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Pre-COVID-19, only a lucky few got to work remotely. Mid-COVID-19, an unlucky multitude had to do so.
Now, in our supposedly "post-COVID-19" workplace, it's time to look at remote work—its pros and cons, and ways we might enhance the good while reducing the bad.
What are the pros of remote work?
The best way to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative in this situation is self-discipline. Try to carve out spaces and times in which work life and home life don't constantly collide. Keep a consistent schedule with work and personal commitments. Let your manager know when you will be available, and when you will not. If you get contacted outside that time, either tell your manager you will handle it when you are back at work, or say you will handle the situation right now—but will take that time back later.
Just because you work at home doesn't mean you have to stay at home all the time. Get out for personal reasons—to exercise, to socialize, to take your kids to the park, to have a date night. With the extra time and money that you have, you can afford to venture out into the world.
The key to managed interactions is to select the right medium for each situation. Use quick, impersonal forms of communication such as texts and emails for routine information sharing. When you need to discuss something, arrange a call. When you need to see the person as well as speak, arrange a video conference. And sometimes, it's worth it to organize an in-person meeting at the office or in a central location for real face-to-face communication. The more isolated you feel, the more you need context-rich interactions with team members. Just make sure they do, too.
 To balance autonomy with workload, you need to advocate for yourself. You shouldn't have to do ten hours of work in each eight-hour day. Nor should you sit and stew, wondering when the next project will arrive. If you have too much work, let your manager know that. If you have too little, offer additional projects you can take on. If your manager is unwilling to adjust expectation, know that the person would likely act the same even if you were in the office. Then you have some decisions to make.
Yes, be comfortable, but also be presentable. Dress in a way that would not embarrass you if you got a sudden request for a video conference. Remember that even if you don't have to be presentable to other adults in the room, you need to feel good about yourself. That person staring back from your bathroom mirror wants to feel comfortable and clean, personal and professional.
What's the bottom line?
When you work remotely, you are your own boss. Just make sure your boss isn't a jerk.
That was my mantra when I started remote work in 1995, with the birth of my first son. Over the next seven years, I cared for him and his two brothers while working a full-time job at home—well before the modern trend of remote work. I struggled with work-life balance and all the issues listed above, sometimes driving myself for 12-hour days.
That's when I realized the key.
I needed to manage myself the way I would manage any other employee. I couldn't chronically saddle myself with unreasonable expectations. I had to be productive and precise, but I also had to be human.
So, if you are going to be your own boss, be a good one. Set clear expectations for yourself, be fair with yourself, encourage yourself to succeed on the job, but also give yourself the space to succeed at life.
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