Getting it Virtually Right

Happy Day! 🥳

1957: “I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” — Editor of Prentice Hall business books.

Effective home offices and their routines grow out of the same kind of insight that great companies do. They begin with people who can identify their own needs both as workers and as business owners. It is important not to assume that it will be an easy transition. You should prepare for it with the same attention to detail with which you would prepare for new career paths or job relocations. You need to choose a suitable space and assess your technology needs beforehand so that your new home office is compatible with your needs when you are ready to begin. The early months of a new business are hectic and the more efficiency you can build into the set up before you start the better. Space in a home can be limited, but there are certain “must haves” that make developing a productive routine easier.

Getting it virtually wrong

My friend Phil had recently lost his job as CEO. His style of management was to surround himself with a mastermind group of highly paid Vice Presidents with massive egos. Hence he filled his days with an endless round of meetings.

Phil was a hard worker; in the office before anyone else, and last to leave. I never saw him take a day off. He was fair-minded, highly intelligent, and the staff liked him, but he struggled to make the difficult decisions himself. He relied so heavily on the abilities and recommendations of his mastermind group that he became blind to the fact that they fed him only what they thought he wanted to hear and what made them look good in his eyes.

Getting the boot hit him hard, and he decided to leave the corporate world he had known for thirty years to start his own consultancy company. After years of stressful commuting on congested freeways, he told me how much he was looking forward to the freedom of working his business from home as well as being away from office politics.

Phil had spent all his working life in a traditional office environment. His routine was to try to beat the rush-hour traffic by getting to the building before 8 a.m. and not leaving until after 6 p.m. for the same reason. His day was planned out by his personal assistant and consisted of meetings with department heads and phone conferences with his board of directors and advisers. Twice a day he walked through the office, making sure to speak with as many of his staff as possible. He usually skipped lunch, but every Friday he allowed the staff to dress casually while he held a lunchtime staff meeting. His office door was always open, and he encouraged people to stop in for a chat. As commendable as that is, most employees are intimidated by the CEO title, so his frequent visitors were the senior managers.

Any habit, especially one formed over thirty years, is hard for us to change. The brain is hardwired to repeat certain traits and behaviors. To suddenly go from a busy and traditional schedule of human interaction to the isolation of working from home is as big an adjustment as transitioning to civilian life after military service, or jumping into the working world after college. I had tried to warn Phil not to underestimate the difficulty of the transition, that it can take months to adjust, and that it requires great discipline to develop productive new habits while working from home. Most people assume that it is an easy thing to do, and from his body language, I could tell Phil was ignoring my advice.

Several months later, Phil confessed to me that he was finding the change very hard, and in fact so difficult that he was considering quitting his business and returning to a regular work environment. I visited him at his apartment, a splendid penthouse with panoramic views of the ocean. Floor-to-ceiling windows allowed sunlight to fill every space. As majestic as the view was, it would be hard not to be distracted by the waterfront activity below.

Phil’s apartment was contemporary and minimalistic. I asked him to show me his office space. With a sweep of his hand, he gestured around the apartment.

Phil had made all the classic errors I had warned him to avoid. He confessed that he sometimes lay in bed later than he should, and on those days he would simply stay in his pajamas, set up his laptop on the kitchen table and start work. Oftentimes he did not shower or shave until midday. It is so tempting to check email first thing after rising, and before you know it half the day has gone and you are still in your pajamas. He had constant access to the refrigerator, and there were used dishes everywhere that explained his extra pounds since he stopped commuting to an office.

He said loneliness was the hardest thing to adjust to. As a CEO in the traditional setting people sought him out, and his office was always busy. He had an assistant to manage his calendar, and bring him coffee. They always chatted about personal matters as much as business. He knew their families and had met many of them. He had prided himself on having an “open-door” policy at work, and although he was a humble man all of that pilgrimage to his office subtly boosted his ego. Employees rarely speak out of turn to the CEO, and most leaders only hear positive things about themselves and the company they run. He had the same blind spots as any other CEO.

Without that frequent reassurance of his leadership role, he admitted to feeling depressed at times. His energy levels were low and he thought he might have developed an endocrine issue of some sort. The effects were showing up in his business, because he found it difficult to muster up the necessary enthusiasm in his voice when speaking with potential clients, and he sometimes did not have even the motivation to call people back when they left a message. As I listened to him confess, I realized he was showing early symptoms of depression brought on by what amounted to self-enforced solitary confinement.

For the first few weeks, he said some of his ex-colleagues had called him to see how he was doing with the new company venture, but eventually those calls fizzled out. To alleviate the seclusion, he started calling them to check how the old company was doing in his absence. It was like a retired coach who can’t stay away from the training ground. Before long, he sensed that his ex-colleagues were ignoring his calls whenever they saw his number on the display.

Phil said he liked the sense of freedom from routine, and that sometimes he exercised in the mornings and caught up with work later at night. At other times he put the TV on in the background, and liked the fact he could check on his stock trades while working.

