Working from home is an art that has been thrust upon many of us during the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s required a huge amount of adjustment to ensure we maintain both our productivity and our sanity given the other challenges presented during this period.

New research from the University of Florida suggests there are two main types of home worker, and each will require a slightly different approach to ensure they stay healthy and productive.  The researchers assessed nearly 200 studies on remote work, and identified two distinct types of people:

• Segmenters, who generally like to keep their work and personal lives separate
• Integrators, who are happier to have blurred boundaries and flit in and out of work and personal life as circumstances dictate

Whereas the two styles of working did have some differences, both types nonetheless required ample recovery time in order to ensure they were mentally fresh and therefore able to thrive at work.

“Being able to recover away from work is beneficial, and that’s so much harder when work is in your home,” the researchers say. “It’s important to take that time to separate, but how you do that while working from home is going to be different for everyone.”

The researchers provide some tips on how to achieve this for each of the two styles of worker.

Segmenters

• Simulate your commute, so that you’re providing something tangible to distinguish the start and end of your work day.  This might be a 20 minute walk, for instance.
• Use separate tech, so your home life is not conducted on the same technology you use at work.
• Set limits, or rules so that you try not to answer work emails in the evenings, for instance.

Integrators

• Disconnecting outside of work, as even those who blur the boundaries need a break, so the researchers suggest shutting down everything but your phone once your work day is done.
• Set priorities, so that you can effectively establish boundaries.  Is that task that pops in late at night really important?
• Be specific with goals, so that you can better focus your energies.  Measurable goals are the best sort, as they help you to gauge progress.

“Some people are going to struggle with it. No one’s going to be perfect,” the researchers conclude. “But the closer you can replicate your pre-COVID routine, the closer you get to feeling more normal.”