Helix House Confessions: Bad Work From Home Habits We’ve Developed
Oh, working from home. It’s everyone’s dream until they’ve actually been doing it for more than two weeks. It seems like paradise, until the distractions and interruptions begin rolling in. If you live at home, you have no outside noise, but also no one to keep you accountable beside yourself. If you don’t have a pet or kids...well, you’re one of the “lucky” few (seriously, we love both, but they can be such a distraction when you’re trying to get work done or have a professional meeting). At Helix House, we’ve been working from home for almost two months now and are looking to start transition back into the office in the coming few weeks. That means it’s time for us to be honest with ourselves about the bad work habits we’ve formed along the way. Because acceptance is the first step to healing.Before we jump into it, let’s introduce the team:
- Michael Donato, President
- Nathan Rea, Chief Creative Officers
- Alex Mayes, Project Coordinator
- Indre Puodzukynaite, Creative Strategist
- Cody Maniga, Lead advertising specialist
- Vianka Villa, Social Media Strategist
- Cody Eastlick, Content Writer
- Casey Watts, Content Writer
Now that you know who everyone is, let’s jump right into the fun.
What Bad Work Habits Have You Developed While Working From Home?
Alex: The worst work habit I've developed is not shutting off at the end of the day and giving myself the needed downtime. Since there's nothing else to do I find my days going until 7 o'clock or so. By then, it's time for dinner, get ready for bed, go to sleep and do it all over again! Casey: It’s just so hard to find the discipline to work when I’m at home. The motivation is 100% there, but there are other things that just grab my attention and don’t let go. Like my cat. Or my roommate’s dog. Or the non-work related sounds happening around me. Basically, I don’t have the discipline to not be distracted when I’m home and that’s a problem. I’ve also found it so much harder to work ahead. I’m just not good at this! Cody E.: Honestly, my work habits have been probably on an upswing since this whole thing shook down. But I can tell you something that wouldn't be great for the office environment! I haven't worn deodorant since March 20th. Sometimes I don't shower before work. :| I'm not proud. This is just the new normal.Cody M.: I have been drinking a lot more caffeine since quarantine started. Since I am able to work from home, I am about 5 feet from my Keurig at all times and it has been a struggle not to drink an extra cup of Joe anytime I start to feel tired. Indre: The only thing that has changed for me dramatically is my wake-up time. With no commute time, I've been waking up way later than normal. Before quarantine I used to get up at 5:30am-6am, now I sleep till 7am-8am. I am not a morning person. This extra hour of sweet slumber has actually helped to stay more awake and energized thought the day without the 4 cups of coffee. Michael: Working out while on client calls.Nathan: Well, starting at about 4 I am almost always mixing dinner prep with trying to work which sure isn't good for productivity and will probably lead to me amputating my finger.
How Do You Think You’ll Overcome Them When it’s Time to Get Back into the Office?
Alex: Easily! I'm ready to be back in the office and have my old schedule back. Being somewhere else helps me remember and realize that I have other places to be.Casey: As much of a cop-out answer this is, being back in the office will solve all of my problems. No animals. No roommate. No outside distractions. No more Zoom calls (well, more than normal) to disrupt my flow, and just a distraction-free environment with good people and good work. I won’t lie though: I will miss my cat sleeping behind my second computer screen.Cody E.: I'll make that mistake exactly once and I'll be set right. Thankfully I keep some deodorant at the office in case of emergencies. I can't stand going outside having not showered, as soon as I leave my home 'ecosystem' I immediately become aware of feeling grossCody M.: I’m hoping once my Keurig is out of sight it will be out of mind too. As much as I love coffee, I only drink Pike’s Place K cups from Starbucks (Basic, I know). When we’re back in the office and getting my brew is no longer convenient, I will probably be back to one cup of coffee a day instead of the three I have gotten used to. Indre: It will be a difficult transition, will definitely struggle to wake up super early again. Once the office opens up the plan is to slowly move my wake up time by 15min intervals until 5am feels normal again.Michael: Do my workouts beforehand!Nathan: Separating my kitchen from my work should take off the problem just like that! I think I can promise that you won't see me dicing onions or rinsing rice at my desk in the office...
