OK we are here. We are in this evolving shift of the normal. We are dealing with the working from home and the interruption to routine and what was known as the daily and weekly schedule. Now we are in the midst of the relative flexibility of freedom. And what a liberating space this can be. The option fo not having to commute, of not needing to be dressed up and presentable, of not needing to adhere to the normal schedule… its decidedly liberating. Effortlessly unshackled. Deliriously decluttered - and yet fraught with danger! Yes for every swing of the pendulum there is a deviation that must be considered.
“There’s no such thing as too much freedom if you know how to use it”
Like any indulgence overly granted, we should be mindful of the checks and balances, the scales of saturnalia if you will. How much is too much? When is less too little? We could all take free reign of these new parameters of interaction and operation and run rampant with them through the voids of interpretation. That means that if we are sitting at home in our pyjamas at 2pm in the afternoon without having shaven or washed your face that day, should we be judgemental or celebratory in our embrace of the il defined new boundaries of social interaction? The truth is that there is a myriad of choices currently available to us and we almost have too much control on how we take these new boundaries and self imposed rules of normality.
The pros and cons of working from home or' ‘remote working’ are wide and varied, but there are some elements that have beneficial aspects and proven track records to keeping us on the right side of the Sloth scale.
“Being organized will give you more free time, contribute to a cheerful nature, and add to the peace and security of your home. Free time is an illusion.”
Time. The big aspect of remote working involves the reduction of the need for commuting and needing to be present in an external location. You can throw on a load of laundry and be ready for it to finish and hang out in the sunshine now. You can schedule your own day with school pick ups and drop offs because you don’t have to physically put in a presence at the office location. With all this free time you won’t know yourself. True because it is how you choose to use that time to your advantage. Free time can be a monkeys paw (symbol fo desire and greed) in disguise. If you have ultimate power might you make decisions that aren’t in your best interest? Beware the freedom of time, for it is a mischievous and capricious and may lead to decisions or choices that are not in your best interest. Instead it may be better to wisely choose what to do with your new found freedom of time. Train your time to serve you well, whilst still allowing for spontaneity and impression to lead you in advantageous directions.
Relax vs Too Relaxed. Who doesn’t revel in the fact that you no longer have to dress up and do your makeup , your hair, shave your beard, and be presentable. However this too is a dangerous luxury to indulge in on a wide scale. Having routine in our lives makes us accountable. It gives us structure and in the freedom of isolation, it would appear easy to fall into the trap of having a structureless existence. The truth is, not many of us can deal welll without struture. So few of us have the internal self discipline to maximise our days efficiently if we don’t possess a modicum of stucture. Too much freedom can encourage chaos, and few of us are ready or equipped mentally to deal with too much free reign.
The key is responsibility. The balance of power that occurs in remote working shifts from employer or ‘boss figure’ to the worker themselves. Now you as the individual are responsible for ensuring that x, y and z are ticked off the list - and the truth is very few of us are ready for this responsibility. Whilst the freedom of release is all very well in the first few weeks of operation, without structure and boundaries, we very quickly risk slipping into a non committal apathy of slovenly indulgence.
“When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4 a.m. and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10 kilometers or swim for 1,500 meters (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9 p.m. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind.””
Admiral Wiliam McRaven illicits this point in his University of Texas commencement speech where he talks about the importance of ‘making your bed every day’. And that this simple act sets up a routine of achieving tasks, of making choices to achieve the first task of the day. This sets in place the routine of ‘achievement’ that is all important to establish this routine that leads to further achievements in the day ahead. Being apathetic in choosing to complete tasks or adhere to schedules can in fact lead to a loss in efficiency. Science proves that schedules saves time, increases productivity and proficiency, reduces our need for self motivation builds momentum and ultimately saves us time and money. (Ellie Robins - www.headspace.com)
Flexible Working hours - The advantage of the remote workplace is that if you can take charge of the freedom that this invites, then you really can make it work positively for you. Dividing time between family and work when it suits the family and not the workplace, scheduling your day so you can actually fit in some regular exercise as opposed to having to adhere to a 9 to 5 existence and take part in crowded exercise classes or fitness locations. All these factors mean that you can manage your own day. But the key word is manage. You get to decide but decide you must. And if that means the kids drop off time is more important then make it so. This work/life balance has been the realm of the Scandinavian countries for many years, led largely by Finland who legislated the Working Hours Act in 1996 and has since seen Finland rise to be one of the leaders of flexible working arrangements and overcoming their relatively small population size in favour of maximising the efficiency of their workforce to create one fo the most motivated and mobilised workforces on the planet. Its been so successful that they are looking at expanding this concept in 2020 with further implementations of the Flexible Working Hours Act involving even more scope and flexibility.
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In the Nordics we have relatively flat organisations, low hierarchies and pragmatism, and these are also ingredients that have made it possible to introduce new elements like flexible working”
Human interaction - the need to interact with others is a major influence on the current situation or remote workers. Sometimes we need those small human interactions in the workplace that allow us to connect with our fellow workers and share a small sense of unity and combined experience. The psychological implications of this type of interaction are hugely advantageous to building trust, camaraderie and work satisfaction. With remote working, this can be displaced and the loss of the ‘team spirit’ in getting something done and completed can be lacking which leads to poor productivity and a myriad of mental health issues that are vital to keeping someone buoyant and feeling that they are contributing to a project and indeed their lifestyle. Never let it be said that a conversation in the ‘break room’ doesn’t amount to a feeling of support and assistance if someone is having a demotivating day.
Dedicated work space vs home space. This is perhaps a crucial aspect to consider in the remote working evnironment and one that I can relate to acutely in terms of physical impact. Being at home and sitting on the laptop in the couch is quite possibly the worst thing you can do for yourself. As many people discover, a worker can experience that wonderful sense of ‘flow’ where you are so fixated on the task at hand that everything else falls to the wayside and you are not aware of time passing as you dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the task at hand. Whilst this can be a euphoric state to achieve and ultimately pragmatic and highly achieving, it can be a negative if you are indeed stuck on a soft couch for 10 hours and slumped over without taking a vital physical break. We need to move people! We know sitting for 8 hours a day isn’t good but especially if we aren’t set up in an environment that is set up well for our posture. If we aren’t moving and shaking and grooving in our pj’s and instead are just sitting at the breakfast bar counter with a 4hr cold cup of coffee in front of us, then we won’t be doing anyone a service when our back, hips and neck start screaming at us for help. (and with massage therapists being closed that could prove a problem).
Essentially its a balancing act. Beware the lure of freedom as it may indeed be a double edged sword. If you do work form home perhaps you need to consider these helpful hints and answer them accurately with yourself.
You need to have A LOT of self-discipline.
You need to be able to stay focused and not get distracted easily.
You need to be great with time management.
You need to be organized and structured.
You need to be able to work on your own without constant supervision.
You need to be ok with working alone and spending most of your day alone (or go to co-working spaces).
If you don’t answer yes to all these considerations, you may need to spend a little time figuring out how best to change your approach to ensure that you don’t become the Sloth that you always dreamed would be your best life. It’s really not that alluring.
