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How to effectively switch to remote work?

Today, in connection with the transition of a large number of organizations to a partially or completely remote mode of operation, I want to discuss a constructive question: how to make my work at home as efficient as possible?

For more than 15 years of experience working remotely in MySQL consulting and around, I have tried various working methods that I now want to share.

  • Clearly separate working and non-working hours. Otherwise, you risk either not joining a full-fledged job when your thoughts are focused on business, or finding yourself living at work, forgetting about personal time. The first will hit efficiency and raise management questions; the second can come in handy with burnout and pre-term negative consequences.

  • Identify and coordinate with the management the hours you will spend in your home office. Tell colleagues about them. Allow yourself a lunch break. This will give time in the middle of the day for relaxation and even, perhaps, walks.
  • Communicate with colleagues. Greet them when you start working. In the office you can see who is at the computer, who went to dinner, and who left. The network is opaque. When you leave the computer during business hours, write the phrase “afk 10 minutes” in a working chat, making it clear when you return and reply to messages. AFK stands for Away From Keyboard (not at the keyboard). Such a habit will allow you to avoid situations when colleagues are waiting for your answer indefinitely.
  • Tune in to work. Continue the morning routine as if you were about to go to the office. Wear work clothes. This will set you up and make it clear to your loved ones that from now on you should not be disturbed (thanks for the idea of ​​Tom Basil)
  • Organize your workspace. Remove from the table everything that does not apply to work, make comfortable lighting, think about ergonomics. Perhaps now is the time to buy a new computer chair :)
  • In order to maintain freshness, take breaks. Take a break of 10 minutes every 50 minutes. One of the biggest problems with remote work is interruptions and prioritization. Turn off notifications in non-priority chats and put notifications to mention your nickname. This will avoid wasting time constantly reading chats. Set a timer for 15-20-30 minutes and do not get distracted by anything but one thing (read about the Pomodoro technique )
  • When you finish the working day - take off your work clothes, go to the shower and return to home mode :)

Smooth transition to all and working victories! :)

(c) 2020 Vladimir Fedorkov .

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