If you’re finding yourself feeling restless and with more time on your hands, you are not alone. In the past three weeks, more than 33 million people have filed for unemployment benefits. While it may be tempting to fill your time with what feels like work — sending out job applications or refreshing your inbox (which is what I do when I feel anxious about job security) — here are some ideas and resources to help you get through this time of little certainty.

If you have more time, use it wisely.

Everyone has a hot take about whether this time should be for rest or productivity, but why do we have to choose? With less work coming in, the thoughtless mind might cling to bingeing TV, scrolling Instagram, obsessively checking the news, or constantly applying for new opportunities, but there are other ways to tune out and rest.

Media may help you escape or give you a (false) sense of control but won’t contribute to your long-term well-being. Instead, if you’re trying to take a break from work, actually rest. Take a nap. Go for a walk if that’s an option. Look out the window. Read a book, or try one of these other ways or even these other ways to check in and give your mind and body meaningful rest.

As for work time, instead of flinging resumes into the void, you can try one of the other points on this list.

Broaden + deepen your network.

Take this time to reconnect with friends, colleagues, and old coworkers. Maybe there are opportunities to help each other, or maybe those opportunities will pop up when things start moving again. Humans are social creatures, so don’t be afraid to reach out and check in just for the sake of it.

I’ve started a lunch date initiative where I schedule two video lunch dates per week and then introduce each of those people to other folks whom I think they might like to speak with (and they do the same for me). I welcome you to start your own, or email me to join mine.

Work on your resume/story/portfolio.

What differentiates you? What are you doing this all for? If the answer is “to pay my bills” I feel that, but that won’t make people want to hire you (unless being super straightforward is part of your vibe and you have the track record to back up your drive). But for the rest of us, what drives you beneath that? What is the intersection of expertise that will help you stand out?

Humans love stories. The better you can frame your story through a website, resume, portfolio, or cover letter, the more likely a potential client or employer is to root for you. Maybe this is an opportunity to bring a passion project to life and showcase the kind of work you want to be doing. Maybe you can pivot, add something new that tailors to the present moment. Can you give yourself the space to be creative with what might be possible?

Learn new skills or enhance old ones.

Gazing at the stock market, the news, and your inbox will slowly erode your sanity. Instead, you could take up drawing or hone those writing skills. You can use the list below for free and discounted classes to get those creative juices flowing.

Or if you’ve got an old instrument lying around, you could try getting back at it. Challenging the mind keeps it healthy, so pick something that really makes you think. (I’m currently trying to teach myself the Sweetwater Theme from Westworld. It’s not going well, but it’s kind of fun.)

Take a look at the big picture.

If you don’t regularly check in with what you actually want and are working towards, you may not be optimizing yourself for happiness. Maybe the global pandemic is confronting you with those deep big picture questions. Instead of ignoring the feeling of discomfort again, what if you sat with it?

There are plenty of ways to tackle that. You can try journaling, creating mood boards, talking to people in and out of your field, reading books by people you admire, or even envisioning your perfect future self (a very helpful Buddhist practice). Sometimes we need help with that so if therapy, coaching, or other counseling is an option, and if you have the funds, that might be something to explore.

Do your taxes.

I know they’re not actually due until July 15, but getting your 2019 taxes done, especially if it was a better year than 2018 for you, can be helpful when you apply for the CARES Act backed SBA loans (or any other assistance you may have access to as the SBA funds have been quickly depleted). Plus, you can file them now, and not pay anything you may owe until July.

Additionally, here is a list of free and discounted tools to get you through the stay at home orders.

Tools + Resources

Adobe is offering extended free trials and sharing options. They are also sharing the Adobe Summit presentations digitally.

Internet Essentials provides high-speed internet to low income households and is offering two months free for eligible customers.

For those new to working from home, LinkedIn has organized a video series of best practices for remote working and productivity.

Flex Jobs has a free guide on how to find and land remote jobs.

Humu is providing nudges — what they typically share with clients as highly-specialized science-backed recommendations — to anyone who needs them.

Job Fair X is hosting a virtual job fair on July 20 for New Yorkers.

