Tips and tricks for telework

As the world continues to react to coronavirus, many organizations, including the Land Trust Alliance, have transitioned employees to work from home. For me, the prospect of teleworking was exciting, but after just a few days I can say: This was not the dream I thought it would be. I am bouncing off the walls, feeling disorganized and missing going into the office to see my coworkers.

Lucky for me, the Alliance already had several work-from-home experts with many years of experience. I asked them to share tips for teleworking and here is some of their sage advice:

• Prioritize your to-do list and allocate the most uninterrupted time to the most important things. With massive school closures, many of us will be sharing our telework space with young "office assistants." Work as you can with friends, family and partners to establish interruption-free hours each day.
• Remind kids, spouses or roommates that just because you are working from home doesn't mean you have time to [fill in the blank].
• Make sure your work space is established with ergonomics in mind. Position the keyboard so your forearms are parallel to the floor. Locate your monitor so the top third of the viewing area is at or below eye level. Use lumbar support if sitting and good lighting to avoid eye strain.
• Even though many of us use primarily electronic files now, there are times when you have to work with a hard copy. Multiple free apps let you use your smartphone to take a photo of your document and quickly convert it to a digital copy.
• And as we're getting used to video meetings, practice good etiquette:
  
  • stay on mute when you're not talking so your background noise doesn't bleed in;
  • don't read emails or texts during the meeting;
  • try to remain on camera — it's distracting for others if you walk away; and
  • utilize the "hide self-view" function if you are distracted by seeing yourself.

With these tips, I'm confident that I can find a way into a new work routine in my home. What are your best tips? I've shared the complete list of tips I received and you can share yours in the new thread in our Ask an Expert forum on the Learning Center. Stay well.

Laura Fagen is digital communications manager for the Land Trust Alliance.