A survey carried out by the NUI Galway Whitaker Institute in October 2020 found that among those who can work remotely, 94% were in favour of working remotely on an on-going basis for some or all of the time. The majority of those, 54%, said they would like to work remotely several times a week, 27% said five days a week and 13% said several times a month.
Loneliness and isolation, staying motivated and difficulties with the physical workspace were identified as the main challenges to working remotely.
If this is really the case, there is a need to shift working habits and mindset.
Stop and ask yourself:
If I was in the office would I:
have felt the need to send such a detailed email?
send an email when a quick conversation would suffice?
cc everyone - just in case?
be happy if members of my team closed their eyes / switched off when we were talking, yet don't speak up when communicating virtually?
be working such long hours?
One of my favourite quotes from the late, great Stephen Covey:
“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities”.
So consider what are your priorities right now:
What are your short, medium and long term work goals?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how focused are you on your goals right now?
What is going on for you right now?
What situation would you like to create?
What actions and resources do you need this week and who can support you?
What three things are working well for you at the moment and how can you get more of it?
What do you really want?
For example, if your priorities are your family, your health, your career progression, your personal development or leadership transition - is sitting at your desk, spending time crafting long emails, just to show all the work you have done, really helping you achieve your goal?
Are the steps you are taking today moving you TOWARDS your goal or AWAY from your it?
What actions are you going to take right now that will move you to your desired direction?
The only person who has the answers to these questions is you.
My coaching clients have the greatest “AHA” moments, when they stop for a while and consider some of these questions. They have the answer within.
My role as a coach is to ask those questions and to help you discover the answers.
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