the washington post
.thursday, march
19,
2020DC
4
HomeBY SARAH PULLIAM BAILEYU.S. officials are encouraging
employees to work from home
due to the spread of the coronavi-
rus. Because most companies are
not set up for this, employees
might be caught off guard.
I have spent most of my p rofes-
sional career working from home,
even before social media and
messaging services such as Slack
became workplace staples. On
paper, I work 9 to 5 for a tradition-
al media outlet in the District. In
reality, I work various hours on
any g iven day from my couch or
kitchen table or small desk in
New York City, where every
square foot is a precious com-
modity. I share my “office” with a
play kitchen and a busy 4-year-
old.
In other words, I’m a work-
from-home pro. For newbies,
here are some tips for working
remotely without losing your
mind.
Wear whatever you want:
Some people swear by showering
and getting dressed as if you were
going into an office. If that puts
you in the right head space, more
power to you. If it delays your day,
just skip it and wear whatever you
want. N ew York’s unofficial dress
code is all-black attire, so I have a
summer dress and a winter dress
I can pull on if I need to go out on
an assignment, paired with black
boots or black sandals for sim-
plicity.
Treadmill desk vs. dining
room table? Eh, just get your
work done: I’ve gone through
spurts of investing in my home
office, and I do think some people
need a dedicated place for work, if
you have the space for it. My
friend Jeremy Weber gave me tips
on how to make a more ergonom-
ic setup so I don’t have neck and
back injuries. You can get a Roost
stand, a Jarvis desk, a movable
arm rest, a standing mat, a track-
pad. Beyond specific products, he
always tells me, good posture is
key! Get up every hour and go
outside if you can.
Maintain a stash of drinks:
When you work from home, you
don’t face the temptation of the
common M&M bowl (not a coro-
navirus best practice). But you do
have your kitchen nearby. To k eep
things interesting, I try to always
have tea, coffee, hot chocolate,
sparkling water and fresh lem-
ons. I drink water out of a large
Mason jar mug. I try to eat at
regular mealtimes, snack on
fruits and veggies, and keep food
away f rom my w orkspace. It h elps
keep the mice out of my office.
Be flexible, but maintain
boundaries: My company has
given me geographical flexibility,
so I try to offer the same flexibilityback when I can. That means I
will drop what I’m doing at
10 p.m. or on a weekend to jump
on breaking news. That said, you
don’t need to answer every Slack
message outside your work win-
dow. Create an understanding
with your manager about when
you are on the clock and what
hours you might be expected to
answer if needed. And, because
your office is now your home, try
to keep your work computer and
cellphone out of the bedroom. I
have an alarm clock that shines
the time on the ceiling and lets
me avoid blue light, which can
block the release of melatonin at
night.
Allow your mind to wander:
Sorry, t his part is controversial, so
hold on to your hats. My job
requires some level of creativity
in writing and in generating story
ideas, so I let myself get distract-
ed throughout the day. Some-
times I fold laundry (gasp!) on
company time, so I can give my-
self a few minutes to chew on anidea. Sometimes I take a walk or a
nap if I don’t have an urgent
deadline (no one tell Jeff Bezos,
please), because later I’ll be much
more energized. I’m very pur-
poseful about this “downtime,”
and I make up for it later. I know
I’m not fooling anyone if I don’t
get my work done.
Want productivity tips? That’s
fine, but don’t get bogged down
by systems. I read books by peo-
ple such as David Allen, Gretchen
Rubin, Laura Vanderkam and
Timothy Ferriss. Friends recom-
mend apps such as Streaks and
To ggl. But my to-do list and goals
are pretty simple: Stay focused,
and get stuff done.
Going on a conference call?
Announce yourself and remind
people you exist: Then tell every-
one you’re going to mute yourself
so you can minimize background
noise. If you live in an urban
environment, no one needs to
hear the siren outside your win-
dow. Just don’t forget to unmute
yourself when you want to weighin on something.
My friend Kate Shellnutt says
to consider how the window
lighting makes you look when
making video calls. Avoid posi-
tioning yourself so you are backlit
(bonus: getting some feel-good
energy from sunlight).
Need kids to be quiet for a
conference call? Consider blue-
tooth headphones for the TV:
Remember that viral BBC video
where the two children wandered
into the dad’s home office while
he was doing an interview? I was
recently interviewing the presid-
ing bishop of the Episcopal
Church, Michael Curry, over the
phone when my 4 -year-old
bounced into the room to ask me
about her Daniel Tiger tooth-
brush. I know screen time is
controversial, but sometimes you
do what you gotta do. We have a
set of bluetooth headphones con-
nected to the TV to keep my
daughter quiet and focused, so I
can hop on a call without disrup-
tion.
Communicate as much as you
can: When I met a co-founder of
Slack last year, I shook his hand
warmly and told him how the
messaging service has changed
my w ork-from-home life. It h asn’t
replaced being in the newsroom
(getting the office gossip takes a
lot more work), but I can talk
much more casually with col-
leagues and bounce ideas off
them. I can jump in rooms and
monitor conversations without
being on mass email chains.
Messaging apps might also be
an added challenge that needs to
be managed. Ta ke t he app off your
phone, if you need to, and set
away messages that tell people
you’re unavailable. Whatever you
do, be professional in your typed
communication. Whatever you
say could easily be forwarded or
screenshotted.
I was home-schooled until col-
lege, so I know what it’s like to
have to prove myself by proving
myself, not just by showing up for
class. Whether through email or
Slack or text message or DMs,
keep your boss and colleagues in
the loop. Solicit feedback. Check
on your goals and progress. Keep
a running doc of ideas and anoth-
er one for accomplishments. Note
your awards and the encouraging
feedback you get from people.
Your manager might not be able
to see you, but he or she can track
your work.
Have a spouse who also has to
work from home? This is new
territory for me. My husband,
who normally goes to his office in
New York every day, was told he
has to work from home. We m ight
need to expand our stash of
dr inks.
[email protected]If coronavirus forces you to work from home, here’s how to do it
ISTOCKCreate an
understanding with
your manager about
when you are on the
clock and what
hours you might be
expected to answer if
needed. And because
your office is now
your home, try to keep
your work computer
and cellphone out of
the bedroom.