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So this week I found out that I’m now going to be working remotely full time as you can imagine this is super exciting but I’ll be honest when I say the one thing that has me a little nervous is the isolation that comes with working remotely.
Remote working is definitely becoming more popular, increasing over 90% in the past ten years in the USA and yet more and more people are feeling isolated and lonely than ever before.
So How do you deal with isolation when working from home? Luckily I’ve come up with a few steps listed below that should help take on the challenge.
So which of these is the most effective? And which of these do I think will require the most amount of work? Keep reading to find out more.
Now it’s worth mentioning a lot of these points I’ve covered already on a post on beating loneliness when working from home. You can check it out here.
(Just a heads up a lot of people reading my blog are in the process of designing their own home office. If you want to save some of the painstaking time I did in designing my office, you can find my recommended products here)
Set up more Skype meetings
Let;s face it, a lot of us are just plain bad at communicating. Add in remote working this goes out the window.
Not getting facetime with your employees can be tough. Not only am I having to worry about remote working, I was previously working from a remote office meaning I had a hard enough catching up on all the inner working of the company.
Now on top of this, more and more people are living by themselves, so it’s easy to see how the feelings of isolation can be expounded upon.
Even having something as simple as a ten to fifteen minute catch up call once per week with you colleagues will get things moving in the right direction, even if they are all online for now.
How to do this
Start by setting up a call with your colleagues that you are closest to ( I mean you can’t hate them all) pop some time aside for ten to fifteen minutes per week and then gradually increase this two to three times per week.
What would be the best option
So whilst I’m fond of using free tools like google hangouts for conferencing calls the undisputed grand daddy of video calls would be Skype. Consider their premium platform for the best results possible.
Attempt public speaking
I know I know the fear is real with this one.
Let’s face it public speaking is tough, I’ve been doing it for a few years and I still get giant mothra like butterflies in my stomach when I do it.
So why am I recommending this when you work remotely. Well, often, when you speak publicly you will not only get out (most likely) of your house and get a chance to network. You’ll also be seen as a thought leader meaning more people will come to you about your certain topic.
Public speaking can be a great way of making friends and can definitely help nip any feelings of isolation in the bud.
On top of this it can be a great way to bolster your job prospects in the future with a lot of employers looking at oral communication as a key decision maker behind hiring employees, according to a study by ICIMS
How to do this
Start small with webinars like virtual speaking gigs, using things like LinkedIn or Facebook groups can be a great way to dive in. It might be easiest to start with a topic you know more about than other people and then ease into full blown professional networking events.
Start small with 3-5 minutes speeches and take it from there. Once you’ve built up your confidence, move to longer public speaking events you can do in person.
What would be the best option?
There are loads of great public speaking courses out there that you can find on event bright but for my money the best programs out there are by speakup and darren lacroix who is actually an award winning public speaker.
Work remotely with a friend once per week
For a brief period in 2012 I worked with a few of my friends and can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life.
Working Remotely has many advantages but one of the biggest has to be that you can spend more time with your friends.
With flexible working becoming more popular it’s likely your friends have the ability to work remotely too so why not invite them around a few times per month.
Just make sure you set up some clear guidelines beforehand so that you and your friends don’t get distracted and see it as just a social gathering. Ensure you set up regular breaks for you both to catch up throughout the day and you will be golden.
How to do this
Simply contact all your friends, ask them if they work remotely and if they want to work together and schedule a date. Alternatively feel free to switch the dates with your friends family member to keep things fresh over the weeks.
What would be the best option?
Ideally you would want to do this in person but if you are in a completely different part of the country then your friends or you’ve just moved you can set up a Skype call and leave it on in the background whilst you both get on with your day.
Hit the gym on your lunch break
Despite my waistline which has been slowly creeping up the past free years, getting out and getting some exercise in a park or local gym can be a great way to not only stay fresh but also help beat isolation.
I mean let’s face it you can only stare at a screen for so long right?
Often it’s not actually speaking to people we miss but just being surrounded by people so by going to a public gym you will be ticking this off your list. What’s even better you can use the time you save on your commute if you don’t want to hit the gym at lunch time.
How to do this
Simply search up the local gyms in your area and pop inside on your lunch break. Start off small with compound exercises that work your entire body and gradually move up to isolation exercises.
To make things a bit more interesting and if you’ve got the funds consider personal training which really can work wonders not only on your mind but your body as well.
What would be the best option
Honestly the best option is whatever is going to keep you going, so if it means going to the gym first thing in the morning then stick with it. You might also want to keep your diet in check using something like my fitness pal to watch what you eat while you workout.
