New work environment, new rules

by: Michael Jordan

If someone asked for a Captain Obvious update, I would share that working from home can present a challenge to most of us accustomed to a drastically different daily routine. Of course, the challenge has become even greater during this Coronavirus Pandemic since most of us are sharing our new work environments with our families.

Last week, I spoke to a colleague that prompted me to tackle this subject.  His excitement about his newfound quarantine work-life was palpable when he shared “how productive” he had been during his first few days.  I responded as any competitive professional would by saying that I too had been productive in my new habitat. To up the stakes, I offered proof of my productivity by sharing that I had even been working longer days than usual since my work life and personal life had no real boundaries now.  

As a matter of full transparency, I am lucky enough to have a dedicated home office that represents a literal delineation between the borders of my work and family life.  But that’s not what I was referring to.  What I meant by boundaries probably could have been better expressed by saying I had no real operating protocol.

Those longer days I bragged about to my work teammate even included taking a call at 8:30pm the previous night which was right at the very edge of our household bedtime routine. I knew the person was likely just returning a message I left earlier but I felt compelled to answer even though there was a strong probability he was hoping for my voicemail.  Needless to say, he was shocked I answered and of course had nothing substantial to discuss.  The absence of operational protocol or boundaries was obvious at that moment. 

It reminded me of a former colleague of mine that would also say, “don’t confuse being busy with being productive”.  Yet, here I was giving life to the very definition of “busywork”.  The call had the appearance of importance to my brain at that moment but provided nothing but the theft of my most valuable resource…TIME.  Time that I need to fulfill my duties beyond my commitment to my employer and my business. One of the most important of which is my duty to self-growth and well being.

For those of us lucky enough to work at home (or to work at all), I know we’ve been inundated with articles and webinars on best practices.  My aim here is to share some personal thoughts from the trenches, so to speak, since I feel like I’ve adjusted quickly and can also tap into previous experiences “telecommuting” (remember that word?).

Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

1. Don’t be absent: 

Every role you play in life and work needs to your time and attention.  Not necessarily equal time and attention but start by defining your roles if you haven’t yet.  By the way, these roles might be very different today than they were even two weeks ago.  You newly minted homeschoolers know what I’m talking about.

As a personal example, people that have met me for 5 minutes know that I coach youth basketball.  On practice or game days, I have to walk out of the house, get into my car, and drive to the gym.  There’s a physical separation between my roles and responsibilities. Granted that’s not an active role in my current quarantine life but I’m sure the point is understood.

To be an impactful stakeholder, husband, father, friend, co-worker or coach requires that I be more deliberate in defining AND protecting my time in our emotionally fluid yet physically stagnate new world. Prioritize and Schedule it all!

2. Set your boundaries

It’s easy to confuse this with #1 so hang in there with me. If you have a daily start and end time given by your employer, this is still an important step. 

Everything is different. No one has lived through a pandemic like the Coronavirus. My 6 year old and our dog Vegas are my new morning routine. My work boundaries are now 7:30am-6:30pm. 

Let me explain: this doesn’t mean that I work every minute of this 11 hour stretch but it’s the range of time I allow myself to fulfill my role as a stakeholder and sales professional. That would include virtual meetings, strategic planning, team huddles, conference calls etc. It also allows me to stay present and follow through on #1 on this list.

Block the time you need to accomplish the most vital tasks that you know will lead to productivity.  Quite literally schedule it as a meeting in your calendar.  I also now use that range and block time discipline to have lunch with the family, address my physical health and be my kids’ P.E. teacher (my jump shot is dialed in right now).

If you need help organizing your most vital daily tasks, this article on The Ivy Lee Method might help

3. Communicate your rules of engagement

We must teach people how we want them to communicate with us.  By answering a phone call at 8:30pm, what was I teaching that caller?  I taught him that I’m available whenever he needs to reach me even if I have to sacrifice the time, I had set aside to be a Father. Actions are louder than words (I tried to think of a cool new phrase but there is nothing substantially more meaningful here than those 5 words).

I’ll share a hack I got from a business partner.  She has started to use her “Out of Office” message to communicate her boundaries with clients. The auto message lets them know how often and when she replies to email.  She has also set standing office hours to receive calls and posts that daily.  There are also calendar services that allow you to share a simple link providing a real time look into the free space purposefully created in your schedule.

I probably should have warned you as a reader that this was not about how to best use Zoom or Skype for Business. This is about adapting and thriving. 

Staying busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re staying productive.  Pay attention to your emotional and physical health by redefining your roles. Create rules for yourself and dust off any time management technique that can be re-purposed for your new environment. 

Stay sharp, stay healthy and stay productive without eroding your foundation!