Listen on Repeat is a free tool that lets you listen to the same song on repeat through YouTube. I like using video game music, but you can choose your own adventure.

If you’re looking for a side hustle to get your through tough times, here is a list of currently open positions via Indeed and another one via LinkedIn.

This Medium post contains a resource directory along with tools specifically for freelance designers.

inc.com has put together a MASSIVE collection of financial resources for small businesses.

Continuing Education

Sackett Street Writer’s Workshop is offering discounted online classes, a free video series, and weekly “write ins.”

The Daily Frolic has made a creative writing series free.

Aaron Blaise is offering free and discounted virtual drawing and animation classes.

Disney has a how to draw series posted for free on YouTube.

Nikon is offering select online classes for free.

Code Wizards is offering free and reduced pricing for kid’s coding classes.

Prodigy has a list of resources for families to entertain and teach children.

Netflix has released a handful of documentaries to YouTube.

A range of grant writing courses (from $30 – $200+) are available for virtual sign up through Eventbrite.

JSTOR has expanded its free read-online access from 6 to 100 articles per month.

Project Muse has opened up journals to the public through participating publishers (most participating publishers have agreed to open access through the end of May or June.)

Health + Wellness

Mental Health America has compiled a list of resources for everyone from caregivers to domestic violence survivors to veterans.

Headspace is offering free meditations in a series called “weathering the storm.”

305 Fitness has free at home dance workouts.*

Core Power Yoga has free online classes.

Three Jewels has discounted online classes, meditations, and dharma classes.*

We Are Body Language has live classes on Instagram*

Monterey Bay Aquarium has a few live cams set up accompanied by relaxing tunes. The jellyfish are my favorites.

Media + Entertainment

Scribd has opened up their library for 30 days. This is not your typical free trial. You won’t be asked to input your credit card here.

Amazon is adding free perks to Prime and Kindle packages for existing and new users.

Audible has launched Stories where children’s stories are available to stream for free in a range of languages.

The San Diego Zoo has live cams set ups for pandas, orangutans, polar bears, giraffes, penguins, and more.

The Bronx Zoo is on that live cam game, too, with lemurs, turtles, sea lions, and the aquarium.

Australian Reptile Park is posting videos of animal tales and live streams of koalas, crocodiles, dingoes, and live feedings.

Taronga Zoo in Sydney is also offering live streams for otters, elephants, tigers, meerkats, and more.

*Writer’s note: I used to teach at Three Jewels and personally know the folks of 305 Fitness and We Are Body Language, and have included them because they’re amazing. I do not get a kick back for this promo.

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About the author.
Alessandra is the mentor, educator, and writer behind Boneseed, a private practice devoted to deep self-inquiry through a range of physical, energetic, and mental modalities. She has over 500 hours of yoga, mentorship, and facilitation training and can be found slinging knowledge on her website, newsletter, and @bone.seed.

Finding copywriting work is a job in itself. Whether you’re having a hard time in the tough job market or you just haven’t found the right fit yet, interspersing ongoing learning with job searching will make you a stronger candidate during a copywriting job search. These days, copywriters with Creative Circle primarily produce digital content, and the expectation is that writers dabble in a range of related skills.

“Copywriters with hybrid creative skills like coding and design are unicorns,” says CC recruiter Taylor Crowley. Learning some of those new skills can also provide a bit of a break from sending out countless resumes. But, she cautions, don’t stray too far from your main skill set of copywriting. For more senior roles and larger agencies, those roles will still be separate.

As a recruiter with Creative Circle for 13 years, Jocelyn Yant has seen the marketplace shift. She explains that you “don’t have to be an expert” on all things digital, but proficiency and being well-rounded are definitely assets in a copywriting job search.

Show, Don’t Tell

When you’re inundated with work, updating your online portfolio might be the last thing on your mind. If you’re now looking for a new client or a new job, take the time to update your online portfolio and LinkedIn profile. It sounds obvious, but you might be telling a recruiter that you have experience writing about beauty products, and your clips don’t reflect that.