Consider a shared workspace
Shared workspaces although slightly pricey ( you’re looking at about £200 for a remote working space in the UK) are a great way of mixing things up.
Having a communal experience when working will have a huge impact on your health and you will get to work with a group of like minded people all of whom are driving forward with entrepreneurial spirit. ( okay I’m getting carried away a bit)
Shared workspaces can be great ways of getting out of the house a few times a month.
If price really is an issue in the first instance you can always hop on down to your local library.
How to do this
Simply google shared workspace near me and you should find tons of options, I mean look what I found.
What would be the best option
If you really are struggling, we work and workspace are two fantastic options that don’t necessarily break the bank
Make after work plans
The biggest issue working from home for prolonged periods of time is that the isolation can definitely sap your social life. More often than not you make plans in the morning but by the time 5pm comes around you stay where you are and decide not to leave your apartment.
It’s such a slippery slope for this to continue on day after day.
I would definitely recommend anyone working remotely everyday to stop working at 5 and get out after work, particularly with friends/family if possible.
This will not only give you something to look forward to but socialising will also just keep you going for the rest of the week.
If you live quite far away from friends or family consider starting a new hobby or tick something off on your bucket list you’ve always wanted to do.
How to do this
Simple one really, just drop your friends a message and off you go!
What would be the best option
If you’re really struggling to come up with something fun to do, have a look at Groupon which has tons of great offers to get you out of the office.
Seeing your friends after work can be one of the easiest ways to get over the feeling of isolation when working from home and is one of those things not enough of us do.
Structure your day using the pomodoro technique
For any long time readers of the blog you guys know how much I love this.
The basic idea behind it is that for every 25 minutes of work you do, you take a 5 minute break. You then repeat this for an hour and a half period.
In my humble opinion part of the reason you can feel isolated when working from home is the amount of dead time you have. I mean, have you ever felt busy and isolated at the same time?
Human beings need a purpose and things to do and by splitting your day up into smaller project based cycles you’ll not only be way more productive, but also feel a lot more happier.
Studies have actually shown taking shorter frequent breaks is a lot more productive for people then we had originally anticipated.
How to do this
Set an alarm on your phone every 25 minutes and then another one for 5 minutes after that, You’ll be shocked at how much work you can do with so many breaks.
What would be the best option
Now if you don’t want to use your alarm for the pomodoro technique you can download a specific app like Flora which does the job and keeps it fun at the same time ( it even has a picture of a tree!)
Vary your communication channels
Human beings are creatures of habit. We love to do the same thing over and over again and yet we get frustrated when we do.
Let’s face it, if you’re socialising with your colleagues via email or slack only after a while this can get staler than a loaf of bread that’s been out for 6 weeks.
Even doing something as simple as changing up your video conferencing provider every time you jump on will help keep things fresh and help ward of any feelings of isolation.
For example, Instead of having one to one calls invest in conference calls, small things like this will help keep things fresh every day.
Variety is the spice of life and then the same goes for your communication channels.
How to do this
If you take the leads on multiple meetings for the week, change one of them up every week to a different communication channel, if you don’t take the lead suggest it to your boss and make a case for why it’s a good idea.
What would be the best option
As always I would recommend Skype but look into other cool platforms like slack or Microsoft teams which have other functionality to keep things fun.
Don’t just catch up about work
This is something I have to really take my own advice on. I’m very much a business first social life later type of person but this can really have a huge impact on isolation.
It’s super tempting when you do have hangout meetings to just spend the entire time talking about work stuff.
Why not use the opportunity to get to know the person better, understand what your colleagues like and get to connect with the theme on a human level?
How to do this
Best thing I would recommend for this would be to spend the first 5 mins of any conference call just catching up with your colleagues trying to get to know them a bit better. Once you have a level of comfort with them you can set up some time to just catch up about stuff completely non-work related and take things from there.
What would be the best option
Ideally in person but if not possible, Skype is always your friend.
Make time for lunch break with your colleagues
Again similar to the point above, catching up with your colleagues over lunch is another way to tell loneliness to go and shove it.
A lot of the time we get frustrated just because we’re not taking any breaks, pair this up with being by yourself and your mind will start to wander.
Ensure at least one per week you catch up over lunch – there is an importance of catching up and eating together so ensure you do it too!
