to resolve the issue is to jump on the phone or Zoom (or your video-chat platform of choice) and talk it out.

7. Get outside! If the weather is nice, use your new and temporary flexibility to work outside from your balcony or porch, or take your laptop and your dog to the dog park and enjoy some fresh air. 

8. If possible, engage in a light amount of online chat or phone calls with co-workers to avoid feeling isolated. G-chat can be your virtual water cooler!

9. Schedule virtual coffee meetings with friends to help you stay connected and avoid isolation.

10. Stay hydrated. While many offices have kitchens or water stations, it's easy to forget about the need to stay hydrated when working from home.

11. Exercise - release the endorphins!! Social distancing and working from home means less personal interaction throughout the day. It is important to keep the energy level up and maintain a positive outlook as best as you can, especially in these uncertain times. Exercise has many benefits including reducing stress, boosting energy, and helping you refocus. Don’t be afraid to schedule this in your calendar, too!

12. Step awaaay from the blue light. This goes for in-office working too. Our eyes need a break and staring at your computer screen all day can lead to eye strain, headaches, and other uncomfortable results. 

13. Give yourself grace. We are all dealing with unprecedented experiences and finding ways to work through new challenges every day. You got this!

Working from home can be fun

Even though you might not have the same type of human interaction at home that you would have at the office, you can still find ways to joke around and have fun with your co-workers. NLG uses Zoom and G-chat to communicate with each other throughout the day. Tommy Miller, Senior Counsel, has dubbed our NLG group G-chat our “virtual water cooler” and the term could not be more fitting. This is where we all go to share funny memes, positive stories, and encourage each other throughout the day (see #4 above if the notifications get to be too much).

We also know that work happy hours are a staple in most work environments, so we all cut out a few minutes early one Friday each month and hop on Zoom with our drink and/or snack of choice. You can even set up Jackbox on someone’s TV and all play together!

Despite the difficulties that you may face while adjusting to working from home, there are ways to create the work environment you need at home. We hope that our tips will help you achieve your goals and feel a little more comfortable while adjusting to this new and temporary way of life.

Are you an employer trying to figure out how to manage employees remotely while your workplace is shut down during the COVID-19 outbreak? Check out our recent blog post from NLG partner, Rebecca Gwilt, here!

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