This is an opportunity to show what you do know and where your skills are. Recruiters move quickly and will go to the next candidate if you don’t demonstrate an understanding of market trends upfront.

Yant points out that copywriting is all about long-form right now, that every company has a blog and social media, and they want to see copywriters who can “craft a message and carry it through for more than 300 words.”

Be sure to specifically mention “social media copy” on your resume too if you’ve written short copy for Instagram captions or for Facebook posts, adds Crowley.

Learn Some Coding Basics

Chances are you’ll have to be familiar with different content management systems (CMSs) if you’re going to be writing emails or web content for a client.

You might need a basic understanding of HTML and CSS to set up or send your work online. Maybe you have a working knowledge already, if not, you can hone your skills for free online with Code Academy or through a free month trial at Lynda.com.

Understand How to Quantify Your Impact

Yant points out that there will always be a practical need for print, but it is also a dying form. And unlike digital, she says, “you can’t track the efficacy of your programs.”

Clients may want you to quantify impact through the keywords in the ads you write or reader engagement on their websites. You can get certified in Google Ads or Analytics through their Skillshop for free.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) can help you write for impact on the web by understanding who, what, where, when, and how to draw readers. Since both processes change constantly, many certifications rapidly become obsolete. They also tend to be expensive. Focus on reading blogs like Moz, Search Engine Journal, or Search Engine Land to improve your skills in SEO and SEM.

For content creator roles, you might need to do a bit of photo retouching, curating images, or creating graphics for social media. (Some nonprofit communications job descriptions even ask for video editing.) Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop or Premiere is helpful for working with images, although again, no one is expecting a copywriter to be a highly skilled photo editor.

Knowledge of a free graphic design tool like Canva can go a long way for creating images for social media posts.

Write More, and Write Better

Being a generalist might make sense for more junior copywriters and clients with smaller budgets, but don’t forget to focus on your writing. If you’re just out of school, returning to the workforce, or you don’t have clips in an area of interest, don’t be afraid to include spec projects in a portfolio, Yant emphasizes. As long as you are transparent that it’s not paid work, you could extend a brand campaign or write for a friend’s business.

Decent editing and proofreading chops are expected too. More often than not, there’s no one looking over your shoulder to factcheck — make sure that you spell things correctly, or keep tenses consistent. Yant recalls, unfortunately, she recently had a copywriter lose a placement at a great company because of frequent typos and mistakes. Attention to detail is paramount.

It sometimes seems like being a jack of all trades is a necessary requirement for being a copywriter. But despite employer ads asking for a million different skills from copywriters, most places are really looking for a strong writer with some knowledge of the broader digital environment. And that unicorn is you.

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About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

If you’ve needed some help getting motivated, focused and confident, you are not alone. With “normal” becoming non-existent and the very fabric of our realities shifting like grains of sand in a storm, it’s hard enough just putting on pants (not that you need to, I full endorse pantsless work days).

Dear reader, I’ve curated two extremely lengthy playlists for your aural delight with hours of tunes to get you through the days and weeks ahead. An eclectic mix, you’ll find everything from Taylor Swift to Eminem to Dolly Parton to AC/DC to plenty of weird electronic you probably haven’t heard of.

Here are your two comprehensive collections:

quaran-carpe diem:

seize the day regardless of circumstances.

Click here to view the playlist.

Opening with a few bangers and then smoothing out to interplay with a lot of focus friendly electronic, this 8+ hour playlist can carry you through the entire workday — and remind you to actually stop at the end.

you are a hydrated, qualified, and prepared beast:

confidence boosting jams for presentations, meetings, and interviews.

Click here to view the playlist. 

With nearly 6 hours of confidence boosting anthems and fight songs, you’ll be ready to take on anything and anyone. Use it to prepare for virtual interviews and meetings, to crush your at-home workout, or just epically wash your hands for the recommended 20 seconds.

