Last week I worked from home for three days as an experiment to see if I would like it or not. Short answer, it wasn't bad. I felt like I performed my work tasks with the same level of efficiency, but I also felt like I'd have to make some changes to optimize the experience.
First, my current work environment includes the following features:
The table below shows how I measured my effectiveness while working remotely, as compared to the previous week's schedule.
I rated my Meeting Effectiveness Score lower for my remote work days since I was a bit insecure as to how these meetings went. Conducting remote meetings isn't something does often enough to feel good about doing effectively. This is a skill that I can hone and improve, but for now, it's lower.
All in all, I think this was a good experience. I don't think any of the Cons listed are insurmountable, just something to be mindful of in the future. I'm going to try this experiment again in a couple weeks and see if results hold.
UPDATE(8/23): I downloaded the Grammarly plugin for Chrome and fixed some (careless) mistakes. I should have started using this a while ago.
First, my current work environment includes the following features:
- a 45-minute commute
- an on-site gym with showers
- a PC with dual 22in wide-screen monitors
- a cubicle with windows
- Free K-Cups
- Walk-up traffic from Developers and Project Managers
By contrast, my home office includes the following features:
- a 1/2 minute commute
- my laptop (MacBook Pro w/ 13in Retina display)
- office with french doors and windows
- personal coffee maker
- Walk-up traffic from my kids
Pros
- Working with only my laptop was pretty nice. I tend to mono-task, so a single screen for work was perfect for my workflow. I found myself bouncing back and forth into a Citrix desktop environment for access to some applications. Over three days, that was okay, but I'd have to find a different work pattern if I had to do that all the time.
- As long as I scheduled it, taking breaks with the kids was kinda nice. I could be with them for breakfast and lunch, and they were pretty good about respecting my work time, particularly when I had meetings. If I worked from home during the school year, it would be much easier.
- Email, instant messaging and other communication services were all just as easy to use at home as in the office.
Cons
- Conducting meetings wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. It's not something that I do regularly, but with practice, I think I could improve this skill.
- So many snacks. I didn't weigh myself before and after, but I suspect that the scale moved in the wrong direction. Working from home also meant losing access to the gym in the building, so that's something to consider.
- It sounds small, but wearing headphones for 8+ hours a day was a burden. I can foresee investing in an Amazon Echo for the office if I did this full time.
- While working from home, you lose some of the contexts of work vs life. I started to feel a bit like I was always at work since I never left.
The table below shows how I measured my effectiveness while working remotely, as compared to the previous week's schedule.
I rated my Meeting Effectiveness Score lower for my remote work days since I was a bit insecure as to how these meetings went. Conducting remote meetings isn't something does often enough to feel good about doing effectively. This is a skill that I can hone and improve, but for now, it's lower.
All in all, I think this was a good experience. I don't think any of the Cons listed are insurmountable, just something to be mindful of in the future. I'm going to try this experiment again in a couple weeks and see if results hold.
UPDATE(8/23): I downloaded the Grammarly plugin for Chrome and fixed some (careless) mistakes. I should have started using this a while ago.
Comments
Post a Comment