In Japan, there exists an artful tradition of building incredibly efficient apartments, elegantly referred to locally as “one-room mansions” (ワンルームマンション,).
The handful of times I’ve watched a video about this, I was left in awe at the level of creativity and innovation invested in transforming minimal space for maximum output and the extent to which people’s domestic lives are enhanced as a result.
Now, after more than four months of WFH, living primarily within the four walls of my central Munich apartment, I understand (better than I ever imagined I would) the limitless possibilities of how to make more with less.
Working from home: WFH office highs and lows
As it has for so many of you, home became a restaurant, gym, office, school, therapist’s office, daycare center, and vacation destination all at the same time. At its high point, it became a glamorous improv theater with the kitchen floor serving as central stage for children and their theatrical antics.
At its low point, home was a prison with an indefinite sentence and a few fellow inmates that were quickly growing stale.
As children, playing at the local pool, lake or ocean, we took pleasure pushing and throwing each other into the water. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, games are no longer needed.
We’ve all been pushed into the deep end simultaneously and have been swimming ever since, forced to tap into reserves of creativity and innovation we didn’t even know we had – with often surprisingly positive results.
Home office as a conscious choice
One of SAP’s customers, Vitra, wrote a wonderful paper featuring tangible approaches for companies, institutions, and employees contemplating a phased return to the office.
The following paragraph in particular gave me a lot to think about:
“Talent will make a conscious choice after having experienced work life without commutes or excruciating travel and instead having spent quality time with loved ones: does my employer allow me the freedom to schedule my day as long as I deliver my output? Does my employer let me live where I can afford a higher standard of living without making me spend hours commuting by car or train? Allowing for remote working gives a company access to a global talent pool and at the same time reduces its ecological footprint. In a physical office, the mere act of showing up already signals commitment. An employee working from home has to continuously prove and demonstrate value creation. Working from home creates a culture that accepts more performance tracking and makes lack of performance more transparent.”
7 WFH office tips to stay sane and productive
As companies ponder office re-openings, our new way of living and working has forced us to become more resourceful. After all, it’s not the strongest who survive, but the ones who adapt and evolve.
So, in the spirit of sharing the wealth, below are a few of my favorite recently discovered WFH tools and lifehacks that have helped me not just survive, but grow and thrive over the past few months:
- A parked car (preferably one you own): A “mobile” home office offering an alternative, quiet environment with no distractions.
- Forest: The app that helps you stay away from your smartphone and remain focused on your work. Disclaimer: an actual forest would be an even better option, if you can get to one.
- Qualtrics Pulse Check: The free Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse helps evaluate whether your organization is prepared to support a remote workforce, and if your employees have what they need to succeed in this new environment. As it turns out, there are three things every organization must do immediately, and the order you do them matters.
- Endel Sound: personalized sound environments to help you focus, relax, and sleep. I absolutely LOVE the “Focus Mode” to help boost my productivity; it really helps me get in the flow and stay there longer.
- Litmos: enables thousands of global companies to deliver training in the now. The solution is comprised of a powerful LMS and a content-rich course catalog that makes it easy to manage the entire learning program, from system implementation and integration to ongoing administration. Many companies have leveraged this solution to keep remote employees up to date on new safety measures and protocols as they navigate new models of engagement.
- MindNode Mind Map: helps you capture your thoughts and transform them into a clear visual. Just amazing.
- TED Talks: I don’t know what I’d do without them, honestly. TED Talks are influential and informative videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech, and creativity, with subtitles in 100+ languages. Well done, TED.
As we keep ourselves busy, entertained, and educated, we must be mindful not to overload ourselves. Working from home can mean that you’re always in a WFH mindset, which can cause even more stress.
Take some time to listen to your thoughts and assimilate all your experiences, listen to those around you and pay attention to their stories.
Hey, why not even write down some of these key takeaways to revisit down the road – who knows what insights they may provide later.
And on that note, let me end with a beautiful thought from Christoph Bornschein who said, “The genuine opportunity lies after the crisis when all of the experiences we all had during the crisis are collected, evaluated and translated into structured action.”
May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace.