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About the author.
Alessandra is the mentor, educator, and writer behind Boneseed, a private practice devoted to deep self-inquiry through a range of physical, energetic, and mental modalities. She has over 500 hours of yoga, mentorship, and facilitation training and can be found slinging knowledge on her website, newsletter, and @bone.seed

Maybe getting that work out in is a little harder when you don’t have to stop at the gym on your way home. Maybe not having weights is a bummer. Maybe you’ve lost the will to move physically more than is absolutely necessary. Never fear! We have a list of body weight exercises so you can mix and match your way to a quick yet efficient workout.

Short workouts in between work sprints may actually be even better than one longer sweat sesh at the gym. A short HIIT (or high-intensity interval training) sesh will burn more fat, make you stronger, and up your cardio more efficiently than a longer steady state workout. One study shows that HIIT training is five times more efficient than endurance training, and there are plenty of exercises you can combine that don’t require equipment.

Other benefits to short workouts include less post-workout fatigue and hunger, fewer cravings for sweets, and maybe even an elimination of that afternoon coffee. Plus, a midday workout can help reduce stress and anxiety, which we can all use help with right about now. Let’s get to it.

How to create your set:

Choose one exercise from each section below. 60 seconds on 10 seconds rest. You can repeat 2-3 times for a 15-minute workout. Sometimes getting over that first 5 minutes will get you in the mood, so if you want to keep going to a full hour, HIIT it, killer! (I am both sorry and not sorry for that dad joke.)

If you want to build longer sets, you can choose your own range with the Tabata style combo below:

45-60 seconds ON
10-20 seconds OFF
x5
20-60 seconds REST
Repeat 5-12 times for a 30-75min workout

You can use a timer to help you keep track of time. I use the app Seconds because the only thing that can get me to push myself right now is a robot telling me to.

Keep reading for a list of exercises to mix and match, as well as a demo video wherein I show you all my favorite sweet moves.

Warm Up

Add these movements before you begin as a bonus for better mobility.

Crescent Lunge: Use padding under the knee if you need to and activate your glutes to get a deeper stretch in the hip flexors.

Plank to Low Lunge: Activate the core by lifting the pelvic floor, then step teach foot forward with control to open up that hip mobility.

Downward Dog to Plank: This exercise give you core activation plus spinal movement to warm up the whole torso.

Jumping Jacks: Nothing like the old-fashioned standby to get the heart rate going. Make sure to land softly by moving ball to heel to protect your knees. You can also march in place for a low impact option.

Lower Body

Lunges: The trick with lunges is alignment. Get the knee hovering just above the floor if you can, creating two right angles with the legs. You can perform these stationary, walking throughout the house, or back and forth.
Side lunges target the inner thighs and can be really useful to target those stabilizers.

Curtsey lunges can help target the glutes more specifically and help to address imbalances.

To add some intensity, jump lunges can spike your heart rate quickly. Be careful not to advance to these until you’ve got the alignment and stability portion in check. Otherwise, you could hurt yourself.

Squats: Stand with your hips slightly further apart than your hips with feet slightly turned out and squat down past your knees if possible. The deeper you go, the more range of motions you work, the stronger you’ll get.

You can also work on sitting back into a chair if squatting past the ankles is challenging. It’ll strengthen the basics so you can build.

To go stationary, try a wall sit. Back to the wall, thighs parallel to the floor, knees over ankles. When it burns and you’re trembling, you’ll know it’s working.

Finally, for more intensity, go for jump squats by launching yourself up from the bottom of your squat. Make sure to land on your toes first to absorb the shock and protect your knees (like with jumping jacks).

Bridge: Drive the heels down to lift your hips. You can repeat the full range of motion, hold, or pulse.

To go further you can lift one leg up and down or pulse the opposite side with the leg lifted.

Leg Lift: There are tons of leg lifts out there, but two I find that really help isolate the glutes. First, a pulse in a slight arabesque. Second, a clam variation that lifts the feet to give a slight internal rotation followed by a leg extension.

Upper Body

Push Ups: Elbows in or out it’s your choice. (Out will be a standard pushup. In gives you that yoga-style chaturanga push up.) You can also lower the knees if you find yourself sacrificing form.

Take it up a notch with diamond pushups to get more tricep action.

Take it up several notches by adding a dynamic clap at the top.

