Inspired by the tips given by the Anywhere Working community in our recent Ultimate Kit competition, our friends at Microsoft decided to share their advice too. These ‘Microsofties’ don’t spend all day in the office, instead they use the technologies available to them to work in the most efficient way. Have a read of the blog post below and take a look at the two videos as well.
Tips from Allister Frost
- Understand your body. We all have times when we’re firing on all cylinders and others when we just want to crawl up in a ball. By knowing how your energy levels shift throughout the day, you can choose when to work and when to rest.
- Have really clear goals. Setting commitments is more than an annual admin task. Knowing what you need to achieve, how and by when, is critical to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. People often ask how I stay so focussed when working away from the office and my answer is simple: I don’t have a choice; if I don’t deliver my work no-one else will. Everything stems from my commitments and agreed goals with my line manager. I repay the trust the company places in me many times over by delivering better work than I could if chained to a workplace desk.
- Be flexible. This may sound like slacking off but, seriously, if it’s a sunny afternoon and you’ve no pressing deadlines, go and play with the kids or the dog in the garden for ten minutes. The break will do you good, your family will love you more for it, and you’ll return to work in a better state of mind to deliver great results.
- Focus on the big tasks first. End every working day by deciding what are the 3-5 most important tasks that will help you achieve your commitments tomorrow. Then start the next day afresh with these goals in mind and tackle the big tasks first. Those first few hours of each working day are golden; your mind is freshest and your body is energised. Don’t waste those moments trawling through email working to someone else’s agenda; use the time to make a big impact on your commitments.
- Use smart technology to help you. Microsoft Lync enables me to take calls to my office number wherever I am by ringing my mobile number simultaneously. DirectAccess gives me full, uninterrupted access to files and people on the corporate network wherever I go online with my work laptop. Outlook Web App means I can do almost everything that the full application enables through a browser on any internet-connected computer. These technologies, and more, are the essential ingredient in a productive working life away from the office. Use them and reap the productivity rewards.
- Create a dedicated space for work. Working from your kitchen table may seem like a smart idea but it’s unlikely to prove a viable long term solution if you share that space with others. If you live in a busy home, create a quiet space where you can go to work, away from the hubbub of children, visitors and other distractions. The ideal solution is to create a place where you only do work, not a corner of a bedroom which also shares your sleeping hours, but a separate space that instantly puts you into a “time to work” state of mind. Creating this special place I a busy house isn’t always easy or practical, but if you can you’ll benefit from being able to switch on to—and off from—work whenever you need to.
- Enjoy your whole life. We spend so much of our adult lives doing work, it really pays to do a job you love. When you do, the dividing line between work and play ceases to matter and the two can live harmoniously together. As long as you get your work done to the high standards your line manager expects, it may no longer matter whether you’re in the office, at home, or in Timbuktu. So find ways to enjoy your whole life not just the bits outside of work.
