This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Today's listener brings us a question. I have been getting over and over in lots of different mediums, forums, Instagram Live, elsewhere. What are some tips for working at home, especially when it's new and you're still getting used to it? Now listen, it is not news to anyone that this is something that a lot of people, so many people are experiencing right now. For some of us, it's kind of normal.
Like this is, at least for me, a lot of my routine is still largely the same. I spend a lot of time indoors, either at my home office or my office office, and I pretty much do the same kind of thing. I go outside to run or otherwise exercise or pick up food or whatever, but a lot of my routine is the same. For others, it's really exciting, something they've never experienced before, and they're like, oh, this is really fun. And to be fair, others are struggling with it.
People who are especially used to being around an office environment with a lot of camaraderie, those who are more extroverted, it's a hard thing, okay? So then here's the thing, no matter what group you're in, at least for those who are experiencing it for the first time, it is a real adjustment. Whether you like it or hate it or are somewhat indifferent, take some getting used to. This is a topic that I've talked about with people for years. Typically in the case of they're making a transition from being an employee at a job site or an office to working for themselves at home.
So in this case, we have a lot of people that are working for companies, but at home. Whatever it is, it usually requires more effort and decision-making than you first think. So let's talk about some tips for working remotely. [Music]
Hey, Chris, this is Todd from Reno, and I've been listening to the show for about a year now. Do you have any tips for working remotely?
Like a lot of people, every one of my company is now working remotely, and it's taking some getting used to for me. I mean, the first day I was like, awesome, I'll work in my pajamas. And the second day I was like, this is weird. I just keep getting distracted looking at stuff online, which was less of a problem in my office because my colleagues walk by all the time. I also think this might be a good time, good opportunity to work on my idea for selling custom toy kits for middle school age kids.
I've been toying with it for a while, but haven't really gotten it off the ground yet. Still, like I said, I'm having a hard enough time just getting my regular day job done now. I thought it would be easier. Help. Thanks, Chris.
Hey, Todd, thank you so much. I appreciate that. I hope you are doing okay over in Reno. And yeah, working from home introduces you to an all new part of your day. You've got sunrise, lunchtime, sunset, and somewhere in there is that time of day when you change from your morning pajamas to your evening pajamas.
That's what's called the all important remote work PJ switch. So aside from pajamas, now a lot of people are forced into this situation of working remotely, but it's also interesting because we're all experiencing it together, right? Just like everything else with this whole thing, we're all going through it together. Everybody is learning how to use Zoom and other web conferencing apps and solutions. My parents are doing virtual yoga.
They're having virtual dinners with their friends. I think it was a few weeks ago when a friend of mine mentioned, hey, I just watched the first concert I've ever seen online. Never thought I would do that before, but it actually made sense once I started watching. And since then, every musician is doing online concerts. But aside from that stuff, when it comes to work, it does help to impose some constraints and structure on yourself, not just because of this situation that we're in, but working from home or working remotely in general.
I believe that structure can be your friend, constraints you impose on yourself, not imposed by somebody else, but something that you decide for yourself, some boundaries you set. Wherever possible, designate a workspace. If you're able at all to have any kind of workspace, even if it's a corner, a small area, make that your space that you're doing your work. And if possible, you don't do anything else there. I know that may not be possible for everyone, so just a tip if you can.
You also want to define specific working times. And if you're not constrained by hours that you're required to be online or available for your job, you may not want to have eight to five as your working times. You may actually discover through this process that you work better, working a little bit earlier or a little bit later, or taking a longer break in the middle of the day. This can be a good time to actually discover that if you've historically been forced into a pattern of like, I always have to work from this hour to this hour. It's also important to define specific non-working times because otherwise you can end up just working all the time and just doing the same stuff.
And so you really need to take care of yourself. So I would encourage you if you're the kind of person who has the opposite problem of someone who's lazy, you're always trying to do your work, make sure you schedule some time to do something else. Whatever is good for you. I think it's helpful to get up and walk around every hour. My Apple watch is great for this.
I have this, you know, 380 day streak now where every day I've completed my circles. And if you have an Apple watch, you know what that means. Otherwise it's just like a measure of, you know, your various activity of the day. I saw a guy on Instagram who ran a marathon in his apartment, and this is not a big apartment. This is a very small apartment.
I was like, wow, dude, that is, that's hardcore. I'm not gonna do that, but I was impressed. So if you're not gonna run a marathon in your apartment, still get up and walk around every hour. Hydrate, be sure you get your vitamins or any supplements you take. Eat as well as possible.
And just to be fair, like no guilt if you're stress eating because it is a stressful time. Like I actually today had a donut. It's funny, like I was just, I wrote these notes. Be sure to eat as well as possible. And then I was like, I just had a donut like an hour ago.
So I wanna make sure I'm honest with you. My last practical tip is to set goals at the beginning of the day. At the beginning of the day, like what do I want to accomplish before the day is out? What are my three things? You could have a long to-do list, but I think it's helpful to just have a couple of priorities.
And then last but not least for everybody, whether you're working from home or not, whatever you're going through, ask yourself what you want to get out of this time. What do you want to get out of this strange, bizarre, challenging, disruptive moment in history? Because everyone who's old enough will always remember this shared experience. Like we can look ahead a year from now, 10 years from now, we'll be able to say, oh, I remember what was happening during that time. So aside from the news, aside from the current events and the obvious stuff, what do you want to remember?
That's my challenge to you. What do you want to remember during this time? And let that answer inform whatever other decisions you make. All right, thanks again, Todd. Thanks again, everybody, by the way.
I hope you're doing okay out there. Just remember, you're not alone. As I said, we're all in this together. I'm gonna keep saying that. I know it's repetitive, but it's important.
If you got a question, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. We are featuring them throughout the year, working remotely, along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