Handstands: Practicing handstands against the wall can be super fun. L-shape or jumping up against the wall are two great options, especially when you don’t have weights to get into the core.

You can also walk forward and back to push the shoulders to fatigue and activate the core stabilizers.

Scapular Retraction: This one may require some weight or a resistance band for you to feel something. Rows or reverse flies can be helpful and water bottles can be just as good as weights. (I’ve even seen people use bags of books. I have personally used a ladder before. Get creative!)

Core

Planks: On your hands or forearms — what’s most important here is to hold steady and not let the hips or shoulders sink. Be sure to breathe and lift the pelvic floor to let the core feel sturdy.

You can work on side planks instead and lift one leg for an extra challenge, or rotate for a crunch.

For something more dynamic, try plank jacks!

Twists: You can use weight here as an option as you twist from side to side and leave the feet on the floor or lift them for a challenge.

Roman Deadlift: Another stabilizer, this enhances balance and will work the core and lower back. Lean forward keeping the spine long as you lift one leg behind you. The big challenge here is keeping your hips square.

Superman: This one is a little more targeted for the low back as you lift, hold, and release.

You can move continuously with Swimmers as a variation.

Full Body

Mountain Climbers: Tuck each knee into the chest, working hip mobility, legs, arms and core.

Burpees: The best, and also the worst. You can jump at the top or reach your arms up. You can jump to the top of a push up or step back. You can perform a full push up, knees lowered push up, or just hold plank for a beat. Either way, this will be the hardest minute of them all, probably.

Bear Crawl: Keeping the knees as low to the ground as possible, you’ll want to crawl forward and backward. You can also hold in place in between movements.

Cardio

Stairs: If you have stairs in your house, running (or honestly just walking regular style) up and down them is a great way to get your heart rate up!

Step Knee to Elbow: Take two steps and then crunch that knee to your elbow alternating sides. This one requires a bit of rhythm and coordination and can be super fun.

Roundhouse Kicks: Great for hip rotation this move gets you as much cardio as force you put into it. Make sure there are no children, pets, or sharp objects around.

Jab and Cross: Your standard one two punch can be done stationary to give the core more focus or you can move your feet forward and back to channel your inner Rocky/Creed for shadow boxing.

Butt Kicks: Almost like jogging in place, these will help you contract you hamstring. They’re often used as a running warm up.

High Knees: Keep your hands above your hips to make sure you really reach. You can also march in place for a low impact version.

Star Jacks: This is a more dynamic version of jumping jacks where you jump into a star formation and land crouching.

BONUS

DANCE! You don’t need instructions for this one. Just make a playlist of your favorite 2-3 songs and go crazy until it’s over. You can catch your break between songs. This will not only get your heart rate up, but dancing can be a major mood booster. You can also replace the cardio category with DANCE!

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About the author.
Alessandra is the mentor, educator, and writer behind Boneseed, a private practice devoted to deep self-inquiry through a range of physical, energetic, and mental modalities. She has over 500 hours of yoga, mentorship, and facilitation training and can be found slinging knowledge on her website, newsletter, and @bone.seed

Tools for Staying Organized

For collaborating on documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, nothing beats Google’s suite of cloud computing. There’s a free or business version and it’s available anywhere. But even a simple and elegant solution may require training for teams that aren’t used to working remotely. Just because you understand it, don’t assume that people know how to adjust settings to track their edits, for example, rather than editing a document directly.

Dropbox is helpful to organize final versions of documents. Cyrus Zulkarnaïan Kazi, CEO and co-founder of Quantibly.com, a global SaaS solution for the social sector, prefers to keep it simple. He creates a master Google spreadsheet as a “running depository of all the things being worked on.” The spreadsheet has links to all of the project documents. “You can’t walk into someone’s office and ask for something,” he points out, so having everything organized in one place is helpful.

There are many task and project management tools available out there. Website developers seem to prefer Basecamp, but personally, I like the visual design and ease of use of Trello.

Image courtesy of Trello

Here again, Kazi prefers to stick with a simple project management tool that doesn’t require another application. When you use “heavy” project management tools like a Gantt chart, he explains, you also have to train people. And that adds work. He uses a shared Google spreadsheet for project and task management.

