Remote work is here to stay: 4 lessons I learned to stay creative

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Between quarantine, isolation, and the loss of loved ones, COVID-19 has changed the way of life as we knew it, both personally and professionally.

With this situation, remote work became the only way for many of us to continue with our daily work.

At first we did it out of obligation. But soon after, we began to see the positive side of this new concept, both for professionals and for companies.

It was in the last two years that Rock Content established itself as a leading overseas chinese in usa data global remote work company. A desire that was already under construction and was accelerated by this sad global situation. We tried to find something positive that would help us soften such a bitter pill.

People from all over the world were able to work together in one company. Physical location was no longer the primary factor in hiring. We were able to focus on attracting talent to our team, no matter where in the world they were located.

We are not alone, of course. Some companies have already announced a return to the office, but most are adopting some kind of hybrid model that allows their employees to split work time between remote and in-person.

This scenario shows two sides of the same coin:

On the one hand, this reality can be extremely positive. On the other hand, it is necessary to know how to deal with remote work and avoid common pitfalls that, by now, you are probably already familiar with, such as:

low productivity ;
difficulty relaxing;
feelings of isolation;
among many others.
So what can we do? How can we cope with the chaos, tension and boredom? How can we find ways to be artistically inspired in this new reality that is apparently here to stay?

As creative souls, we’ve found a few ways to beat these tricky traps. Read on for our tips and create your own creative style while working remotely!

#1. Put on your Monday clothes
There's nothing more comfortable than an oversized shirt and a pair of baggy pants. They're comfortable pieces, a hug for your body after a long day. If you have time on your hands, they become your weekend loungewear and are a great escape from having to dress up for the social world.

The first few weeks of the pandemic were a joy. Every loungewear outfit got a tryout, but two years later, our stiff work clothes are staring back at us, wondering when we'll be back.

As nice as loungewear may be, accepting it as a long-term style can take a toll on your creative self-esteem.

A cozy bed and comfortable clothes will make your body feel like it's at rest, not at work. This makes feeling productive, producing content , and getting your creative juices flowing more challenging than before.

The article Enclothed Cognition , published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , details how wearing the right clothing affects some professionals.

This experiment found that doctors wearing their lab coats performed with greater attention to detail than those without them. Furthermore, when presented with two coats labeled "doctor's" and "painter's," those wearing the doctor's coat projected greater confidence than those wearing a painter's coat.

This means that clothes can affect our daily productivity, not only in style, but also in what they mean to us, i.e. how we choose to label them.

Your loungewear is clothes for relaxing, not for working. So if you want to be productive, choosing a work outfit that stimulates you is essential, even at home.

Consider purchasing a new work-specific outfit that allows for ease of movement while being more elegant than casual wear.

Name it your power outfit, body armor, or any title that evokes a sense of fiery passion. Wear it when you work from home. Dress up and include a fancy watch if you want.

Then, at the end of the day, you're back to those sweet sweatpants that are eagerly waiting for you to finish work.

Practice this pattern every day to make it a habit in your daily life. Keep your power outfit for power tasks and avoid wearing it to bed or socializing. With your purpose clear, you will produce more than before.

#2. Daily log
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re working from home. The days fly by, and while it makes Mondays less miserable, it also makes Fridays less exciting. This is usually where the routine sets in, with little excitement or variation in your days.

How to escape? We are still (gradually) returning to normal, if there is such a thing as normal. Even in an optimistic scenario, there remains a sense of caution in holding in-person events. When you can't find excitement and diversity in your life from the outside, it's time to turn your attention inward.

This is where journaling comes in. Keeping a project or dream journal is a great way to organize your thoughts and review your day. For creative minds, journaling is a vital record of ideas, inspiration, and important notes that can help you accomplish your next task.

Unfortunately, journaling can be a bit awkward for adults in 2022 .

Many people think that keeping a diary is exclusive to two categories of people:

sad and misunderstood teenagers;
famous public figures.
You may think that your life isn't interesting enough or that your ideas aren't good enough to write down in a journal. But I'm here to remind you that's not true!

There are countless studies on the connection between mental well-being and journaling. The University of Rochester looks at how journaling not only helps with anxiety and coping with depression, but it also helps with organizing thoughts and keeping track of your days.

You get the positive effects of journaling when you remember these two simple rules:

you are writing for yourself and no one else;
there are no limits.
Start small. Find the coolest journal online with a pen that slides across the page and write whatever comes to mind. This could be a funny joke, remembering a good meal, or even a little doodle of something that inspires you.

Write down a dream you had at night or write down a quick, creative quote that came to mind. Start to expand, talk about the things that bother you or what frustrates you.

Make journaling a habit and you'll be amazed at what you can produce. The daily grind becomes less overwhelming and reading through what you did during the day can serve as a reminder of how hard you work. The act of writing can even lead you to the solutions you were looking for.

