Welcome to the age of great remoteness: this is my three-year remote work experience

Due to the epidemic, more and more people have recently entered the remote working mode, but how to enter the working state at home?

sense of ceremony

Yesterday, I saw a time-limited update from a friend saying that after starting to work remotely, ideally, since I go to work at 9:00, I can wait until 8:50 and get up again. But in fact , I still have to get up early to change clothes, wipe lipstick, spray perfume, and use the sound of closing the door to replace the original "ceremony" of locking the door before going to work, and finally open the computer screen to feel at work.

The "ceremony" before each person enters the state of work is different. I first started making coffee, getting up and needing to make a latte, then extending a fixed work table height (75.5 cm), listening to music on a specific theme (The Piano Guys), until now I just need to give me a quiet Space is good, so buy AirPods Pro for soundproofing (not). I also read @yingxin that what I need is a wall , welcome everyone to share a more curious sense of ritual exchange.

There are more and more articles on the Internet discussing how to "enter" a work state, but fewer people discuss how to "leave" a work state. Don't plan to get off work?

blurred lines

This friend found that after working remotely, not only did colleagues go to work on time, but they generally started work earlier. It's interesting. It seems that everyone has the self-control to get up at 8:50, no one accidentally sleeps until 9:10?

not necessarily. Maybe it's just that remote work makes it easier to "come to work" -- the display is online -- without the need for a real person to sit in the seat. This not only eliminates the uncertain factors of traffic jams in the middle and missing the bus, but it is more likely that some people have not "get off work" at all for a few days?

Although many people go to work now and just change the place to surf the Internet, but entering the office is considered to be work, and leaving the office is considered to be off work, which is a clear indication on the psychological level. Once everyone establishes an atmosphere of working from home through a sense of ritual, it becomes more and more important when and how to restore the atmosphere at home.

My method is, let them mix together 😄 It's not that I did it deliberately, but when I started working remotely three years ago, I didn't pay special attention to "getting off work", but only paid attention to "going to work". . Over time, my work and life were almost mixed 24 hours Monday through Friday.

I used to think that I was a workaholic, so I was very satisfied with my state of being at full power all the time (young capital?). This lasted for about half a year to a year, and one day I suddenly realized, "Oh no, my life is a mess." It is specifically presented on the dishes on the counter, the clothes on the sofa, and the fake coffee shop that I haven't found for a long time.

So I started trying not to touch work on weekends.

rhythm of life

Before @JH helped me clearly express my sense of rhythm at work in an interview article - maintaining a stable output. In order to maintain the rhythm of the work, I had to make a life sacrifice, otherwise I would not be able to write 3 articles a week.

But people's energy is always limited. After sprinting for half a year to a year, it is easy to feel the feeling of being hollowed out. At this time, the sense of rhythm in life is another force, which is used to irrigate the empty soul😂 The specific method is through a stable daily schedule, a clear distinction between work days and holidays, and even the distinction between work and vacation places. Let yourself know that you don't have to be at full throttle all the time.

So now I work less from home because it makes my body wonder if I'm at work or on vacation. I have a list of work places in my head that I think of as offices, such as the university library, some coffee shops, or a meeting area at a friend's company. Conversely, there is also a list of vacation spots that I only go to when I (want to) have a vacation, such as the lake, the sea, hiking, biking.

Through the distinction of location, now I drink coffee more and more like a hobby, rather than a ritual. When you need a rest, I also know that as long as you sit by the lake in Daan Forest Park, you will probably have a relaxing effect. Everyone's brain manual is different, and I'm still developing more places to get off work and where to go.

Just like drinking too much coffee from the same coffee shop, the refreshing effect will decrease with it. The same "work place" and "off work place" go too frequently, and there will be less and less clear psychological hints. He has only accumulated it for two and a half years, and for the time being, he can't compare to the Pomodoro clock work method that Tang Feng has practiced for more than 20 years. Frequent switching requires clear psychological cues (others will call it self-control), and for people who are just starting to work remotely (including myself), cutting too small pieces will probably just stick together.

I would suggest that everyone might as well start with the "big tomato" with relatively coarse particles. Slowly practice switching states, and a high degree of self-control can be exchanged for real flexibility and flexibility.