18 years of hybrid work – 12 tips

Since I became an entrepreneur (again) in 2008 Sanne and I have not worked in an office. From 2008 to 2021 our work (for Spotted by Locals) was visiting cities around the world and meeting people. After work, we had to catch up on computer work in bars, short rental flats or hotel rooms.

Our “home” and our base is a tiny flat in Amsterdam, but we spend quite a lot of time in Greece too. In (European) winter we often work from a country where the weather is nice around that time.

We see mostly many advantages to this hybrid and flexible lifestyle: it is good for creativity not to work in the same place every day, and of course, it is extra inspiring to do this from abroad. I feel privileged, and I very much hope we can continue living this life.

But it’s not always a bed of roses. Remote & hybrid work is definitely not for everyone. There is a reason not many people keep up this lifestyle for many years. Sanne and I have made many mistakes and learned quite a few things over the years. Here are some of our tips:

1. Routine is extra important

When you work from home, it is very tempting to set your alarm a little later, or to work a little longer… Both, I’ve learned, are not a good idea.

To be able to focus, routine is particularly important. Initially, I regularly worked in the evenings. As Sanne and I are business partners as well as life partners, it soon became clear that this is not good idea.

It is now more or less sacred for us to put our computers away (and out of sight) before dinner time, and to not talk about work at night.

2. Discipline & focus are essential

When you go to an office, you generally have a set routine and only distractions from colleagues who are there. While at home there is always something to… Laundry, home repairs, tidying up, children, etc.

Initially, we were tempted to do some chores in between, and it took (and still takes) effort for me to discipline myself to start at a fixed time every day and not be distracted by everything that can be done at home.

What works well for me is to consciously schedule half an hour in the agenda every day to carry out a number of household tasks. It gives me a good feeling to have done something, and of course, it is healthy to take my mind off things and get some exercise during the working day. When I have a “thinking project” it sometimes helps me to do this while vacuum cleaning!

3. Move around!

Hybrid workstations are never as good as those at the office. And many of ours have been absolutely terrible.

Ergonomist (DeskGuru) Sanne’s main message during her online ergonomic workstation assessments: no matter how terrible your workstation is, you will probably never experience any issues if you move around a lot.

Take a walk every 45 minute, do some yoga exercises, do meetings while walking / standing, drink a lot of tea and water (so you have to go to the toilet often).

4. Keep your workstation and room tidy

Fortunately, I am a fairly tidy type myself, but I am convinced that it works better for almost everyone to have a quiet and “clean” workplace. It is less distracting and allows you to focus better.

5. Start and end your day mentally

We both need about fifteen minutes every day to store our “working day stuff” and mentally complete the day. For me, it works well if I am not disturbed at that moment…

A walk outside at the beginning and at the end of the working day also works very well for me to “open” and “close” the day.

6. Store the computer out of sight

I have noticed that having my phone and computer in sight increases my stress. So I put my laptop away in a closet every day after I finish work (and my phone lives there too when I’m sleeping).

I also turn off all my “notifications” on my phone in the evening (the iPhone has a handy “focus” function for this).

7. Don’t take a break in front of your computer

Eating in front of the computer is very tempting, and it feels like you’re saving time. But you’re not really – much of your attention is spent on focusing how to put the food in your mouth 🙂

It is important for me to take my mind off things during the lunch break. I often get the best work ideas at that time, which I probably wouldn’t have had if I had been sitting behind the computer having lunch!

8. Don’t talk about work after working hours

When we started DeskGuru & Spotted by Locals, these adventures completely dominated our lives. It was so much fun working on it that we didn’t mind doing some work in the evening. We noticed that at a certain point, it didn’t work well for us to talk about work in the evening, especially if the other person was already “tuned out”. We don’t do that any more.

I recommend that you agree not to discuss work with your family members in the evenings, no matter how much you enjoy your work. Or agree on 15-minute time window every day to “vent” everything.

10. Tell family and friends not to come around during work hours

When we started working from home many years ago, it was a lot less normal than it is now. Friends and family thought it was a good idea to drop by during the day for a coffee or chat. “Just 5 minutes.” That was a lot of fun, but also caused a lot of stress. It worked well for us to be clear: please do not call us during working hours, and certainly do not drop by spontaneously!

11. Keep moving or exercising

If you travel a lot, it is often difficult to continue exercising. I have adjusted my sports activities accordingly. I start every day with a walk. During the day I do some sport exercises during the day. I walk to all my appointments, if they are within 3 kilometres of my house.

12. Eat (and shop) healthy

Many people tend to eat and snack more at home than at the office. Me too! For me the only way to avoid eating unhealthy stuff during the day is not to have any unhealthy food in the house!

What have I forgotten? What are your #hybridwork tips? I’m very curious!