Phil had committed every home office crime in the book. He needed rehabilitation, and I started it by getting him to promise that with everything he did, with every detail of his daily schedule, he would ask himself out loud “would this be appropriate behavior in the traditional office?” In other words, if it were inappropriate in his old way of life, why would it be acceptable now?

I asked him to think about what would have happened when he was CEO if he sometimes lay in bed, or turned up to work in his slippers and pajamas? How productive would he have been if he set up his laptop in the company cafeteria?

Working from home requires not just the same discipline as going to a regular job, but much more. The source of motivation used to be a paycheck and a need to be seen as a good performer by bosses and peers. Now the source is just you. Not everybody has a high degree of self-discipline, and Paul’s lack of it surprised me. Such a strong and forceful personality in the regular office, I had not expected him to trip up so easily at home.

Humans seem to need routines, and breaking them can lead to stress and depression. We need rules, regulations, and schedules at home as much, if not more so, than in a work environment. Otherwise, running a virtual business will quickly cease to inspire us, and we will become like a hopeless addict, procrastinating and grabbing any distraction, as we go back to the fridge or the TV when we should be working.

It is by no means easy and one has to be a obsessive about it. I can recall falling out with family and friends who were visiting us from the UK. They all worked in traditional offices and found it hard to accept that I could work from home. When I refused to change my schedule to join them for lunch or hang out in the back yard they thought I was just being pedantic, or that I was sending them a ‘not welcome here’ message. Thick skin and hard headed attitude are needed.

Getting it virtually right:

A Separate Office Space.

A space that is separate to the main home and any family traffic is essential. It causes us to “go to the workplace.” In the video one poor worker worked in her bedroom, but I have done that too, or at least in a spare bedroom. I took a door off its hinges and placed it on the bed to double as a desk.

Phil’s contemporary apartment offered no separate workspace, so I suggested he convert a spare bedroom. A basement or loft space might also work so long as there is natural light coming in. There are several reasons why you need separation. It gives you the mental sense of commuting, even though the distance is just a few feet. One time, my office was a casitas across a small courtyard from the main house. As I headed to it every morning, my wife would tell me to “mind the traffic when you cross.” It was perhaps a silly private joke we shared, but it actually served a purpose in reminding us both that I was going to work.

When you are in that segregated space, your mind adjusts and you know that you are a working person, whereas outside that space you can relax at home and away from the phone and email. getting away from work is just as important. Background noises are less likely to disturb you, and if your family can’t see you, then the temptation to bother you goes away.

An Office Door

Although it sounds obvious to state it, a door that closes is essential. Even if outside noise is limited, shutting the door for conference calls and to aid concentration helps with the mental discipline of being at work. It also sets a barrier that prevents family members, neighbors, and friends from feeling they can distract you whenever they want. Out of sight is out of mind. Phil lived alone, but a separate space with a door was even more important so that he could get used to dividing his space and time between work and home.

Natural Light

A view and natural light should flow into the space. I know people who work out of their basement, and without a view. It is even more depressing than the neon-lit cubicles one sees in most workplaces. You benefit from daylight. Sometimes when I have a mental block, I like to simply sit in a chair and stare through the window at the trees in my yard. I find I get far more potential solutions popping into my head than if I stare at a blank wall. Also, whenever I see someone out walking his or her dog in the distance, or notice a vehicle passing, it makes me feel a little less isolated from the world.

Dedicated Technology

The office space should have dedicated computers, printers, and phones. That way, no one else in the house can interrupt your productivity or accidentally answer business calls, and you won’t be tempted to use work time for personal calls or messages. It forces you to go to the office to make calls or work, and also allows you to shut the office door at night, and not be tempted to answer business calls when you should be relaxing and balancing your life. So much can be accomplished with a simple device, but it is a mistake to think that the mobility of a device makes you productive simply because you can work from the beach as easily as the home office. I have always had a dedicated office phone and computer.

Regardless of your preferred electronic office device you must have one solely dedicated to your business and office set up, and leave your personal one switched off during the day. This is harder to do than it seems, but if you start off this way you’ll develop a habit sooner. Trying to break bad habits is much harder.

Gamers beware… you must have separate devices because the temptation to play is too great. Phil had not even taken this step and his day was interrupted with non-business calls from friends and family, and he frequently cheated by reading newspapers online. He would have fired people at his previous company for less.

Finally, he set up a separate line for business calls and refused to allow himself to answer the house phone during work hours. He also purchased a dedicated office laptop.

When I write out this advice it seems like common sense. I have, however, seen so many non-employer entrepreneurs working from their tablet or mobile phone at a bar or coffee shop while watching football shows on the TV screens. They would never have got away with that in a regular work environment. Mentally they have set themselves up for failure.

