Work From Home Tip

Last week I had the pleasure of talking to Debbie Lee, the chief marketing officer at 4moms.

I asked her what her work from home hack is that’s helped her to become more comfortable in this new normal.

Debbie told me that, as a New Yorker, she’s used to transit and spending a good chunk of time commuting each day. She learned that – subconsciously – her commute time was a dedicated way for her to reset her mindset and prepare mentally for the shift between home and work, and what would await her in the office.

Now her commute is from her bed to the kitchen, then from the kitchen to her office – and living in New York, she’s lucky to even have an office that’s separate from her bedroom or living space! For most people, there is no separation.

Her hack is a cognitive note to know that she puts makeup on, she puts clothes on, then at 9 a.m. she starts and at 5 p.m. she shuts down, no matter what. She has her ‘getting ready’ period that now serves as that cognitive shift in mindset, and she has clear separation of what those hours are for her work. Then at 5, she returns to the other parts of her home.

I thought that was interesting. The lines have become so blurred to me personally. I did an entire presentation in black jogging pants and a button-up shirt. I just didn’t want to put the pants on. It didn’t matter.

I like what Debbie said – you have to set the rules around you. There’s something inherently natural around performing differently when we kind of look the part, or even when we play the part.

So as we embark on yet another day that still feels like December 2020 to me, I think a way for us to break free of this Groundhog Day is to start putting in our own policies and procedures. What are the operating guidelines for ourselves that we can lean on to help us start this year and not have the same annual expectation of “2021, I’m ready to go crush it!” The reality is most of us are doing the same thing as we did in December. It’s January, but there’s no real difference here – the weather’s here, the lockdowns are all the same or getting worse. So we have to find joy to help us break free of those shackles that December has left us.