Due to COVID-19, many professionals are having to work from home, or are looking for remote positions. For those of us who thrive on human interaction, working in this manner can be a challenge.

Here are some tips on how to handle a remote job as an extrovert.

Set Up A Designated Work Environment

Sometimes this can be as easy as organizing a desk in your home office. However, if you don’t have a home office, you’ll have to be more creative. The important aspect being: you should designate a space for working that is not used for anything else in your day-to-day life. 

Along with this idea, you might find sticking to your normal routine works best for you as well. Perhaps dressing for work (not just for video calls), or setting up a physical barrier between your workspace and the rest of your place can help you to mentally separate yourself from the workday when needed.

Set A Schedule

It’s important to set a schedule that works best for you. While working in an office environment, breaks happen naturally; getting up for a snack or a walk with colleagues is a part of your day. Since this is absent, you’ll have to create this sort of schedule on your own. Think about the following additions to your day:

When should I start and finish work for the day?

Am I able to find the time to exercise/get up and stretch regularly?

What is my goal for the day?

How much time should I give myself for a break?

Keep In Touch

What would you normally do with your coworkers during the day? All the virtual meetings/hangouts that have been happening has helped businesses to progress, but think about building in some virtual social time as well. Perhaps you’re used to having a happy hour each month, and want to continue the tradition while in lockdown. Maybe you’d prefer to set aside some 1-on-1 time to just check in with your peers? Whatever it is, make sure you prioritize it, because keeping a relationship with your coworkers outside of the work at hand can be helpful, healthy and inspiring. And, for extroverts, it can certainly help you get through your day. 

One piece of overall advice: make sure you are speaking honestly about your experience. It’s important that we allow ourselves the freedom to connect even if we cannot be in the same room.