Once upon a time (like six months ago), working from home was seen as a work/life balance perk. People who’d been with a company for a while could maybe negotiate to work from home on Fridays. But while remote work made the lists of various “future trends” people should know about, it didn’t happen nearly as often as it could.
Then, in March, the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the US and Europe. Whole organizations went virtual overnight. While some work cannot be done remotely, and we’re learning that some work is really hard to do well remotely (I’m thinking elementary education), much general information work can. I do hope life will go back to normal. But I’m betting that remote work will remain a bigger part of the picture, with a lot of people working from home 2-3 days per week and the office 2-3 days per week in order to get…the best of both worlds.
In this episode of Best of Both Worlds, Sarah and I talked about some common work-from-home issues, with tips from my new ebook, The New Corner Office (also the name of one of my other podcasts). We cover Zoom fatigue, distractions, and how to cope with limited childcare. I have to admit that when my agent, my publisher, and I discussed doing this quick-turnaround book in April, and then I learned that “quick” meant July, part of me thought…hmm…will that be too late? But here we are. This “future trend” is upon us, and I’m guessing will be for a while.
Please give the episode a listen! And I’d appreciate if you’d consider getting a copy of the ebook. If you read it, please write a review, and then let me know so I can thank you!
I am so excited to read your book! I don’t comment all that often but I have loved reading your materials over the last few years. And this is so timely for me as I’m transitioning to a partially admin/supervisor role that involves some work at home, about 30% admin, 70% clinical in a hospital. I’ve only ever done work in a hospital as a nurse or (now) as a NP in my career so it’ll be quite the change for me to actually do “traditional” office type work. I’ll be sure to write a review once I’ve read it!
So funny- this is very similar to my situation! I worked for almost 11 years as an inpatient transplant nurse, but about 4 years ago transitioned to a full time work from home RN kidney transplant data analyst position with a very flexible schedule. TOTALLY different from 12+ hour shifts on my feet, punching a clock, racing around every second caring for patients non-stop! It was hard to wrap my head the slower paced/ independent work at first. I’ve used lots of Laura’s time management tips and books over the past 4 years, especially when I first started my current job, to figure it all out too. 🙂
I’m so excited to hear both the podcast and the audiobook. I started The New Corner Office this morning and it couldn’t have come at a better time. My two toddlers’ daycare center had to close yesterday due to a staff member testing positive for Covid. I’m solo as my husband is an essential healthcare worker. I’m only 30 minutes in and, already, it has helped me prioritize my tasks and manage the time I have to juggle both childcare and running a department. Thank you, Laura.
I’m looking forward to reading the book and enjoyed this episode. I wanted to point out in regards to zoom fatigue – mine decreased tremendously when I turned off my self view while it meetings. Then I was not distracted by my own face and could focus more on the other attendees.
Thanks, Laura. I have the book and look forward to reading it. You always have such great advice!
I love all your books so I will be buying this too.