Is working remotely full-time a dream job? It depends

Remote work can offer just that. The ability to work from home full-time and according to your schedule. It means being able to start work at 10am so you can drop the kids off in the morning and go to the gym after the morning rush. It means being able to schedule your work around a weekly lunch date with a friend or family member, without needing to rush back. It can allow a more fulfilling work-life balance.

Remote work was already rising in popularity pre-pandemic and then catapulted to necessity in 2020. Businesses quickly realized the perks of a fully remote business – like no longer needing to spend money to lease an office space – while employees got to experience its numerous benefits, such as:

• Not wasting their personal time commuting
• Not getting stressed out as a result of busy, delayed and lengthy commutes
• Saving money on transportation and parking costs
• Increased flexibility in their schedule
• Not needing a big professional wardrobe
• Getting to wear sweatpants (and pants optional even!)
• Doing less laundry
• Saving money on takeout breakfast, lunches and coffees

For many people, working remotely full-time is a dream scenario, but for those who come from a traditional 9am to 5pm work environment, transitioning to a fully remote working style can have its challenges.

Putting in 8 hours of focused virtual work can be difficult for some people. In a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, they found that the average office worker is only productive for 3 hours a day.

Let’s allow that to sink in for a moment. In an 8-hour work day, only 3 hours are spent being productive. Where the heck did the other 5 hours go?

If you’ve ever worked in a traditional office environment, you probably have an inkling. More time is spent reading websites and going down a rabbit hole of content, checking social media, chatting with co-workers about personal events, going on coffee breaks with colleagues, making personal calls and texting, checking and replying to personal emails, and making food or drinks.

And that is why it can be a difficult transition going from a traditional office environment to working for a remote business, particularly in creative, consultancy, customer service and tech-related industries where clients expect time-tracked billing. Fully remote work requires cutting out the personal and social distractions for focused work. Compared to a traditional office environment, this can feel isolating and be more straining on the body with more time spent at the desk.

But with most big changes, there’s usually a difficult transition period to get to that sweet spot where things feel more comfortable and routine. A new employee in a traditional office environment will still need to get accustomed to a different work culture and new workplace expectations. Similarly, remote work has its own workplace expectations and culture.

Remember your why of choosing remote work. Maybe it’s being able to spend more time with family instead of commuting 2 hours a day. Maybe you want the flexibility to pursue other activities that take place during traditional office hours. Maybe you want the freedom to travel and relocate easily. Focusing on the why of choosing remote work can help as a motivator to get through the initial hurdle of the transition.

In a traditional office setting, employees typically get cues from their co-workers for when it’s “time” to go on a coffee break and have social interactions. Remote work doesn’t offer that, and breaks are very important to take throughout the day for health and overall productivity. Try to create a schedule for yourself that incorporates regular breaks for personal time and social interactions. That could be scheduling in 30 minutes mid-morning to read the news, or scheduling a regular afternoon walk with a friend.

Not everyone can do longer than a few hours of deep work in one day – and that’s okay. The reality is that we only have so much brain energy in an 8-hour day. This is where we need to get smart about how we work by scheduling deep work tasks in the most productive hours of the day, and doing other tasks that require less focused attention during other hours. For example, if you’re someone who is most productive at 7am, then it may make sense to schedule deep work between 7am to 10:30am. Because trying to do that deep work during your off-peak energy hours is not only going to feel more draining but also won’t be as productive.

Get in touch to see if you could be a fit for the Northern Primrose team.