Get Out to Connect

Some people suggest it is acceptable to have a laptop and go to the coffee shop to work. I disagree for the reason stated above. I have never done that, but I do sometimes take myself for a drive, or volunteer to do the grocery shopping or other errands for a couple of hours a day so that I do not feel totally disconnected from the world. People I know have joined a gym or one of the local CEO support groups for the same reason. Others make themselves go to a different coffee shop every day, and regardless of the weather, but they limit their time to an hour. It is important to recognize the negative impact of isolation, especially if this is a new experience for you. Make yourself communicate at the local coffee shop or grocery store whenever you feel the loneliness is getting difficult.

A filing cabinet and a closet where you can store supplies.

It is essential you keep your home office space uncluttered. A clean office equates with a clear mind. Store supplies in a closet or anywhere they can be out of sight. Walking into a cluttered home office will make you want to work someplace else.

Your office space should mimic as much as possible a traditional office environment.

You would not have a fireplace and a TV in your office at work, so why would you at the home office? These days, I have both, but I have had twenty-five years’ experience of working from home. The TV never goes on while I should be working, and I have yet to use the fireplace. I am not even sure how to switch it on. I do allow myself the luxuries of a tea station, and a water dispenser because it is just too tempting to find excuses to leave the office and go to the kitchen. By having my water and tea nearby, I stay at work and avoid snacking in the kitchen. Sometimes when I need a break, I fill a mug and head outdoors for some revitalizing air.

Phil’s advice

I did not meet up with Phil again for a couple of years, and I had forgotten the rehabilitation process we went through. The first thing he said when we met again and shook hands was to thank me. He said, “You made me set up a separate office within the apartment. I thought it was a waste of a beautiful space at first, but it is the best thing I ever did. Closing that door and having a separate place to work saved me. It still took me months to adjust to working from home, but without that, I doubt I would have made it.”

I asked Phil to describe his adjustment period:

How difficult was the change?

“After 20 years of going to work outside my home, the transition to working at home was difficult, but manageable. It was stressful at first, because I had to set up a home office including updating my computer, learning to back up files, getting a copier / scanner / printer, upgrading my Internet to faster service, setting up a fax number, getting business cards, setting up an accounting system, etc. etc. etc. It sounds simple, but all this took some time, and some of the tasks were things my personal assistant and staff used to do for me. I felt pretty dumb at the time, like a remedial student. It was humbling.

The hardest single technical aspect of setting up the home business was the lack of IT support. In all my previous positions, I simply picked up the phone when I had any issue or question and an IT expert was there to help. In my home office, I had to wade through my technical computer issues by myself. I tried calling a local IT support company a few times, but they were expensive and seemed to spend a lot of time researching my question instead of already having the required knowledge. Consequently, I spent a lot of time learning technical computer stuff. But now I am the neighborhood expert.”

How long did it take you to adjust?

“It took me about 6 months to adjust to working at home. I needed to get a routine going and had a couple of false starts with that. After you weaned me off daytime stock market TV, I started over. Initially, I thought I should keep it like a regular job. Start at 8 am, work until 12, take an hour lunch, and then work until 5. But that is way too intense at a home office. Remember, there are no meetings to attend, nobody stopping by your desk to chat, no chatting in the break room, etc. An 8-hour workday at home is more productive than spending 16 hours at the old office. Burn out is a real risk.

What ended up working best for me was to break up my day. Work for a few hours early in the morning, then go to the gym, come back, and work for a few more hours, then take another break like a walk or errand, then come back and finish up whatever work was needed that day. This schedule made the workday longer, but I found I was less tired and stressed at the end of it.”

What was the thing you enjoyed most in your new workday?

“The thing I enjoyed most about the new workday was my new found flexibility. If I had a personal appointment that day, I could simply start earlier in the morning or work later in the evening. To take a break from the computer and phone I could go shopping during the week when things are less crowded or rushed. It is amazing how much more pleasant grocery shopping is in the middle of a weekday, than facing the high stress after 5 or weekend frenzy. In the winter, I could actually take a walk during daylight hours! A neighbor below me works nine to five and her dog is cooped up all day, so I started taking it for a short afternoon walk, which was good for everyone.”

What did you miss the most about a regular office environment?

“Without a doubt, the thing I missed most was the day to day people contact and the relationships with other workers. I still miss the friends I made while working and needed to find an alternative way to connect with people. Let’s face it, it is hard to have a good conversation with a dog!

I found other ways to interact with people. I joined an exercise group at the gym and got to know other work-at-home people. I talk to the neighbors, grocery clerks, and others more now because I have more time and I am not always feeling so rushed. I also joined the local small business owner’s society. They are great ways for executives to meet and share best practices, but just as important is the social interaction.”

Do you have any tips to help others make a successful adjustment?

“I think everyone needs to find out what works best for them and don’t be afraid to make changes if something is not working out. One of the best things about working at home is that your work hours are flexible. If you love to stay up to 2 am, then go ahead and use that time for work. The other thing is don’t take on too much work or play. You need a balance and it is really easy to stress yourself out by taking on more than you can handle. Most of all though, I realize I almost blew it by not starting off right. Knowing what I know now, I would have spent time getting the office set up before I started my own thing. I lost so much traction and productivity early on and only after six months was I back on track.”

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