Tools for Staying Connected

Like productivity tools, for each solution that one person prefers and finds reliable, there are other messaging solutions that someone else will choose. Many teams use Slack, Google Hangouts, or WhatsApp for messaging throughout the day. The security conscious use Signal Private Messenger for encrypted communication.

When you have to communicate by voice or video with a team or have a conference call, there are also many options. If your workplace doesn’t have a preferred platform in place or an IT department with a recommendation, consider your budget and any equipment or training needs for people who are new to remote work.

If you’re disseminating a lot of information or leading a training and want to limit interruptions or participation from a large group of attendees, GoToMeeting or WebEx are commonly used.

For more collaborative and scalable meetings with video options, Zoom and BlueJeans are popular solutions. They enable screen share, chatting, and other features.

Free Conference Call is popular for those on a tight budget who only need audio. (But, you get what you (don’t) pay for. There are a fair amount of dropped calls or problems with access codes with this service.)

When using a new teleconferencing program, it’s important to give your team the tools to succeed. If security is a concern or people are reliant on their own technology at home, be sure to involve your IT department in this process early on for guidance. Give people ample time to download and familiarize themselves with the application prior to the call. Not everyone will do that, so it may be worthwhile to check in directly with technologically-challenged folks on your team in advance.

Many people temporarily cover up the camera on their laptop for security concerns and some may prefer an option without video. Allow participants to be on a video conference call or not, if they prefer a voice only option.

Kazi uses G Suite for business, which includes Google Meet. “Tech costs are spiking with everyone working remotely,” he points out. “Why take on more operational costs and licenses?”

Tools for Staying Sane

Social media can have negative impacts on mental health, but it may be difficult to avoid if it’s part of your freelance assignment. If you find it distracting for your productivity, you can limit usage through apps on your phone and browser extensions like WasteNoTime or StayFocusd.

Clearly we’re not in a typical work environment, even for remote work. It’s critical to take care of your behavioral health while social distancing during an infectious disease outbreak. YouTube is a great source for at home workouts. Insight Timer is a free meditation app with 30,000 free guided meditations, including meditations that help with getting a good night’s sleep.

You can use Libby to download ebooks and audiobooks from your public library. Audible made hundreds of titles free, particularly for kids, as a gesture while schools are temporarily closed.

Some people are turning to social video games for interaction. Jon Distad, a software engineer who works remotely, recently completed a crossword puzzle with friends on Zoom, something they used to do in the office together.

Whether you’re a seasoned teleworker or feel stuck at home because of the need for social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19, hopefully you’ve found some useful tools to help you work from home. Stay safe and well.

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About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

Are you suddenly working remotely because of COVID-19? Perhaps it’s for the first time or it’s just not in your comfort zone. Here are some of my thoughts on how to succeed at working remotely — even if it’s new for you.

As someone with asthma and prone to respiratory illness, I’ve long bemoaned the tendency of people to show up to work when sick and spread infection to others. And I’ve worked in emergency management, where a basic tenet is don’t add to the emergency.

So it comes as no surprise that the public health emergency response to COVID-19 (or novel coronavirus) recommends that businesses prepare for or implement work from home for their employees if possible. By now, coronavirus is officially a pandemic, and our inboxes are flooded with status reports from organizations, most events are canceled, and many states have declared a state of emergency. Social distancing is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and perhaps you’re doing your part by working remotely for the first time.

For me, I was an early advocate of remote work, and was met with lots of resistance from leadership — particularly baby boomers — in the workplace. They were afraid of productivity issues — even though remote work is increasingly popular, the technology and tools make it easy to do, and the research shows that remote workers are more productive. As a copywriter, I find it much easier to concentrate in a library quiet setting. At home, I can also indulge in my writing process (which may involve pacing around and thinking aloud) rather than being lumped together in an open office setting.

To my surprise, some of my friends who have the option of working remotely prefer not to do so, mostly because they get distracted or enjoy being around other people. If that’s you, or you just aren’t accustomed to working remotely, here are some of the things that work for me.

