I read an interesting article in LinkedIn recently with a headline that caught my eye ‘Are you working from home or living at work?’.
It got me thinking immediately in terms of how quickly I have got used to a new balance of working from home and occasionally going into the office at work in Wellington. Pre March 2020, every working day for me, I was in the office in Wellington, or on client site or charging up and down Lambton Quay and loving it!
But now I love just as much working from home! The article though made me think about my work/lifestyle balance and most importantly, how much I treasure being able to take my kids to school and collect them. I really enjoy getting a massive de-brief on their day at school. It is so cool. I used to think that working from home would be counter-productive, but in fact I find it the opposite. I am more productive at home and somehow manage to have more meetings and have a lot more thinking time.
My top 5 tips for working at home:
- Take plenty of mini breaks and drink lots of water. Enjoy your surrounds and your house that you have worked hard for
- If you can, take your kids to school and give them quality time. You will never regret that
- Work out a method that works best for you to maintain your network. For all consultants, this is critical to keeping in contact with colleagues, customers and keeping yourself current in the market. Book at least 2-3 coffees per week to keep in touch with your network – this will really pay dividends for you
- Try and use video technology for most of your meetings if you can and keep yourself visible to your colleagues. A big smile and cheery hello in each meeting is always a good positive look as a consultant
- Book some time for yourself during the day – a 30 min walk and a bit of reflection does wonders for the mind!
And most of all keep healthy and happy!
Matt Collier