If writing on a blank page seems too overwhelming, look into a guided journal.

Guided journals have small tasks and prompts each day to encourage creative writing and mental well-being. I recommend Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith , a guided journal that challenges you to destroy it with crazy, creative prompts.


(Source: Amazon)
Keeping a journal may not solve the challenges of working from home, but it does give you a personal companion to walk with and can be a source of inspiration in the future when you look back at how you overcame challenges at a given time.

#3. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying
One of the most dangerous things you can do to your physical, professional, and creative self is to let failure paralyze it.

We learned coping mechanisms for professional and academic failure at school, and we also learned how to let failure guide us to do better next time, but what about creative failure? No one prepares us for that.

Think back to the early days of the pandemic, when everyone had a new hobby. Most people abandoned the task within a few weeks simply because their final product didn't look good enough.

DIY looks great on video, but it can be a real bummer when the final product in real life is mediocre.

Some felt embarrassed about their new hobbies. Social media loves to call tasks “basic” or “uncreative” simply because they are trending at the moment. It is not that easy to make bread even though it is the most basic food!

In the end, the result was the same: sourdough starter thrown in the trash, knitting needles gathering dust in the cupboard, and a brand new set of paints unopened.

In a sense, these abandoned hobbies became a metaphor. You became so focused on what others thought about the final product that you lost the joy of the process.

The opinions of strangers on the Internet became more valuable than your thoughts, leaving you even more apathetic and isolated than before.

When we work from home, we often look for references online. Since we are working alone, this might be, most of the time, the only source of comparison and inspiration we have.

But this doesn't always produce realistic results. Failure and judgment can stunt your creative growth.

Break the cycle. Pick up that hobby again or try something new! Enjoy the process instead of focusing on the outcome.

Revel in the relaxation of painting a canvas, let your mind wander as you knit, and enjoy licking the spoon clean of cake batter. All art takes practice to master, but you have to learn to enjoy the creative process long before you make a perfect creation.

Look away from social media and the performative actions of your friends. Don't feel the need to use Instagram on your first try or use Photoshop to make it perfect.

Take it as it is: the first attempt may not be the best work in the world, but you made it. And with each additional creation, it will only get better.

Incorporating this thought into your hobbies and daily activities is the first step, and then comes incorporating them into your professional activities.

Rekindle your passion to create for the sake of creating and not to produce a Mona Lisa. Remember, even the greatest artists were not recognized in their time for their masterpieces, so don't rely too much on people's opinions.

#4. Put aside notifications
The most important tip for maintaining mental health and energy while working remotely is the simplest of all: create a space for yourself away from the rest of the world and your workload .

Knowing when you need to work is important, but knowing when to disconnect is vital. Disconnection is a recognized labor right!

It's easy to get used to the online world. Whether you're on your phone or laptop, you're always connected.

Even outside of work hours, you may feel compelled to respond to an email, text, or troubleshoot a problem. Being "on" all the time will drain you mentally and physically.

Forbes put it bluntly in their article “ How to Disconnect From Work and Enjoy Your Free Time (Without Feeling Guilty) .” This post explains how routine can cause guilt, additional stress, and worsen your overall health, simply by not taking a break.

When was the last time you walked or stretched your muscles and tendons? Have you had a drink of water today? Don't force yourself to get one more email and learn to step back and do something else.

Set a firm schedule for your work as you would if you were in person. Set an alarm for the end of the day as a reminder to put down the laptop and take some time for fun.

Unless you're being paid overtime or have an important project due in 24 hours, you can wait until tomorrow. Put your phone on "Do Not Disturb" and set up an out-of-office email system, so your coworkers know they can't ask you to work at any time.

Finally, when you're done for the day, silence your phone. Facebook, Gmail, Instagram and other media can suck you in with notifications that lead you into the endless maze of social media browsing.

Take a break from your phone and let it and you recharge in peace. Prioritize your well-being over productivity and pleasing others.

Don't forget yourself
Our tips and tricks are not a one-size-fits-all solution to life's problems.

As I said, working in a remote company has many advantages (advantages that would never be possible in any other reality). Hopefully, these tips can help you mitigate the disadvantages (and some situations that we are still adapting to).

The pandemic is not over and we still have to go through difficult days. But we are more united than ever, because we know that deep down there is no magic trick that will solve our problems.

So my final piece of advice is not to complete a task or take an action, but to share some wisdom I’ve gained along the way.

Be thankful . Not every day will be good, but not every day will be bad either.
Don't get so angry about the things you can't control and be kind to yourself about the things you can.
Creative balance will come when you understand what matters most: you must be okay with yourself .
So relax, trust yourself, take care of your health and keep creating. Take advantage of these new opportunities for a healthy and productive 2022 so that you can reap the rewards and have fun along the way with this work format. And follow us on LinkedIn to follow the content we publish!