Is mandatory quarantine the push needed to become a successful remote worker?

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I have needed to work from home the odd day here and there for whatever reason, and I have always really enjoyed it.  Being on the introverted side of the spectrum, I really enjoy the solitude during the workday and the increased ability to focus on the tasks I have set out to accomplish each day.  I have always wondered if I would enjoy being a full-time remote worker or if I have this feeling because I’ve never worked remotely for extended periods of time.

Like many others, my company has made the decision the close their doors and force all employees into mandatory remote work for the next few weeks.  When this was first announced I was extremely excited!  Since then, I have seen several posts, articles, e-books, etc. offering tips, tricks and best practices for being a remote worker.  This hasn’t scared me, but it has tempered and focused my excitement into thinking a logical thought pattern to make this as successful as possible.

I have made some changes around the house to help some separation between work-life and home-life.  I have a dedicated room I will be using as an office.  I have changed my desk configuration so that it looks almost identical to the setup I have in the office. 

My wife is still going to the office (for now) and our Daycare Centre is still open (again, for the moment), meaning that I will be able to work in solitude with just the dogs at home to keep me company during the day.  Since, I no longer have a morning commute, I’m planning on riding with my wife to drop our son off at daycare, then I will walk the dogs home (takes about 30 minutes) which will give me the time I need to transition from home mindset to work mindset.

Anytime I have been at home, my dogs are very good about the limiting number of disturbances I receive, only getting my attention 3 to 4 times during the work day, which is a great reminder to take breaks and eat some food which I would otherwise be terrible at since I can really get in “the zone” sometimes.

I plan on eating all my meals away from my desk to put that separation between work time and break time.  As much as I would like to say I won’t be doing any work in the evenings, I’m responsible for making sure our Atlassian products remain operational.  However, I plan on doing my best to only respond to emergencies outside my working hours.

I think this is going to be an excellent experiment good or bad, which will prove to me what I’m personally comfortable with and then knowing what types of opportunities I might be interested in pursuing in the future.  I plan on posting a part two to this article about a month from now when I should be finished this mandatory quarantine to provide insight into my feelings about things went.  What went well, what didn’t and what I would have done differently.

Stay safe, stay healthy and communicate virtually!

[Teodora V _Fun Inc_]

Great article @Jimmy Seddon !

It aligns with my vision for keeping work and home separate. Great that you plan to eat away from the desk, I do have this intention to stuck on my chair and zombify :)