How to do this
This is something that you need to take the initiative on. People will likely want to do the same when working remotely but often not take the first step so set up a hangout or Skype meeting for a 30 minutes (not everyone wants to spend their whole hour with other people) and then take things from there
What would be the best option
Again, the best option would be using Skype
Consider, but don’t rely on social media
So this was one that I was struggling to put on the list but I decided to put it here.
Social media can be a great tool, helping bring you closer with your family and friends but it can also leave you feeling more isolated if handled incorrectly.
That being said it can definitely kill your productivity and leave you feeling more isolated when you start getting comparison envy. As such my idea for social media is a little bit different.
How to do this
When using social media only spend about 5-10 minutes on it with your own friends/scrolling. Instead use social media in a productive way to focus on your hobby. Into Brazilian jujitsu? Start a YouTube channel! Want to connect with people about being a single mom? Set up a Facebook group or Instagram page.
By doing this you’re starting a conversation instead of just passively scrolling which is likely to do more harm than good.
What would be the best option
My suggestion would be to go down the YouTube spot, however I get that is not for everyone.
Attend networking events
Networking events can be a great way of getting out of the house and also building your career up at the same time.
Networking has been a staple of my career pretty much since I got out of university and can be a great way to just socialise with people and understand more about your industry/hobbies.
You’ll be surprised at the number of events there are around areas you are interested in.
If your still nervous about attending networking events keep it simple,
Instead of pitching to people, try to just have a conversation, ask people what they do for a living and just generally catch up. A lot of people might come across as bad salespeople, by having a chat and genuinely getting to know people, you will definitely stick out.
How to do this
Start by attending networking events for once a month and state that you will stay for about 30 minutes, you can then gradually increase this as you become more and more confident. You might find that you see the same people again and again at these events.
What would be the best option
Personally I feel as though free networking events are the best option, simply search networking events and your city and you will be presented with a host of options!
Networking events can be one of the easiest ways to get ahead in your career when you work remotely
Consider your EAP programme
So for those of you unfamiliar with the HR landscape you might be asking, Fehed, what the hell is an EAP.
Simply put, an EAP package is an employee assistance programme. Employers usually set these up for their employees to talk confidentially about issues they are facing. These are usually done over the phone but can end up taking the form of meeting either in person or online too. .
They are great ways of just destressing, getting a bit of human interaction and just catching up with another person every once in a while.
It’s worth making a note beforehand of everything you want to discuss and then take things from there.
How to do this
So more often than not, EAPs are provided by their employers and so they will need to be the ones to implement this.
If you do work in the HR space, the good news is that there are a ton of good quality benefits and wellbeing providers out there who have EAP programmes in place.
Now once you have a provider in place, simply contact them discreetly, usually through a free phone option and just have a chat for maybe 20 minutes every week to catch up.
The person on the other end is likely to offer up a few options such as therapy, CBT to help
What would be the best option
So I’m going to be a little bit biased but Reward Gateway who are a benefits provider have a great EAP provider in house
Use an existing benefits provider
Benefits providers are something relatively new. Whilst you might be thinking benefits providers only handle things like discounts, the truth is modern benefits providers use complex and bespoke online platforms to keep you engaged and make you feel like a part of the company culture.
Things like ecards between colleagues or a bit of friendly competition can all be managed through these platforms, and for remote workers in particular, having a place they can see all the latest company news whilst feeling connected to the firm core values is huge.
I mean let’s say you did a good job on a project and received an ecard from the CEO, it would definitely lift your spirits bright?
I don’t know about you but truly feeling like a part of a team is super difficult when you work remotely and so any platform that can help address this is golden in my eyes.
How to do this
Against similar to the EAP mentioned above, this would all ( ideally) be handled by your HR team, so feel free to ask about your current benefits offering.
What would be the best option
Once again, Reward Gateway
Work from your local coffee spot
Another great way to socialise is just to work from your local coffee store.
Let’s face it, not everyone can afford to spend a couple of hundred quid a month at a remote working space so why not cut out the expensive rent for the price of a cup of coffee instead?
I would recommend that if you do decide to go down this route, to avoid any potential security calls try and spend the quietest day of your week at a coffee place. Making calls for having video meetings might be a bit distracting in a coffee place but let’s say if you’re set up a day per week to just run through your admin stuff coffee shops can be massively useful.
More often than not, like we discussed earlier, it’’s not the workplace you miss, It’s more the human interaction
How to do this
Start off with one day every 3 weeks working from a coffee shop for a few hours and then slowly increase this over time.
You will also want to do tasks which are relatively straightforward to start off with that won’t distract others. Sorry super busy sales guys, making 50 cold calls from a home office isn’t really going to be the best option!
