9 Mental Philosophies for Remote Working
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As we enter another lockdown in the UK, it’s clear that remote working will truly be the new normal. I’ve been thinking and collating some remote working mental philosophies that have helped me adapt to working from home.
Working too long without breaks? Find yourself multi-tasking during meetings? Feel out of touch with your colleagues? Remote working provides a great opportunity for us to understand our true motivations, regain control of our schedules and reflect on how we spend our time.
Here are 9 Mental Philosophies for Remote Working that will hopefully help you reflect on how you can make remote working work for you, your mental health and work-life balance.
TL;DR — be kind to yourself, these are far from usual times! 💛💛
1. Adopt the ‘Slow’ Philosophy
You might have heard of slow food and slow fashion already. The Slow Philosophy is the idea that actually life is long and despite all the hecticness of 2020 and the speed of the 21st Century, we can take our time. Stop chasing these arbitrary milestones and instead recognise that everything doesn’t need to have an imminent deadline.
Reflection question: What deadlines am I imposing on myself that are arbitrary and stress-inducing?
2. Create Psychological safety
Made famous by Brené Brown and Google’s Project Aristotle. I truly love the concept of psychological safety. This is the idea behind how we can create environments that reward vulnerability, where it is received positively to share how you honestly feel. Simple ways to do this include — truly being present in meetings, not setting a time limit on small talk to understand how everyone is, sharing your personal challenges and embracing a culture of failure.
Reflection question: How can I create virtual spaces where vulnerability is rewarded?
