Five Remote Work Best Practices

By Shana Tachikawa

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, many staff across the country are now working remotely for the first time. As a company that has been fortunate to operate mostly remotely over the years, we wanted to share our best practices to individuals making this work format transition for the first time.

1. Maintain a regular schedule as much as possible. Establish a normal cadence of work start and stop times, as well as lunch breaks. If not, two things can happen: procrastination can take over, or you can be so consumed in your work that you lose track of time and life balance.
   
   
2. Transition your to-do list into calendar reminders. Designate times on your work calendar to work on specific tasks, instead of just keeping a side list. With this, calendar alerts can ensure you remain on task for personal accountability. Do not clear the calendar reminder until you have completed the task.
   
   
3. Maintain a dedicated work location. If possible, avoid working from bed. When you work from a bed, your body blurs the line between sleep and work, making it difficult to concentrate on each during its natural time. If you do not have a home office or desk, at least aim for a firm seat with an elevated table. Working from a couch and low coffee table combination leads to poor posture along with neck and lower back strain. Also, typing from your lap for long periods creates continuous strain on your hands and wrists because of the poor angle. Set calendar reminders every hour or two to stand up, stretch and drink water.
   
   
4. Pay attention to eye strain. Our homes tend to have less light than an office setting, which leads to eye strain and tension headaches. Double check screen brightness, and aim to work in rooms with plenty of natural light. Note that if your light source directly comes from behind the computer screen, that can lead to even more eye strain. If you normally wear reading glasses, make sure to still use them, even when working from home.
   
   
5. Balance your mental health. Check in on your coworkers. Maintain constant communication. Send feedback, realizing that email communication can sometimes be miscommunicated. Add in personal notes to internal emails, or utilize messaging systems. Working remotely can take an incredible toll on your individual mental well-being from the lack of socialization. Remind yourself that you are not alone. Balance work, rest and personal time.

Reach out to your colleagues. Stay strong. Together, we can get through this.