Working from Home - Part One

Here’s an interesting fact: according to Forbes, nearly six in ten American knowledge workers are working remotely, and the number is likely to go up. Staggering, isn’t it? Staggering, but not unexpected.

With more COVID-19 cases arising daily, mandatory social distancing and the required six-foot buffer means most of us are in for an extended period of working from home. In the shower this morning, I reflected on how this has impacted me and how it reinforces my belief about replacing retirement with intentional living.

As we all know, the shift toward remote work was well underway (especially in sectors like information and technology) years before the pandemic. So, the trend is not likely to disappear when we get the all-clear. In the past few weeks, experts have debated on the outcome: Some believe it will it spark a lonely drudge that alienates people and saps creativity. Others celebrate the boost in personal initiative, family life, and productivity. So, which one is it?

The answer lies in how intentionally we approach each day. In my case, the transition has been helped by my pre-existing daily habits and Legacy Map.

Like you perhaps, the involuntary shift in my daily rhythm over the last few weeks has prompted me to do a personal inventory.

First, I reevaluated my mental model of what working from home means. For the past 20 years, I’ve enjoyed the privilege of a flexible work schedule. You could call me a “road warrior” because 95% of my face-to-face work happens at the client’s office or other neutral location. Never at my home.

Next, I reviewed my time management system, much of which I learned from Dan Sullivan at the Strategic Coach program in the late 90s. There, I learned powerful concepts including the need to organize into Free, Focus, and Buffer Days.

In brief, Free Days are designed for rejuvenation (100% disconnected from work).  Focus Days are dedicated to your money-making activities. Buffer Days are designated to prepare for optimal Free and Focus Days. 

Dan taught us to set aside periodic Buffer Days to organize, educate, and clear up projects so Free Days would be rejuvenating escapes from work — and more importantly today, technology. To be fully present and prepared to meet with clients on Focus Days, a mind free of clutter and interruptions is essential. 

That’s the backdrop for my morning shower epiphany. Before the Coronavirus, Focus Days (designed to create value for clients) took place in clients’ office. By utilizing a morning routine designed to put me in a mindset that drives maximum value, focus on the client, and delay my personal distractions until later in the day,  my clients are consciously aware that when I’m working with them, I’m with them. Not looking at my phone. Not checking social media. Just me and them.

Before the Coronavirus’ restrictions on travel, my home environment was primarily used for Free Days and Buffer Days. Now it’s used for everything, which has created less “flow” in my day and more of a “start/stop cadence.” Because I don’t need to put on my “game face” at home, my morning ritual and day now proceed on a different path. I still focus on knocking out activities and following my GTD (getting things done) process, but I may bounce from a phone call to an email to a project to petting the dog to lunch with my wife, etc.

Back to the shower. As I reflected on the day in front of me, I realized I needed to add a Focus Day routine into my “working from home” schedule. Even at home, I would need to intentionally divide my time into Free, Focus, and Buffer Days (usually Fridays) to maintain clarity and drive results. No longer able to begin my Focus Day in a hotel room and then proceed to a client’s office, I needed to change my paradigm of working from home.

Results? A month into this new environment, I am well-adjusted to managing and organizing my day. Years of disciplined practice and habits using my Legacy Map and Daily Alignment has made the transition, well, seamless. 

All this left me wondering, “Is this what retirement would feel like?”

Imagine, one day you get a gold watch, turn in your keys, and stop going to the office. Cold turkey. Initially, it’s a welcome respite; no more rush hour commutes, plenty of time for walks with the wife and dog. However, without an intentional written plan (Legacy Map) defining the next weeks, months, quarters, years and decades, life could quickly morph into one long Buffer Day… untold hours blending into a never-ending preparation day, neither focused nor rejuvenating.

Thanks to the “shelter at home” edict, I now have greater appreciation for the coherence and commitment built into my previous paradigm, and for how visiting clients onsite automatically equated to Focus activity.

I won’t lie; I miss that. But I’m all about making the most of a challenging situation.

Next up: In “Working from Home – Part Two” we’ll talk about how maintaining an optimistic and holistic attitude in the midst of crisis can allow you to thrive.