How to Leave Work When You Work from Home
For Citi, by Heather Spohr
There's a lot to like about working from home. Studies have shown that salary, office politics, and lack of work-from-home options can breed dissatisfaction. According to Today's Professional Woman Report—a national survey released by Citi and LinkedIn that explores the roadblocks to women's career success—42% wish they could work from home more.
In my experience, one thing that's not so great about working from home is trying to separate your work from your personal life. While most people can leave work behind simply by stepping out the front door of their workplace, that's much more difficult for an at-home worker like me. Thankfully, I've learned a few techniques over the years that have made this juggling act a whole lot more manageable.
Set A Schedule & Stick With It
One of the (seeming) perks of working from home is that, because you don't have to leave the office at 5 or 6 p.m., you can take your time finishing your work. The problem is that when you spread your work throughout the day and night, you start to feel like you're always on the clock. To avoid getting burned in this way, I keep to a schedule that clearly maps out when I am—and am not—working.
When I only had one email address, I was constantly bouncing back and forth between personal and professional.
Maintaining consistent hours also lets co-workers at the office know when it's appropriate to contact you. In the past I've found that, when I don't make my schedule clear, people feel free to call at all hours of the day or night.
Create A Designated Office Area
It's tempting to spend your working hours on the couch with your computer on your lap, but I don't think it's a good idea. I did that when I first started working from home, and when my work day ended I couldn't unwind on my couch because I was still in my workspace! I've since found that designating an office area in my home not only increases my productivity, but also makes it easier for me (psychologically) to "leave work" at the end of the day.
Have Separate Email Addresses: Personal & Work
Maintaining two email addresses (one for personal correspondence; the other for work) initially struck me as unnecessarily complicated, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. When I only had one email address, I was constantly bouncing back and forth between my personal and professional emails, so I rarely remained exclusively in a work mindset. Once I established a work email address, that all changed. Now I don't read personal emails during working hours, so I can remain focused on the job. (I know that family and friends will call if it's something urgent.) And I don't check work emails at night, so my evenings are never ruined by a stressful work message.
Of course, it's hard for me to resist the temptation to check my personal email, especially when I get it in my head that I might be missing something important. So to put my mind at ease over financial matters, I use Citi® Alerting Service, which notifies me via text (or email, if I choose) when my account has a low balance, there's a problem with a deposit, or I'm over my credit limit, among other types of alerts.
Though working from home takes a little getting used to, I've found it possible to separate my work life from my personal life—even if on some days I'm living both of them in my pajamas.
Sane Ways to Work While on Vacation
Here's how to hold the reins while taking a break
By Wendy Kaufman
Reprinted with permission from CitiBusiness.com
As a business owner, you're probably going to do some work while you're on vacation.
Until fairly recently—maybe four or five years ago—it was assumed that a person was disconnected from the office when he or she was on vacation. The state of mobile technology and connections made that a given. Today, the assumption is reversed.
I still know people who completely check out when they're on vacation, but as a business owner, I would never go that route. The possible consequences are too serious.
You can't plan for everything. When you're an entrepreneur, things can turn on a dime from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. And as far as major financial decisions go, the buck usually stops with the owner. You don't want to check out and leave the burden on someone else to act as CEO.
Besides, it's like going on vacation and leaving the kids with grandma and grandpa. Are you really not going to call to check on how they're doing?
That said, there is a vacation-mode difference. You need to be able to scale back; to take a break. And quite frankly, I feel I'm entitled to a vacation. Here are some strategies my husband (who is also an entrepreneur) and I have developed for working while on a trip.
Activities Of The Day Should Guide Your Check-Ins
Forget about setting specific times ("We'll only check email at 9 a.m."). That doesn't work. So if you're going swimming for four hours, live in the moment and don't check your phone. But use down time as it comes up—when you're in transit, or stuck in a line, or if you're awake hours earlier or later than anyone else in your travel group.
Use The 'Flag' Function On Your Email
Can an issue or question wait till Monday when I'm back? If so, I flag it on my email so I don't lose track of it. Better yet, can I flag and forward it to someone else on my staff to handle? Resist the urge to jump in, do triage and make everything better, as business owners love to do. Unless you prioritize, you'll be working all the time.
Set An Accurate 'Away' Message
How often have you gotten an automatic "I'm on vacation" message, only to receive a real response from the person three minutes later? If your message says "In my absence, please contact Mary in my office," that had better be the way it is or you'll lose credibility.
Make Sure Your Staff Is On Your Wavelength
On an ongoing basis, I need to train the people in my office to know what they can and can't say yes or no to, to understand what is a definite "call Wendy" issue and what isn't, and to define what customer service means to me so that they can be my voice. I always share my itinerary and access info. But if for some reason they can't reach me, I want them to be able to answer the questions, "What would Wendy do?" and "What course of action will make the business look best?"
