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Have you found the shift to homeworking challenging or liberating?
After the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, remote work took over in many fields, and nowadays it is common and popular.
Working from anywhere offers benefits such as flexibility, autonomy, and work-life balance. However, it comes with challenges, including time management, communication, collaboration, and isolation.
Today, we share 10 commandments for a successful career-home harmony that will help you overcome these obstacles and thrive as a remote worker.
“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In ploughing time and in harvest, you shall rest.” Exodus 34:21
1st Commandment: Thou Shalt Have a Designated Workspace
2nd Commandment: Thou Shalt Stick to a Routine
3rd Commandment: Thou Shalt Optimise Your Work Hours
4th Commandment: Thou Shalt Communicate Effectively
5th Commandment: Thou Shalt Set Clear Expectations and Boundaries
6th Commandment: Thou Shalt Take Care of Your Health and Wellness
7th Commandment: Thou Shalt Seek Feedback and Recognition
8th Commandment: Thou Shalt Learn and Grow
9th Commandment: Thou Shalt Socialise and Network
10th Commandment: Thou Shalt Have Fun and Enjoy
1st Commandment: Thou Shalt Have a Designated Workspace
This is one of the most important factors that can affect your teleworking experience.
Having a separate and comfortable workplace:
- Reduces distractions and increases focus on your tasks.
- Creates a clear boundary between work and personal life.
- Enhances productivity and performance.
- Improves physical and mental well-being.
“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23
How to Set Up a Home Office That Suits Your Needs and Preferences
- Choose a quiet, illuminated location with a good internet connection.
- Invest in ergonomic furniture and equipment, such as a desk, a chair, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. Please don’t scrimp on the chair, as you’ll be sitting there for long hours.
- Organise your workspace and keep it clean and clutter-free.
- Personalise your working area with inspiring items, such as plants, photos, or art.
- Set a regular schedule and stick to it. Establish precise expectations and boundaries with family, friends, and coworkers.
- Take breaks and stretch as a rule. Moving around and changing your posture avoids stiffness and fatigue.
- Keep a healthy work-life balance. Have a clear end to your workday and disconnect from electronic devices. Engage in hobbies and activities you enjoy and relax you.
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4
2nd Commandment: Thou Shalt Stick to a Routine
Keeping a structured pattern is essential in the realm of digital nomads. It acts as the backbone of a daily professional life, fostering discipline and efficiency.
This practice ensures that you are not just busy, but productive and focused.
Here are the benefits of a consistent rhythm of work:
- Enhances time management, allowing you to prioritise and focus on tasks like clockwork.
- Instills a sense of normalcy and control, crucial for mental well-being in a remote setting.
- It prevents your job from spilling into personal space, safeguarding work-life balance.
- Boosts productivity and attention. They enhance mental acuity and reduce the tendency to multitask, which might dilute the work-quality.
- Promotes better sleep, a must for cognitive abilities, mood control, and overall well-being.
- A routine encourages healthy habits as it adds elements of self-care, such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies.
- Provides flexibility for unforeseen circumstances, as it can be adjusted as needed.
“For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
3rd Commandment: Thou Shalt Optimise Your Work Hours
Discover your optimal time for working since it helps you:
- Achieve higher productivity and performance by aligning tasks with energy levels and focus.
- Reduce stress and burnout by avoiding overwork.
- Enhance your welfare and happiness by working when you feel most motivated and satisfied.
Tips to Identify and Leverage Your Peak Productivity Times
- Track your stamina throughout the day for a week or two. Note when you are most alert, creative, and productive, as well as bored or sluggish. Apps like “MyHours” or “Calendar” allow you to log your time and activities; or simply use a pen and paper.
- Analyse the data and look for patterns and trends. Find your peak, moderate, and low hours. Tools such as “Trello” or “Asana” let to visualise and create a colour-coded calendar of your energy levels. Schedule the most important, challenging tasks during your peak hours when you work at your best. Plan your routine, administrative, or less demanding duties during moderate hours, and place your breaks, leisure, and personal activities during your low ones.
- Minimise distractions and interruptions during your high-performance period. Turn off phone notifications, close email, and chat apps, and mute any unnecessary sounds. Inform family, friends, and coworkers about your availability and boundaries. Use “Spica” or “Hive” to track your attendance and communicate your status.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
Take air-drumming to the next level
4th Commandment: Thou Shalt Communicate Effectively
Communication is the key to successful remote work because it helps you:
- Reduce misunderstandings and confusion among your team and clients.
