Even before the global pandemic we’re currently experiencing, remote working has been growing in popularity in recent years. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re all used to it, or that it comes second-nature.
Now that many of us have started working from home due to the Covid-19 crisis — often for the first time — it can be hard to adjust to life away from the office and the chatter of your coworkers.
Figuring what kind of home worker you are will help you to be more productive, more positive, and get the most out of your remote working day.
With that in mind, read on to find out which home worker type you are (and how you can play to your strengths and balance out your weaknesses):
Related: Working from home during Covid-19 crisis? Essentials you may need…
1. The happy homebody
Working from home isn’t anything new for you — you regularly run your business from your kitchen table, with a hot coffee in one hand and a personalized notepad in the other. (Or maybe this is something brand new for you, but you’re realizing that you love the working at home life.)
You’ve probably got a peaceful working environment, with the window slightly ajar for fresh air, and plenty of houseplants or vases of flowers nearby to help bring positive vibes to your workspace.
You value your well-being while loving the work you do, and you’re actually quite enjoying working from home at the moment and the freedom it brings. You take regular breaks — making sure you always step away from your computer and head outside for a nature walk or quick jog — because you know it’s important to keep your work/life balance in place, even if your kitchen is technically your office for the next few months.
How to play to your strengths and balance out your weaknesses:
You’ve got it pretty down, this home working life. And you’ve really nailed one of the most important things about remote working: maintaining your work/life balance.
Just remember not to hibernate in your home-working nest for too long; keep in touch with the outside world by using social media (it’s not all bad) and video conferencing calls. You’ll be able to help lift up your coworkers with your cheery spirit, and you’ll get some healthy human contact too!
2.The social media fiend
If we were back in the office, you’d been gossiping in the kitchen or by the water cooler, surrounded by friends and coworkers hanging on to your every word.
You know everything and everyone — not just in your immediate circle, but online too. You’ve got an enviable amount of followers on your various social media profiles, and you’ve had multiple brushes with Big Names on Twitter. Impressive.
You’re also up-to-date with all the latest goss in your industry; you know which digital agencies are shining at the moment, which PR campaigns are flopping, and which competitors took a beating on the last algorithm update.
While your knowledge, contacts, and passion for industry information are admittedly impressive, they can sometimes get in the way of your working day. Yes, you may use your expertise to your advantage to get your work done, but you can easily get distracted by Twitter wars and fascinating news articles — all under the pretense of “learning,” of course.
How to play to your strengths and balance out your weaknesses:
If you’re on Instagram all the time, you might as well make money from it; there are various routes you can do down depending on your niche and followers.
If you don’t want to monetize your social channels, then just try not to procrastinate and spend too much time scrolling! And don’t forget to use your knowledge and connections for good not for evil too; instead of jumping into social media spats, see what you can learn from others — and what you can teach too.
3. Hyper-efficient multi-tasker
You’re a rare breed, and an employee worth your weight in gold: a hyper-efficient multi-tasker.
You can juggle all sorts of tasks — from the menial to the more complicated — throughout the day, and you pretty much always tick off everything on your to-do list by the time the working week is up. In fact, you’ve probably gone above and beyond, stopping to help out coworkers and putting out various company fires along the way. Most of the people you know are envious of your work ethic and productivity (how do you achieve so much in one day and still have time for yoga and virtual drinks?!).
Working from home seems like a breeze to you — you’ve already got a home office with double screens set up — but you’ve got to admit, you do miss striding into meeting rooms with your laptop. Zoom meetings just aren’t the same.
How to play to your strengths and balance out your weaknesses:
To be honest, there’s really not that much that we can teach you. You’ve basically got it sussed.
However, there is one thing we would say: don’t forget to switch off. Making the move to working from home can sometimes mean that we fail to distinguish between work hours and downtime — and you’re definitely guilty of this as a hyper-efficient multi-tasker. So schedule in some me-time: down those tools, switch off your email notifications and stick something awful/amazing on Netflix.
4. The impulsive creative
Ah, the impulsive creative. Chances are, you’re probably a copywriter or blogger — spending your time crafting beautiful copy for your personal site or your clients.
You love what you do and you’re passionate about writing and creating art; however, like many tortured artistic souls, the creative process can be agonizing along the way as you labor over choosing the perfect words for your copy. Writers, we feel you.
And that doesn’t even take into account the dreaded writer’s block or those sudden bursts of inspiration that you get in the middle of the night or, weirdly, in the shower. Creativity isn’t a tap you can turn on and off — sometimes, inspiration strikes, and sometimes it’s just nowhere to be found. This can make working regular hours remotely a challenge — especially when you don’t have the structure of office life to keep your day in place.
How to play to your strengths and balance out your weaknesses:
Although you might feel like you have to sit down and churn out blog content when it’s socially appropriate, this can be counter-intuitive and won’t necessarily mean that you’ll get your work done quicker.
If you’re your own boss or a freelancer and you’re able to work when you want, then take advantage of this and work when inspiration strikes.
And if you’re still working a 9-5 but at home, then try to attune your tasks to your mindset. On a content high? Get scribbling. Not feeling it? Tick off some of those admin tasks or training vids you’ve been meaning to complete. Sorted.
You probably see yourself — or at least part of you — in one of the home-working types above. Learning what kind of home worker you are can help you play to your strengths and keep productive while you’re working at home. Follow these top tips and you’ll be bossing your remote working day in no time at all.
About the Author:
Rodney Laws is an ecommerce expert with over a decade of experience in building online businesses. Check out his reviews on EcommercePlatforms.io and you’ll find practical tips that you can use to build the best online store for your business. Connect with him on Twitter @EcomPlatformsio.
