SOS: Amazon ended their remote working policy.

TL;DR:

• Working from home is not your enemy. Your lack of boundaries is.

• Without the distractions of the office, uncomfortable clothes, loud noises, and strange smells, I've found a new definition of success and you can too.

• Create your own version of the “User Manual” to better communicate your expectations with your manager.

• Watch this week’s episode.

If you asked me two years ago what I thought a successful career looked like, I would have said one thing: climbing the corporate ladder.

Today, my answer looks very different.

With Amazon’s recent announcement that all of their employees need to return to the office (RTO) - along with comments from big names in tech like Elon Musk demonizing the work-from-home (WFH) movement, I wanted to share how WFH saved life and why I’m never - ever looking back.

Think of your “in-office” work schedule.
Mine looked something like this:

• 6:30am - workout

• 7:30am - get ready

• 8:30 - commute

• 9:30 - butt in seat

• 12:00 - lunch

• 6:30 - commute

• 7:30 - get home, work, clean, dinner, laundry, errands, pass out on couch

I’m exhausted typing this.

Let me be clear: when I first started working from home, I couldn’t understand why everyone loved it. I felt lost. Drowning in a sea of endless emails, messages, and meetings.

But deep down, I knew I was on to something.

I couldn’t stop thinking about these three things:

1. Holy crap, I have time for me again.

2. People need to stop thinking I’m available 24/7.

3. Thank god I don’t need to spend 2 hours standing next to sweaty armpits on the tube anymore.

Here’s what I realized: working from home is not your enemy. Your lack of boundaries is.

I can understand why you think you’re unproductive at home if your boundaries suck.
But doesn’t the same thing happen when you’re in the office?

My life changed when I realized that the work will never stop - it’s up to me to decide what’s a priority.

The issue with working from home is not productivity. I can guarantee you it’s increased my productivity by at least 8000% (check my math, I dare you).

It’s your relationship with work. With distributed teams and phones glued to our hands, there’s no way we can log on at 9 and off at 5.

Working from home only improved my mental health once I learned how to make it work for me.

I stopped glamorizing “the grind” and started glamorizing getting enough sleep, healthy relationships, feeling safe at work, taking sick days, being paid my worth, solid boundaries, working hard during work hours, and self-caring my way to success.

You are made up of so many different parts: family, love, health, finances, and your career, to name a few. And you can succeed in every one of those areas if that's what you want.

Amazon’s end to remote working is bad for all of us.

If you’re trying to understand how you can talk to your leaders about the benefits of working from home and what you can do to find balance in your own life - this episode is for you.

Working from home has allowed me to feel more like myself again.

Without the distractions of the office, uncomfortable clothes, loud noises, and strange smells, I've found a new definition of success.

Now, my days aren't solely defined by what I accomplish at the office.

My life is no longer work, eat, sleep, repeat.

And I couldn't be happier.

Tune in.

Don’t forget to follow along on socials for more on managing your mental health. Until next time!

xoxo, Regan

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