EPISODE 7 - Career: How can you be productive in the home office?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Sh** Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel and today I want to... Welcome to a new episode of the Get Sh** Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel and today our topic is how can you be productive in home office? So two, three years ago Corona teach us that home office is possible. at companies where it might not be possible without Corona. So I think that is definitely one of the positive aspects of the pandemic. But today I want to share my insights, how I learned to be productive in home office. To be honest, I started to work in home office far before the pandemic hit and it was really new to me. I've always been in consulting, so I always... been on -site at the customer. But then I switched the company 10, 11 years ago and they just haven't enough place in the office. So if we haven't been at the customer on -site, we are free to work at home. And from that on, I learned to work in home office and I learned to be productive in home office. So today I want to share some insights on this. So the first thing is make sure you have your own private room where you can work in. It hasn't to be your complete room and office space, but at least a room where you can close the door, have a desk and a chair to sit on. and to close the door to have your privacy, no distractions. So that is really a game changer if you want to work in home office. I remember those times in the pandemic, the parents have to do their work and take care of the kids and do homeschooling all at once. A complete nightmare for me. Luckily, I wasn't affected in that time.

Michael Seidl: So I just had to take care of myself. But much respect to all those parents who did home office and homeschooling and everything at once. But right now, hopefully you have a better choice. It is a choice on your own. But really try to have a separate room where you really can close the door and be alone. As I said, it hasn't to be your own office. space, but at least a table, a chair and the place you can work and the door you can close if needed. So you can make sure that you have no distractions, no one's coming in, no one is holding you back to do your work. Second thing is try or make sure that you plan. your time the same way you do it when you be in the office. So make sure you have your fixed times, you start to work, you finish to work. Of course, advantages of home office is that you maybe can start earlier and finished earlier or later or split it up. So maybe start in the morning, have a longer break, doing lunch, maybe for your kids, whatever. and do the rest in the evening but make sure you have your fixed time, your planned time to do the same work as you do it in the office because if you go to the office you will be there at eight or nine whatever and at seven or six and make sure you have the same time blocked in your home office it hasn't to be the same amount of hours Maybe it depends on your employee or your customers, whatever. But make sure that you block and plan the time you need to finish your daily work. In my case, I've been a lot more productive when I'm being in my home office and not at the customer on -site. Of course, being at the customer has other advantages, but for productivity, in my case,

Michael Seidl: I'd be more productive if I'm at home, in my office, maybe can close the door, put my headphones on and can do a concentrate and focus time to solve my stuff or to finish my doings. So you might need less time to finish your tasks, but make sure you plan that time you need to finish a task and make sure there's nothing else. planned in that time. Of course, home office has the advantage that you can do something else in your household, that you can receive some stuff from any parcel delivery or you can have any other guys visit your place and do some stuff. But make sure that this will not distract you a lot from your to -dos. So don't be too lazy or too... don't see it as the same way you will be in the office and you have to finish your task. Yeah, shit. If you stay at the title of the podcast. So make sure you finish your task. And as the pandemic started also before, I even tried to... being more productive as I'm being in the office or at the customer. So there is no doubt that I am being lazy or I'm not finished the task, especially working with customers. If they have once the feeling that when you are working from home or not on site, they have once the feeling that... you might not be as productive as you could be when you're on site. You lose trust to the customer and I think it will be hard to get the trust back. So I, from the first day of home office and especially as Corona hit, I tried my best to be more productive and for the customer as

Michael Seidl: compared to when I'm on site with the customer. So he has no second of thoughts or the feeling that I could be not so productive when I'm on site. So that's very important for me. And the last advice is try to be very communicative. So... say hello in the morning, say when you go to lunch, say bye in the evening. So do it the same as you would do it when you go to the office, but I think at least a few percentage more. Because if you sit in the office or sit at the customer, he sees you, he feels you, he sees that you're here. But if you do it remote, make them feel that you are here, that you have. time that you are 100 % in charge for them and work for them. So tell them a good morning, say hi, tell them as well if you just go to a short break, getting some coffee or some drinks, because if the customer or your employee, your boss, your whatever, message or text you in that second and you do not response as he knows or as it used to. then he might have some doubts if that home office is okay. So what I do when I work for customers and if I just go two or three minutes to grab a coffee or just to say hi to my kids when they are home from school or kindergarten, I just let them know that, okay, I will be off for five minutes and then back. So they know what you're doing because see is... Compared to when you're at the office, if you stand up for your desk and go to the coffee or toilet, he knows you're not on place. But if you're remote, he doesn't see you. He doesn't know when you stand up and go to a different place or just grab some coffee. So let them know what you do. And I think that's really a key point on being productive and being successful in home office, especially when you do consulting.

Michael Seidl: you have to build or keep the trust with your customers, then really try to do a bit more communication and don't let them doubt anything, any time that you might not be that productive when you are on site. So to summarize the topics, make sure you have your own space. You can shut the door and have enough, have your own space to not lose your focus. Make sure you plan your day like you do it in the office. So if you're at home, plan your times, you will do your work and don't do anything else. And increase the communication to your customer, to your boss, to your team leader. So make sure he feels your... It should feel the same. as you would be in the office sitting next to him. So make sure you do communicate everything and maybe a bit more so he feels like you really focused and really do your work. So hope you took some some advices. Hopefully they have been useful. If you have any questions, please contact me on LinkedIn and send me your questions for the podcast. You can send me a text message or an audio message, whatever you prefer most. And hope you liked the session. See you next time. Stay productive. Bye bye.