Join the club! Sorry to tell you this, newbie, but it’s a far less exclusive clique than you may think. You’re probably picturing yourself like some cool kid fresh from Instagram, perfect cup of tea and fluffy cat keeping you company, doing the hip new thing. But for the legions of us self-employed it’s always been a part of the routine.
You Gotta Keep ’em Separated!
Even those of us who have a workshop or storefront somewhere else probably have a desk back home too. At the very least there’s a piled-on kitchen table, a laptop, and a blinking phone that beckons, radiating a gentle guilt through evenings and weekends and meal-times and kid-times. All the times really.
We’re only a week into getting Corona’d, and I’m already receiving evening emails from folks that were once always logged off by 4:35. This is a worrying trend. Work-creep has been known to go viral. It starts by infecting a few solitary hours here and there — a Sunday afternoon or two of “just getting a jump on things!” — but eventually it spreads, contaminating lesser holidays and warping once pleasurable happy hours into tumorous team building events.
Remember, practicing good business hygiene is not just about your safety, but the health of the entire herd. Put some boundaries in place now before it’s too late. As the poet says, “good fences make good co-workers.”
A few recommendations:
From my experience, there are two things that you’ve got to do to contain a work-from-home assignment: First, Compartmentalize. Second, Be Intentional.
What does this look like? For me, as a freelancer, I try to keep various client obligations separate from one another so that I can give each my full attention. My personal system hinges on setting up different email accounts for different aspects of my work and life.
If I’m dealing with a big corporate client, I’ll check the email addresses (and nefarious messaging applications) and that they’ve assigned to me. When I’m catching up with my other projects, I check another inbox I’ve set up.
When the day is done and it’s time to socialize or enjoy some gossip, I log into completely different accounts on different browsers to keep Facebook from frittering away my work day. Rarely do I use Firefox for work, or Chrome for pleasure. It might seem silly, but it does help to keep the digital spores at bay.
And when I’m doing it right, I check them one at a time: I deal with the new information waiting for me, make decisions, complete small tasks on the spot, and schedule out bigger jobs. Then — and only then — I close all open windows and move on to the next thing.
When I’m doing it wrong, I open up everything at once. Soon I’m overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated. My mind-wires short-circuit and my productivity is slayed by mental gridlock.
So that’s my advice. Take your day one task at at time and give it your all. If you’re working, work; if you’re not, don’t. If you play it right, this is a great opportunity to increase your efficiency, focus up on a few pesky projects and even catch up on the laundry. Somebody’s got to run that load of whites, right?