- Build trust and rapport with colleagues and customers.
- Improve collaboration and creativity by sharing ideas and feedback.
- Keep your well-being and happiness by staying connected and engaged.
Tips on How to Use Various Collaboration Tools and Methods
Email
Formal and official communication, such as contracts, proposals, or reports. Write explicit, concise, and professional emails with a descriptive subject line. Address the recipient by name, include a signature, and proofread the electronic mails before sending them.
Chat
This channel is for more informal and quick messages, including asking questions, sharing updates, or giving praise. Choose a platform that suits your team’s needs, for instance, “Slack,” “Telegram,” or WhatsApp. Avoid texting irrelevant messages.
Video Calls
Take advantage of this tool for synchronous and interactive communication, such as holding meetings, brainstorming sessions, or business presentations. Pick a reliable app such as “Zoom,” “WebEx,” “Microsoft Teams,” or “Google Meet.” Before joining a call, test the audio and video quality. Mute yourself when not speaking and look at the camera when talking. To enhance collaboration and engagement, use screen sharing, whiteboards, or polls.
Project Management Software
Tools like “Monday.com,” “Jira,” “Basecamp,” “Asana,” and “Trello” help you organise and track your work, create tasks, assign responsibilities, set deadlines, and check progress. And boost it with features such as comments, attachments, and notifications to communicate with your team and clients.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” James 1:19
5th Commandment: Thou Shalt Set Clear Expectations and Boundaries
It helps in navigating the challenges of remote communication and ensuring mutual respect for private time.
Here are the benefits:
- Reduces the chances of miscommunication and ensures everyone is on the same page.
- Respects personal time and space, crucial for mental health and relationships.
- Encourages work-life balance, as it defines when you are working and when you are not.
- Creates a healthier environment for your mental well-being, allowing you to disconnect and recharge.
- Facilitates communication because, when expectations are set, information becomes more efficient.
- Builds professional relationships, helping build trust and respect amongst colleagues.
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18
6th Commandment: Thou Shalt Take Care of Your Health and Wellness
In the pursuit of professional success, never overlook the importance of health.
Caring for your physical and mental well-being is not just beneficial; it’s essential. When your vitality thrives, so does your productivity and creativity.
“Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from amongst you.” Exodus 23:25
Eat a Healthy Diet
Consume raw fruits and vegetables, as they improve your well-being, but avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol. Don’t use food as a coping mechanism for stress or boredom, but as a source of nourishment and enjoyment.
Exercise Often
Aim for no less than 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous workouts. Choose a training you like and suits your calendar and preferences. Include stretching, walking, or cycling in your daily routine.
Get Enough Sleep
Aspire to at least seven to nine hours every night and keep a consistent resting schedule. Before bedtime, avoid TV, computers, and phones, since blue light interferes with your sleep hormones. And make your bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet, and cool to promote a restful environment.
Practise Mindfulness and Self-Care
Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment without judgement or distraction. It helps you cope with stress, anxiety, and negative emotions while enhancing your awareness and appreciation of yourself and others. You can perform meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, or simply be mindful of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations throughout the day.
Self-care is the act of taking care of your own needs and well-being, such as by doing things that make you happy, relaxing, or pampering yourself. For example, set boundaries, say no, or treat yourself to something you enjoy.
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” John 1:2
7th Commandment: Thou Shalt Seek Feedback and Recognition
Through constructive criticism, you:
- Improve your performance and skills by learning from your strengths and weaknesses.
- Stay aligned with your goals and expectations by receiving clear and timely guidance and support.
- Feeling appreciated and valued for your contributions boosts your motivation and engagement.
- By sharing ideas and criticism with your team and manager, you enhance your collaboration and creativity.
- Maintain your well-being and happiness by staying connected and engaged.
Tips on How to Ask for and Receive Constructive Feedback
- Be clear about what kind of feedback you want and why. Seek input on what you did well, what to improve, and what suggestions or resources to use on a specific project, task, skill, or behaviour.
- Insist on recommendations often, and not just when something goes wrong or when you have a formal review. This shows that you are proactive, eager to learn, and open to improvement.
- When receiving feedback, pay close attention without interrupting, arguing, or getting defensive. Try to understand the other person’s perspective and intentions and ask clarifying questions if needed. Show appreciation for the critique and take responsibility for your actions and outcomes.
- Reflect on the observations you receive and identify the key takeaways and action steps. Use criticism to create a plan for improvement and follow up with your guidance provider on your progress and results.
