Work life has changed dramatically for the millions of people who are now working from home. According to recent Gallup statistics, 33 percent of employees in the United States are always working virtually, and 25 percent are working from home as part of a hybrid business model. If you’re one of those professionals, you might want to take a comfortable seat in your cozy clothes: As the pandemic lingers, a growing number of major companies remain remote and have no immediate plans to return to the office. So let’s talk about making the new normal work for you.
Don’t Fight It
We might as well make peace with the reality of work-from-home or hybrid business models. Indeed, a conventional 9-to-5 onsite workday was already becoming less commonplace pre-pandemic. “For a range of demographic, cultural, economic, and technological reasons, our perception of the traditional full-time, white-collar office job has been in decline over the past 30 years,” explains business consultant and author Chris Bovaird, an assistant professor in strategic management in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Bovaird says that working from home doesn’t have to mean working less productively. Most experts agree, and guidance on the subject points to the importance of adopting healthy work-from-home habits. For example, do your best to be consistent and persistent. Give some thought to what worked for you when you went to a physical workplace, and try it at home. Whether it’s a time management system, a goal-setting approach, or a self-motivational technique, take it out of your toolbox and use it. When we decide to make the most of the work situation we’re in, we’re setting ourselves up for success.
Own Your Space and “Office Hours”
“It’s helpful to have physical boundaries, so if possible, work in a separate area from your living space,” suggests Jody Michael, executive coach and CEO of Jody Michael Associates. “Choose an office, basement, or extra bedroom to do your work and literally shut the door. Then leave that environment once you’re done working for the day.” And if you don’t have that kind of space or privacy? Michael suggests using cues to set boundaries, perhaps something as simple as “shutting down your laptop and removing it from the kitchen table before dinner.”
It also doesn’t hurt to see the glass as half full. Even if working virtually was a sudden and difficult change, it does have advantages. You can avoid COVID-19 as well as office politics, wear what you want, and eat lunch at any weird time you like. And hey, no more getting stuck in traffic! “Sure, there can be distractions at home, especially right now if you have care-giving duties,” says Bovaird. “But there are also distractions at work, and not having to commute hours a week allows you to be more productive by having a healthier and happier life in general.”
Take Breaks and Reclaim Your Commute Time
“One of the unintended impacts of this lockdown is more people, having tried remote working, will realize they really don’t need to spend hours a day commuting to an office,” observes Bovaird. So why not view that time as a bonus you get to spend any way you want? “Use that extra time to take a walk, work out, catch up on household chores, spend time with your kids, read, or get a head start on dinner,” counsels Michael. “Do something that has nothing to do with work.”
Finally, be sure to pace yourself and take breaks. Step away from the screen — while, of course, avoiding the pitfall of a five-minute peek at social media turning into an hour. A brief mental reset can make a big difference. Michael says, “It’s easy to become engrossed in your work and forget to take breaks. Spend 10 minutes practicing diaphragmatic breathing exercises, stretching, checking in with your partner, or playing with your cat. Small breaks will refresh you and help you maintain productivity.”
On Topic
For many Indigenous scientists and scholars, especially those who work within rural communities, “working remotely” has been something we have been doing for years. I split my time between living in the heart of Salish country in Missoula, Mont., and the Blackfeet Reservation, along the Montana and Canadian border. I know where every cell tower and dead zone is from here to there and back again. Many Indigenous scientists and scholars have developed strategies to work effectively no matter where we are — and they center on good information technology, gadgets, and electricity.
But I am also an Indigenous environmentalist, so working remotely also means being environmentally friendly. This is what I want to address in today’s Q&A.
What challenges do you see in working remotely?
As an Indigenous environmentalist what I view as a challenge may be different from what others think. I love technology, gadgets, and electricity, but I recognize their creation and use have a detrimental impact on our environment and the growing climate crisis.
But the challenge to be environmentally friendly can also be an opportunity. Our biggest opportunities in working (remotely or otherwise) are to reduce our use of electricity (which is usually generated from coal extracted from Indigenous lands), to reduce our use of gadgets made from rare minerals (again, usually extracted from Indigenous lands), and reduce our use of information technology that relies on the cloud and data centers (which use an enormous amount of fresh water and electricity). Working remotely is a great time to reassess our resource and energy use. This is also a great opportunity for Indigenous scientists and scholars to provide leadership and solutions to address environmental degradation and the climate crisis.
What daily practices should you consider when working remotely?
Using a medicine wheel can be part of a healthy daily practice. (I recognize that not all Indigenous communities include the “medicine wheel” concept as part of their culture, but it can be a helpful way to think about whole-body health). A medicine wheel includes the four cardinal directions and colors that signify aspects of life such as the mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Ask yourself daily, “Am I getting proper exercise, taking mental breaks, checking my emotions, and connecting with the divine?”
Also call your grandma; when was the last time you talked to her?
What mental shifts are necessary when moving between in-office and at-home workdays?
As a professor and researcher, I spend most of the academic year interacting with students, faculty, and staff on campus. I see students every day either in the classroom or outside at our campus ethnobotany garden and in natural landscapes. And in the summer, I work on ethnobotany and TEK projects, usually with elders and community members up in the mountains or on the prairies of the northern Great Plains. I visit — and laugh — with a lot of people.
I think that visiting others and laughter are central to Indigenous people’s lives and culture. When we work remotely, we lose opportunities to visit with our coworkers and students, and we don’t laugh at our own jokes (well maybe some of us do), when we are working from home. One big shift with remote work is how to incorporate our Indigenous culture, of visiting and laughter, into our daily lives. Different people are doing this in different ways, including on social media, online hangouts, movie watch parties, or just visiting on the phone. Whatever the method, it’s important for Indigenous well-being to keep visiting and laughing no matter where we are.
What’s one goal professionals can strive to achieve while working remotely?
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Did I mention I am an Indigenous environmentalist? As you work remotely, think about how to help the Earth, protect our Indigenous lands, and be sustainable.
Reduce your energy and gadget usage (this can also be good for your mental health). Reuse what you can within your office or laboratory. Don’t buy new stuff — use all that AISES swag you picked up at the last conference. And hit the thrift store for some amazing finds. Recycle what you can, and encourage your campus or community to start programs appropriate for them. Recycling is also a great way to give back to your community by donating to a thrift store or community organization in need.
Using technology, gadgets, and electricity in our modern world is unavoidable, but as Indigenous scientists and scholars we can be leaders for a more sustainable future.