What would be the best option
Whilst any cozy coffee shop will do I would recommend to try and stay local as you will get much more of a community feel to it.
Create a morning and evening routine
People are funny aren’t we? We need both challenges and non-challenges in our life and our days to be both spontaneous and structured at the same time.
Even the best of struggle to focus sometimes and a major reason for this is because of lack of routine.
With lines between home and work shattered, it’s super easy for things to fall off on the wayside with you working well into the night. Setting up a solid morning and evening routine will help put things into perspective.
How to do this
Simply make a list in a diary or journal of three things you have to do in the morning before you start work and three things you have to do at the end of the day before you go to sleep. Trial and error is key until you find what works for you and then take things from there.
What would be the best option
This journal from amazon is the one I use and it does the job for me!
Start a hobby in work
A great way to improve feelings of isolation when working remotely is to start a new hobby.
This blog in part was started as I had a lot more free time on my hands. You could do the same or even involve your colleagues.
Something like setting up a quiz one per week could be a great way not only to get some face time in with your workmates but also get closer to them.
There are loads of games that tools like Microsoft teams have like chess that you can also do, you could even start a cheeky videogame football league, but only on your lunch break of course.
It’s likely you’re not going to be working from home all the time, so on the days you are in the office you might even want to consider things like a pampering day or even a bit for office yoga to keep you healthy. – although be warned that you might need to speak with your HR team about this.
How to do this
Do a quick survey to ask your team what they enjoy, do something that everyone can do ( not everyone drinks) and then start from there, you never know You might have a brand new hobby from them then onwards.
What would be the best option
You can’t go wrong with a quiz,you can start with general knowledge or movies but then make it fun by setting up a quiz about your colleagues. Now if you’re interested in starting something like a side hustle I would definitely recommend Income school which is a great offering. Check them out here.
Maintain your work life balance
Easier said than done right?
One of the major misconceptions people have about working remotely is that you will actually work less. Whilst this is true in the first instance it gradually creeps up on you. Before you know it you might find your working late into the night or even working on weekends.
How to do this
Schedule your day using a calendar, build a routine and make sure you finish when your working hours finish. If you are only scheduled to work till 5, put in an activity for 5.30 so you have to stop. Your work is always going to be there, you will never have 100% of your work done so learn to be okay with that and take time for yourself.
What would be the best option
Set an alarm on your phone when your work day and., If you have a work laptop, keep it out of sight until the next day. Invest in focus meditation apps if you really are struggling to keep your mind at ease.
Actively ask yourself how many hours you put into work when you work remotely, it;s likely a lot more then you’re contracted to do.
Journal how you feel
I started journaling last year and can honestly say it has helped keep me focused on what it is I need to achieve every day.
One of the great things about journaling is pattern recognition. If you feel isolated on a particular day every week you might think that it is just the norm.
Journaling helps you recognise these patterns and can help you understand what external forces can cause you to feel more isolated than usual.
Whilst it might sound very new age it definitely works and you can plan your days a little better.
How to do this
like a journal. Get an idea of what your day might look like a week in advance or how many tasks you have to do and then take it from there. In the morning write down 3 tasks you want to have accomplished and reflect if they were achieved at the end of the day.
At the end of the day give yourself a grade an a scale of 1 010 and reflect on these figures once per month
What would be the best option
Once again this journal from amazon has to be my recommendation.
Learn how to speak up
Finally, and this one might be a little controversial so bare with me, learn to speak up. At the end of the day your boss/team/wider people you connect with won’t know that you’re struggling until you let them know.
Although it might be embarrassing you need to learn to approach them when you are struggling. It’s not their responsibility to check in with you and often you will need to be the one who makes the first step.
Luckily by following along with some of the steps highlighted here you should be setting yourself up for success.
What’s the correlations between loneliness and people who work remotely
So we’ve covered quite a bit in this post today, so I wanted to pull together a graph from Buffer showing the correlation between the number of people who work remotely as well as the number of people who see themselves as lonely. As you can see it’s quite high.
The good news however is that this means you are not alone, and by following some of the steps we laid out earlier, we can get you in a better place.
Final recommendations
Now there are a lot of steps and recommendations in this post but I just wanted to finish off with a few books that I have found useful on loneliness, both the four hour work week and work energy I;ve both found helped me get out of a rut,you can read up more information on them here.
Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.
Speaking of which, if your interested in setting up your home office you might want to check out the following posts i wrote:
- Where should I put my home office?
- 30 benefits of having a home office
- Hidden costs of a home office
The content on this on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decades worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.