TL;DR: Effective remote work is something I can learn. Practice these skills deliberately. Be brief, be bright, be done. Pause. The rule of 3. Make it useful, not perfect.
Be Creative. Solve Problems. Bootstrap.
That’s what it’s going to take to make the most of a far from ideal working situation. To get good at remote working, you need to flex your mindset. This is something you can learn. There are few problems you cannot solve with creativity and bootstrapping.
Want proof? I used my IKEA lamp to turn my desk into a standing desk for virtual presentations. Impact increase: 10X. Effort: near zero.
[insert photo]
Deliberate Practice.
When you frame the challenge as something you can learn, deliberate practice becomes your friend. Coined by K. Anders Ericsson, this is a philosophy I live by. In one sentence?
Become an expert by improving, over time, through deliberate, conscious effort.
What am I practicing?
Every day, I make a conscious effort to improve any one of these skills.
Be Brief. Be Bright. Be Done.
I try to get to the point. Quickly. Few words. Little time. Then we move on. I don’t want you to waste my time. I don’t want to waste yours.
Don’t be an ass. Some conversations take an hour. Have them. Have fun.
Pause.
Give people time to think and respond in virtual. I count to seven, and sometimes I verbalise it: “I will now pause and count to seven, to see if there are any questions.” Works like a charm.
The Rule of 3.
Why are there more than three people in the meeting. I’m here to work. If I want to update you, I’ll send an email or share a doc. When we meet, we work. Three seems to be the ideal number to do that with.
If I am the fourth person in a meeting, I ask if I am really needed. I don’t mind if people tell me that I’m not. I have enough to do. You?
Make it useful, not perfect.
Things are just moving too fast to polish the work. If it’s good enough, it ships. I’d rather get it 80% right and work on the other 20% later, than miss the opportunity because I got stuck on last week’s news.
What are you working on today that could have shipped yesterday?
Energy goes…
As one of my inspirations, Tony Robbins, says: energy goes where focus flows. I choose to train myself in things that are within my circle of influence. Everything else is a waste of energy, so why focus on it.
Have a great week friends, and remember: be safe, stay healthy.
Toby
Every day, heroes rise and get to work against an overwhelming challenge. They risk their health and safety by showing up to care for anyone who has been afflicted by the virus currently sweeping the world. Do you know someone who works in healthcare? It’s okay to reach out and send them a message of support and admiration. They’ll appreciate it. They deserve it.
These are difficult times. If you need help, reach out to a friend or a professional nearby. It can get lonely, and the overwhelm is real. Take good care of yourself.
Here resources I use for my personal updates on the coronavirus:
World Health Organization – COVID19 site:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Reddit: R/Coronavirus
For my Dutch friends: RIVM
https://www.rivm.nl/nieuws/actuele-informatie-over-coronavirus
Please refer to your country’s official site for useful information
Your Friend Toby 