10 Ways to Maximize Your Virtual Office Experience

Cross-posted to Sturdy Roots Blog:

One of the biggest trends of late is the significant spike in business executives ditching the traditional commute for virtual offices.

Working virtual can be a godsend: when done right, the switch from a traditional office setting to a virtual one reduces stress and improves the quality of one’s life.

But the switch has to be done right; not everyone finds immediate success. The keys to a happy virtual office experience lie in self-discipline and flexibility.

New to virtual office life? Even though the office you use is now in your home, know that if you treat it as seriously as you did your traditional office then you’ll be on your way to a successful workplace experience.

Here are 10 key steps to a successful virtual office experience:

1. Before you do anything else, schedule at least 20 minutes of early-morning aerobic exercise. Whether your thing is a good jog around the subdivision with the pooch, time on the treadmill, or some Pilates, make sure you do your thing before your workday begins.
2. Change out of the jammies and bunny slippers and get dressed for work. Even if your attire is office casual, the simple act of changing into work clothes will focus your attention and energies;
3. Eat a good breakfast. Since you are always reminding your kids that breakfast is the-most important meal of the day, make sure you heed your own advice. Try to avoid foods that pack a high glycemic load (like bagels); if you do go for a bagel add a schmear (some lox and cream cheese). Otherwise, two hours into your workday you’ll find yourself loosing steam;
4. Start your workday at a regularly-scheduled time, perhaps after the last of your kids boards the school bus or when you complete the day’s crossword puzzle. Keeping to a regular start-time will help you maintain a healthy circadian body-rhythm throughout the day, and lead you to more-restful sleep during the overnight hours.
5. Get a good office chair. Make sure the one you use fits you like a glove, provides good head, arm, and lumbar support, and most-of-all is adjustable. A good chair doesn’t have to be an expensive one. Shop around and test-drive several models until you find one you really like. And remind yourself what your mother always told you: SIT UP STRAIGHT!
6. Start using a wireless telephone headset. It will help spare yourself from a lifetime of chronic, debilitating neck pain. And if you are a kinetic-type like me that does his best thinking while in motion, you’ll find that a wireless headset allows the freedom to roam to the mailbox to collect the day’s mail or just stretch your legs.
7. Step away from the computer! And focus your eyes on something long-distance. In an earlier dispatch, I talked about planting and enjoying an office garden. Take to your feet and smell the roses. Continual exposure to the computer screen leads to nagging eyestrain and expensive corrective eye wear (that you’ll need to upgrade more-frequently). Also, increase the size of the text on your computer screen. That will help reduce eyestrain, too.
8. Once you figure out your least-busy times, schedule a trip away from the virtual office to buy groceries, pick up the drycleaning, or some other chore. A change of venue is one of the best ways to remain productive.
9. 

   Some feng shui might be in order. Often, newbies to virtual officing complain that the energy of their new work spaces is too strong or not strong enough. The good news is that creating an energy balance is as easy as choosing a good paint color or a moving the furniture. Take the time to balance chi’i.

   My office faces south southwest and gets a lot of sunlight, so I painted my office a rich green color to balance and mitigate (the existing fire-energy). I also got a fountain; it is believed that a working fountain provides good fortune. And the sound of rippling water is invigorating. There are helpful feng shui resources available on-line or at the bookstore. Need a pro? A feng shui practitioner – like my friend Gregg Nodelman - will help you and your office achieve balance.

10. And know when to call it a day. They say we virtual office types work longer hours. Often, that is the case. So it is just as important that we set a regular time for the end of our workdays as it is to set a regular start time (see #4 above). If family responsibilities mean you cannot get all that you need to get done by 5 or 6 p.m., then power-down later, but balance the longer day by breaking it into two or more parts. Last of all, make sure that your co-workers know and respect your times of operation.

Working virtual is great. I’ve been doing it nearly 15 years.

Be patient: getting the virtual office experience right takes trial and error. But in short order, I believe you’ll enjoy the transition as much as you will enjoy how virtual officing improves the quality of your life.