Tips on How to Praise and Acknowledge Your Achievements and Those of Others
- Take the time to celebrate your success and include other peers who have helped you along the way. Enjoy yourself in ways that nurture your mind, body, and spirit, such as taking a break or doing something you love.
- Highlight the positive impact and value of the accomplishments and link them to the goals and expectations of the team and organisation.
- Honour both individual and group triumphs, as well as large and small achievements. Recognise and appreciate the different contributions and perspectives of your crew members and respect their preferences and needs.
- Make celebration and recognition a regular, ongoing practice, not just a one-time or occasional event. Create a culture of appreciation where congratulation is expected and encouraged.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29
8th Commandment: Thou Shalt Learn and Grow
- Stay competitive and relevant in your field by acquiring in-demand new skills and knowledge.
- Advance your career and increase your earning potential by showing your value and talents to your employer and clients.
- Apply the best practices and strategies for remote work to enhance productivity and performance.
- Go after your own interests, passions, and goals to improve your well-being and happiness.
“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” Proverbs 9:9
Tips on How to Pursue New Skills, Knowledge, and Opportunities
- Set clear and realistic objectives for learning and growth. Identify the abilities to gain, why you want to learn them, and the expected outcome.
- Seek feedback and guidance from your manager, mentor, or peers, and request their assistance in evaluating your strengths and weaknesses.
- Connect to platforms to enhance your professional development. Choose the one that fits your style, budget, and schedule. For example, “Coursera” is for course variety, “edX” for expert certifications, and “Skillshare” for creative fields.
- Apply what you learn in real-world settings. Explore avenues to use what you’ve learnt in your current or future projects, tasks, or roles. Volunteer for a project, join a professional network, or start a side hustle that allows you to showcase and hone your skills and knowledge.
- Evaluate your learning and growth and celebrate your achievements. Identify areas where you need to improve and seek new challenges and opportunities to grow.
“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands, obtain guidance.” Proverbs 1:5
9th Commandment: Thou Shalt Socialise and Network
- Promote collaboration, communication, and trust amongst your team members and stakeholders.
- Expand your skillset, insights, and perspectives from others in your field or industry.
- Create your personal and professional brand, reputation, and partners.
- Find new opportunities, referrals, and support for your career growth and development.
Tips on How to Build and Maintain Relationships
- Be proactive and intentional in reaching out to colleagues. Don’t wait for them to contact you first. Start conversations, check-ins, feedback, and follow-ups regularly.
- Be respectful, responsive, and reliable. Respect staff’s time, opinions, and boundaries, and respond to messages and requests forthwith. Deliver on your promises and meet your deadlines and expectations.
- Show interest, appreciation, and empathy. Get to know your coworkers as people, not just as roles or titles. Ask about their hobbies, interests, goals, and challenges. Express gratitude and recognition for their work and contributions and give support when they face difficulties or need help.
- Let your peers see who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Share your stories, experiences, values, and vision. Be authentic, honest, and vulnerable while showing your enthusiasm, humour, and creativity.
- Find ways to learn from and assist others. Seek advice and mentorship from those who have more experience. At the same time, share your knowledge and resources with those who can benefit from them.
- Search groups, forums, platforms, or networks that match your interests, goals, and needs. Attend webinars, workshops, conferences, or meetups that offer valuable information, insights, and connections.
“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Peter 4:9
10th Commandment: Thou Shalt Have Fun and Enjoy
- Reduce stress and burnout, which are common challenges for remote workers who may face isolation, pressure, and blurred boundaries between work and life.
- Boost your mood, motivation, and engagement, which sure enough can influence your performance, productivity, and imagination.
- Foster a positive and supportive culture, which increases your satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
Tips on How to Inject Humour, Creativity, and Fun into Your Work
- Make a game of your tasks. Set a timer and challenge yourself to finish a task within a certain time limit, or reward yourself with something small after completing an assignment.
- Switch things up. Change your workplace, such as an unusual room, a coffee shop, or a park, or alter your routine, such as working at different hours, taking breaks, or doing some exercises.
“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4
Final Thoughts
These 10 Commandments offer a roadmap to not just survive but thrive in a remote working environment.
From setting up a designated workspace to embracing continuous learning and networking, each commandment paves the way for a balanced, productive, and fulfilling teleworking experience.
Before we conclude, what would be your “11th Commandment” for thriving in remote work?
Please share your own experiences and tips in the comments section. Your insights could be the guiding light for someone embarking on their flexible work journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
