The New ABnormal: why is working from home so hard?

Today marks the second full week of work from home for many of us, and what a week it’s been!

Working from home is hard, for everyone.

It’s so hard. And it’s a learned skill – so all those experts out there telling you exactly what to do? They’ve been at it for awhile. Also – they’ve figured out what works for them. What works for one person might not be the thing that works for you.

Companies haven’t fully figured out how to navigate this new ABnormal yet either.

It’s hard when your company isn’t set up for it. Most companies *think* they’ve set you up well, by giving you the tech you need to keep doing your work. But there’s so much more to it than that.

Turns out, *the office* was providing a lot more structure and motivation than we all realized (reminder to send BIG old THANK YOU to your head of HR for making it all possible!).

That office, and ALL the things that go along with it, allow you to go on autopilot. Here’s all the things that can end up going on autopilot when you go into an office every day:

• exercise – you probably walk 1k steps just to get to the bathroom a few times a day, you’ve got a morning and evening commute, and lunch somewhere in the middle.
• breaks – physical and mental distance from your desk AND your work. Those breaks allow you to come back refreshed and more focused.
• nourishment, both physical AND personal – you face social pressure to go to lunch with the team, AND you get total understanding for the fact that you’re not at your desk for an hour. Also socially acceptable? Coffee breaks, water cooler conversations, and the relationship building that goes along with that.
• SOOOOOO many other things

So without that structure, how do we adapt?

Working from home is so hard BECAUSE you don’t have the structures that allow you to go on autopilot. It’s hard even if you don’t have kids or a partner that you’re sharing your space with. (For those of you that do, EXTRA props to you for the additional challenges coming your way!)

It’s ok that it’s hard, and this very moment is your opportunity to learn.

This CAN be a beautiful time. Time to get in touch with your own motivators again, time to learn how to adapt, and work with colleagues to set up new corporate norms.

Wanna learn more?

Take a look at the presentation below for some guidance on how to reconnect to your own Internal Motivators, and start improving your work-from-home life today.