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18|July 2020
What I Learned About WFH*
distraction as well. As you walk around grabbing a snack or ad- justing the thermostat it becomes “Oh, I need to wash those dishes or take out that trash or wash those clothes.” If you wouldn’t leave your job to go home and do those things, don’t do it just because you are home. My solution was to set the thermostat in the morning be- fore I started working AND I de- cided to mimic my snack drawer at work. I brought snacks into my “home office” so I wouldn’t have to go get them and see the dishes, the trash or the clothes.
Other people may try to distract you as well. When my neighbor across the street realized I was working from home she started knocking on my door during the day just to chat. (She’s retired.) I tried dropping a few hints but she just wasn’t getting it. Finally I created a “Do Not Disturb” sign. I put it on the front door when I started work in the morning and removed it when I was done for the day. It worked.
One of the biggest things I learned is GET DRESSED. If you wear a business suit to work every
Slippery rock Gazette
day, you don’t necessarily have to do all that, but get dressed. Even if you aren’t Zooming, Skyping, FaceTiming or Slacking, get dressed. Your appearance has a big influence on how you feel. Look good – feel good. If you feel good, you work better. I wear jeans to work. Truthfully, I didn’t put my jeans on every day. I sometimes wore lounging pants– but never wore sweats, they are too much like pajamas.
After the first few days, I got up every day and brushed my teeth and hair and got ready for work like I would have if I were leav- ing the house. If you wouldn’t leave your house looking the way you look at your home desk, go change. It’s an immediate boost to your morale, general well-being and production.
Working from home has its benefits BUT it has its pitfalls as well. Be prepared. You might need that home office again when you least expect it.
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@asdrva.rocks.
Over the past couple of months, some of us got to experience Working
From Home* (WFH), for the first time. I did. My daughter, daughter-in-law and BFF did, as well. There are a lot of reasons to work from home, not just a pandemic. Injury, server issues, convenience, weather, electrical issues, finances... the list goes on and on. We have all seen the GIFs and the memes about working from home, suits and ties on top, sweats or no pants at all on the bottom. Or, getting out of bed in PJs, hair a mess, and sitting down to work at your computer without bothering to dress. I am sure that happens every day, somewhere. Admittedly, working from home does have its perks, but there is a learning curve as well. Here’s what I learned.
Before you leave your office for the last time, make sure you have everything you need and don’t be surprised at what you will forget. When my BFF left for her WFH stint, her company gave her a computer, monitor, laptop, printer and a cell phone, all the big stuff. What she didn’t take was the little stuff: printer paper, paperclips, staples, stamps or highlighters. She didn’t think about those things. I didn’t either. I didn’t realize how essential my second monitor was to my job until I didn’t have it. I had to go back for it, as well as my pass- word book and my calculator. (I usually just use the calculator on one of my gadgets, but that was not convenient for work at home).
I purchase a lot of things for my company. My boss got me a com- pany credit card and mailed it to me so life could go on. Also, take the name and number or email address of your IT person. Trust me: you are going to need them, at some point. Think about every- thing you use and touch during the day and bring it home with you. Something you don’t touch but definitely need is a surge pro- tector. Don’t let your company stuff get blown up at home!
When you get your stuff home, try to set up in as quiet a place as possible. My BFF used her den where she can shut the door. I had put a desk in my walk-in closet years ago. I must have been
Sharon Koehler
Artistic Stone Design
Getting a handle on an in- creased number of emails is one secret to WFH success. With a reduced number of distractions pulling your focus away, you may find you even get more work done.
psychic back then because I sure did need that for working at home time.
Set everything up as close to your work set-up as possible, but be prepared to adjust a bit. My home desk is smaller than my work desk, so there is no room for my printer there. So, my printer sits to the left on top of a cedar chest, under my hung up cargo pants. Ideal? No. But it works.
Stick as close to your routine as possible but again, be prepared to make adjustments. My normal routine is to get up at 5:30, let the dog out, make breakfast, etc. and then leave the house at 6:30 to be at work by 7. While at home, I got up at 6, let the dog out, made breakfast, etc. and sat down at my desk at 7am.
My daughter likes to go to the gym before work. When that was no longer possible, she went out walking every morning be- fore she turned on her computer. Our routines basically stayed the same; we just adjusted a bit for circumstances.
Be prepared for a lot more emails and phone calls. Since you cannot just get up and walk to the person you want to talk to, or grab the file you need, you either have to make phone calls or send emails about things that you wouldn’t normally need to. My first few days at home I was overwhelmed by the amount of emails I was receiving! I finally learned to answer them in the order they were received and then file them in the appropriate labels on the side of my email window. That way I could organize and still have them for future reference if necessary.
You might find that your pets are a problem, especially your dogs. My cats were pretty cool. I just had to shoo them out of my chair from time to time. It was my
dog that was the issue. She was a constant interruption and dis- traction. She wanted my attention frequently, VERY frequently. I finally got the idea to grab a dog bed and put it on the floor near my chair. That was all it took. She could lie in the same room and keep a eye (or ear) on me, and that was all she wanted. Problem solved.
Your house may become a
My Executive Assistant Tessa. Our pets – dogs espe- cially – probably think WFH is THE. BEST. IDEA. EVER. Usually, your fur-child will be content to just be near you, 24/7. If your cat insists on sleeping on your key- board – well, that’s a differ- ent level of problem.
Neolith Announces James Amendola as New Vice President of Sales and Operations for North America
N
Amendola as its Vice President of Sales and Operations of North America. This follows the ap- pointment of José Luis Ramón Moreno as CEO in March and Sagi Cohen as Advisory Board Member in November 2019.
Amendola brings extensive knowledge and experience to Neolith, accrued from more than three decades in the stone sur- facing industry. Most recently, he held the position of Director of Sales & Marketing US at SapienStone. Previously, he was General Manager at Cosentino.
Speaking on the new appoint- ment, José Luis Ramón Moreno, Neolith CEO, said, “Neolith has ambitious plans for North America. This includes signifi- cant investment, such as strength- ening our senior leadership team
eolith® announced the
James Amendola, Neolith Vice President of Sales and Operations, North America
appointment of James
in the region. James will be a key part of our future journey. With his exceptional industry knowl- edge and a proven track record, he will be an invaluable addition to the team, helping to further drive our pioneering vision forward and expanding our reach in the vibrant architecture and design sector.”
Visit neolith.com for more info.