Have the Technology Set Up for Success

Communicate to your employer right away if you don’t have access to adequate technology to effectively work from home. It’s okay to not be familiar with the tools that people use to collaborate and work remotely, especially if that wasn’t a job expectation before. If this is the first time that you’re participating in a Zoom meeting or using new technology yourself, ask for help and factor that learning time into your workday.

Be sure to follow any security protocols that your IT team shares. If some people on your team aren’t as tech savvy or you’re not using cloud based platforms and are concerned about confidential information, this is especially important. Bad actors are already exploiting fear of COVID-19 online. If your office didn’t have a plan in place, it might take a few days to iron things out. Accept that it’s part of the process of responding to an emergency like COVID-19.

Have a Designated Workspace

Personally, I like to work at the kitchen table. It’s where I did homework as a kid, I can easily access water or coffee, and mostly importantly, it’s completely free of distractions. I take everything off the table and put all the things I need to do at home out of my mind.

Some people find it difficult to blur the lines between work and home life. If you have a partner or roommate who works remotely, kids, or pets, it might be more challenging to set those boundaries. I know people who get dressed as if they were going into the office when they work remotely. That distinction helps them to get into work mode (and they feel more comfortable during video calls). Figure out what works best for you.

Be Disciplined and Accountable

I think it’s important to have strong time and project management skills to be effective at working remotely. That’s easy for me. Work time is work time, whether I’m doing it in lounge pants and avoiding a stressful commute or crammed three to an office.

In fact, one of the drivers of periods of intense concentration for me is the freedom that my downtime has when working remotely. I can eat healthier and there isn’t a continuous supply of treats in the break room. I can take care of an errand, do some stretches, or belt out a song rather than being bogged down in interpersonal office drama or wasting time chitchatting.

That sense of personal discipline and accountability can be reinforced by effective communication within supervisory relationships and among colleagues.

Be Overly Communicative

Communicate clearly — and often — with your colleagues when working remotely. Many companies use a platform like Slack or project management tools to have easy communication and clear timelines.

For me, I mostly work in G Suite and with social media platforms. I use project management tools personally, but not as part of a team. So it’s important to send those emails: update people on your status, recap any decisions made or next steps, and ask questions.

Relatedly, it’s important to hold others accountable. You need to have persistence in reaching other people. If you require an answer within a certain timeframe or if their input is necessary for you to proceed to the next step in a project, be sure to set expectations around response times.

Since you can’t walk up to people for a quick question, and some people are less reliable by email or genuinely prefer verbal communication, you might have to pick up the phone (even if you dread it!). Similarly, if you’re going back and forth more than a few times by email and can’t seem to understand each other, just pick up the phone.

One leader I know says that she worries about the people she doesn’t hear from. It sounds simple, but I’ve observed that, in general, people who don’t succeed at working remotely communicate poorly, are difficult to access, and don’t have much to account for their day.

It’s easy to show progress on a project. If you don’t have a tangible outcome yet, simply send an end of day email describing what steps you took towards your goal and outline any help you might need to progress further.

Find Ways to Deal with Social Isolation

Since I don’t need the social aspect of an office every day, and I wind up calling a lot of people for interviews or participating in conference calls, I can sometimes forget to plan for social interaction. I like to occasionally work with friends, so sometimes I’ll plan a co-working day, where we hold each other accountable to focus and do work, and enjoy lunch together.

With COVID-19, those of us who work remotely were relying on events for social time and most of those were canceled. It’s important to be proactive, so call or FaceTime loved ones or schedule in-person time to hangout. That’s not in my comfort zone, so I’ll be working on that.

You Will Meet In Person Eventually

This period of social distancing will end. Maybe you still won’t like working remotely or maybe you’ll decide to advocate for more flexibility in your workplace. The folks behind one of my favorite productivity tools, Trello, put together this fantastic guide about embracing remote work. If you work remotely in the long term, it’s helpful to meet in person periodically and it goes a long way towards understanding your team at a deeper level.

Stay safe and well.

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About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.