Many people are now working from home because of the Corona crisis. How does the change go best and how do you motivate yourself at your desk? Bettina Wittmann, expert for remote work and CEO of weBOUND marketing & We Work Location Independent, has developed a guide as an expert for new work and remote work: "Suddenly Home Office – The Corona Virus Emergency Guide for Employers, Employees & Self-Employed". In an interview with spot on news, she explains whether it is harmful to work in pajamas.
What is the most important piece of advice that you can give to workers who are now in their home office?
Bettina Wittmann: Working from home opens up new freedoms. But the flexibility gained is also offset by a certain incalculability. In order to be able to use the freedoms as well as possible without feeling overwhelmed, you should try to get to know your personal work rhythm better at the beginning of a home office phase and find out under what conditions you are most productive.
The adjustments to the work behavior are completely individual and – if the job permits – based on personal needs: for example, are you more of a morning person? Then you should plan the most important tasks of the day in the early hours, if that is possible. In the beginning, it can take some time to recognize and understand the patterns in your own behavior. So it is best to take some time to identify the best options for yourself and to use these insights to your advantage.
In addition, it is now important to signal within the family that you are at home, but still actually at work – otherwise "short" interim questions can quickly tear you out of the workflow. For example, a room in which you can close the door or an extra work area helps. If necessary, an object that signals that you do not want to be disturbed. The current situation should also be discussed with the family or with all the people you live with and if possible the schedule should be adjusted to each other – meal times, children's play times – and who is responsible for what. This reduces everyday friction. With single households it is all the more important to reduce the loneliness that may occur. This can be done, for example, through video lunch meetings.
What should I watch out for if I can only communicate digitally with my colleagues in my home office? What changes in dealing with this?
Wittmann: Especially in times like these, communication is the most important thing. Because you often hide the world outside when you have been working from home for some time, sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally. Ideally, regular online stand-ups – short update meetings in which everyone talks about what they are working on – are introduced, which we recommend at least once a week, as well as regular check-ins via communication software. Everyone writes what they are working on today and at the end of the day, what they have been working on or what they still need help with. So everyone is on one stand.
In addition, it is important to find the most suitable communication channel and stick to it to avoid confusion: if it is only a matter of clarifying a short yes-no question, a written note in team chat is often the fastest way. However, if larger questions and processes have to be clarified or ideas have to be illustrated in detail or even further developed, all those who do this via written media put themselves in the way. It says: Writing is silver, talking is gold! The combination of video chat and screen sharing is particularly effective here, at best with a mind map or whiteboard integration. Short summaries can then be written in addition to avoid the time-consuming viewing of long video recordings.
How do you prevent work and private life from becoming too mixed up at home?
Wittmann: Here too, clear communication is the be-all and end-all: Communicate from when to when you work and when it no longer counts as work. Especially in unusual situations like this it can happen that superiors or colleagues also write in the evening to do something quickly. Insofar as the working time is not specified by the boss, it can also be advantageous to schedule the time yourself. However, you should definitely take regular breaks into account – for example using the Pomodoro technique. That means: Power sprints are held at short intervals, during which one works particularly concentrated. After X minutes it is time for a five-minute break.
Otherwise, it means sticking to regular working hours and being consistent. Because I also know from my own experience that you can jump up quickly at 9:30 p.m. when a message from the employer pops up because there is still something to be done and "you can still do it quickly". Insofar as it is difficult for yourself to separate the areas, it may help to talk to colleagues or even to your supervisor.
At home, many people enjoy wearing comfortable clothes. Does this affect working behavior?
Wittmann: I think it's very individual. If it were like that, as Karl Lagerfeld said, I would have long lost control of my life … I work very often in sweatpants, there are even days when I don't take off my pajamas at all. Does this affect my work results? I don't think other than that my Instagram stories sometimes don't look that stylish. Can a nice outfit increase my self-confidence and thereby make me sell more successfully – for example during initial interviews? Certainly! However, I also know from colleagues that they feel better when they pretend to go to their office regularly in the morning and look just as chic. Some, however, only the top 50 percent, since the pants are not shown during the video conversations.
How do you motivate yourself at home?
Wittmann: It all depends on your own personality. Some people are more motivated than others – by nature or because they are more involved in their role. In such phases, I recommend that you also focus on the positive sides and, especially in the current situation, be aware that everyone has to pull together. If the work is done faster or you even show yourself more efficiently in the home office, then it may be that the boss will allow home office more often in the future and you may even be able to extend your vacation through so-called workings.
If you don't have any motivation at all, then I would start with the things that I enjoy the most, and I'm often so involved in the subject that it doesn't bother me to continue. Others, on the other hand, recommend starting with what is hardest because they have already done it – this gives you momentum to continue when this "chunk" is already gone. Perhaps after point one you find out that your work habits do not correspond to classic office hours and that you are much more productive in the evening? If possible, your boss will even get involved in a long-term solution that allows you to make better use of the motivation and productivity peaks.