Working From Home, What Works & What Doesn't
Hello from Thistle Farms' temporary home-based Social Media & Blog HQ!
At Thistle Farms, some of us have the option of working remotely some of the time. Those days are often when we power through a stack of work, hyperfocused without the alluring possibility of getting too chatty with our work pals or having to spend time on commuting.
Skip forward a few weeks, and now millions of people are newly working from home, and maybe it isn’t the hyperfocused experience it once might have been. Today we’re talking to Thistle Farms employees who are learning some important lessons about getting work done during the new pandemic reality.
*Prioritize: One overarching theme of our conversations has been that prioritization is a skill to cultivate right now. If you are expected to spend some portion of your day performing a job from home, spend some time each morning determining which tasks are the most important and creating a plan to complete them in a realistic time frame.
*Workspace: A good workspace is key. Finding a space that you can “open” for work and “close” when it’s time to quit has been mentioned by several of our newest working-from-home pros. Burning a crisply scented candle (like our Eucalyptus Mint) is keeping some us at the top of our game. Natural lighting helps too. Thistle Farms founder, Becca Stevens’ executive assistant, Kristin relies on continuity "I kept the layout of my desk the same when I took over my kitchen table, the sticky notes, tape dispenser, stapler, and lamp. It helped me adjust by creating a familiar set up. My workspace is about the same, however now my co-worker now is a 4ft snackaholic."
*Personal Must-Haves: CEO, Hal Cato is steering the Thistle Farms ship from home and keeping everyone inspired to be our best. “The three things I have to do to successfully work from home: take a shower and get dressed like I would if I was headed to the office; turn on Pandora’s “Classical for Work” radio channel, and set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes. Until it goes off, I can’t get up and do anything else distracting.”
*Don't Get Too Comfy: Bobbie, Residential graduate and Marketing Manager says "I have to make sure I exercise and stretch. I do not sleep in. I work at my makeshift desk and do not watch tv during work hours nor do I work from my couch or bedroom. I do this because it keeps me from becoming too comfortable or lazy."
*Know Yourself: Everyone's personal list will be different. Do what you can, avoid negativity, do your best, and give yourself a little grace when it doesn't all line up like a regular workday. We close with our #1 suggestion, as agreed upon by many of us and echoed by PR Genius, Marlei, "I step outside every few hours. Even 5 minutes, in the sun whenever possible, really helps me to reset and dive back in."
Go get 'em, home office workers!
#LoveHeals