Empower A Travel Companion To Be 'The Coach'
Just as you prepare your staff, you need to communicate with your family or friends who will be on the trip. Let them know in advance that you will have to (and want to) check in with the business. But agree that, if a call or issue interrupts common activities for more than 20 minutes, this person can tap you on the shoulder and flag you. This is important because people tend to lose track of time when they're dealing with an issue, and will swear they've only been on the phone for 3 minutes when it's really been 30.
Bring Multiple Devices
That way, at least one of them is sure to work. Bring a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop and pay for service that allows you to always connect to an Internet hotspot.
All things in moderation! The truth is that business owners like to be in touch with their businesses. We love what we do. And we're lucky today because we have so many ways to be in touch—email, phone, texting, and Skype. The core of the issue is this: you have to define for yourself when you want to be connected—and when you don't.
Wendy Kaufman is the founder and CEO of Balancing Life's Issues, a training company for businesses committed to supporting employees' work/life balance.
How to Have More Energy Every Day
Simple measures to help entrepreneurs stay healthy and energetic
An interview with Michael Roizen, M.D., by Lee Lusardi Connor
Reprinted with permission from CitiBusiness.com
Dr. Roizen is chair of the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including the "RealAge" series and the "You: The Owner's Manual" series, co-written with Mehmet Oz., M.D. In this interview, he provides energy-boosting advice for business owners.
Being a business owner is an always-on job, so it's no wonder that many complain of fatigue. What's the solution?
Business owners tend not to take care of their health because they're too worried about getting work done. This is the most common problem we see.
The truth is that the best way of showing devotion to your business and love for your family isn't working longer and not sleeping; it's taking care of your health. As an entrepreneur, you have to make yourself a priority so that you can function, so that the business can function and you can take care of the ones you love.
What's a top priority for a person who wants to have more energy?
Stress management. That is the thing that ages and robs you of energy most. How much it affects you depends on how you approach it.
There are three types of stress. Acute stress, such as breaking a bone or having someone crash into your car, doesn't tend to age you; you deal with it and move on. Major life issues—such as divorce, a forced move, financial trouble—definitely call for stress management.
And then there are what we call NUTs—Nagging Unfinished Tasks. These are the things you've had on your to-do list for weeks but still haven't gotten to, that bother you.
Therapies like meditation, guided imagery and breathing techniques are readily available. One of these should be practiced every day because stress affects you daily. Stress management significantly increases what people call "presentee-ism," the amount of energy and focus you bring to daily life.
We know that regular physical activity increases energy. How can a busy entrepreneur get this benefit?
There are lots of ways.
Here is the minimum physical activity you can do for maximum health: 10,000 steps a day (you need a pedometer to track this), cardiovascular activity for 20 minutes three times a week, and 30 minutes of resistance activity each week. It shouldn't be hard to add more walking to your day. Try having all of your one-on-one meetings, not at a desk, but while walking. The first time you suggest this to colleagues they may think it odd, but after that it's very natural. I also read for work while I'm walking in the evenings. And I have a treadmill desk that I use so that I'm walking while doing emails.
As for cardiovascular and resistance activity, I know of no other way to do them than to set aside time for them. But the minimum requirement isn't that much. Resistance work can be three times for 10 minutes, or one 30-minute session. I schedule my 20 minutes of cardiovascular activity on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday evenings.
What about diet?
The only thing you have to remember is that there are five "food felons" that rob energy—everything else gives you energy.
The felons are:
- Simple sugars and simple syrups including corn sweetener, fructose, glucose, brown sugar.
- Carbohydrates that have been stripped of whole grains, such as enriched flour.
- Saturated fats, including milk fat, four-legged animal fat, animal and bird skin and tropical oils such as palm and coconut.
- Trans fats, including partially hydrogenated fats, as well as many margarines and cooking oil blends.
You're an entrepreneur, you plan your day. You bring good foods with you to work. When you're at a restaurant, act as a CEO, asking questions to get what you need. Can I have the salad without bacon? Yes. Can I have balsamic vinaigrette instead of ranch dressing? Yes. The restaurant wants to please you, and the places you frequent will adjust. Every restaurant I go to knows I want it without cheese on it, and bring me cut-up vegetables instead of simple bread with dinner.
What other energy advice would you like to give the entrepreneurs?
Go to sleep earlier. Entrepreneurs constantly try to do more, so they cut back on sleep. But sleep is a regenerative phenomenon for your energy level. So we tell them to practice proper sleep hygiene, which means all TVs, computers and cell phones out of the bedroom.
To be sure you get the hours of sleep you need to feel rested, plan ahead. Use the half hour before bedtime to do the things you need to do—hygiene, stress management, making lunch for the next day. Schedule those tasks so you're not squeezing out sleep time. It's too important.