On every patriotic holiday I hearken back to my inner voice – the dreamer, and days when I was just graduating High School. Hard to believe that it’s been about 25 years now (come August 2oth), but I learned some amazing lessons I wanted to share with you. Put aside the novelty of travelling to far away places and doing things you could have never imagined, but the Navy did more for me – as I would come to know these past 5 to 10 years – then any of my other accomplishments. I took the scenic route to College (UConn) as I didn’t attend until after my enlistment; Likewise, my MBA (Bryant University) was another site on the path to success. Graduated in May, 2006. Don’t get me wrong, both respectable accolades, but the Navy has done so much more for me – most notably with my career.
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My reasons for writing this blog post are twofold: 1) To celebrate the 4th of July Week and “thank” all who have served and 2) to provide tips to anyone who Works From Home (WFH people you know who you are); With the latter, this is becoming more common now within the corporate world and due to impacts of globalization. Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to share with other fellow Veterans and friends. Share this post. In my opinion, Veterans never seem to get a fair shake with career or corporate opportunities. We entrust them to fight for our country and police all areas of the world… setup camps in Fallujah, but NOT to be trusted as “corporate” troops – let alone WFH people. WT_… Let’s keep this professional. Maybe it’s just isolated. Does your company hire Veterans? We should talk. No really, get in touch. Bizzeebobber can help. You might say that the leadership here at Bizzeebobber values the work ethic and prowess of our fine military men and women. Just saying.
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I am not going to get all Abe Lincoln on ya’ or give a 12 score and zero years ago speech (240 years back to 1776 – you have your smart phone calculator punched up, right?), but every year around this time it’s quite magical. The Summer air, backyard BBQ, and fireworks… enviable for any generation. Not war and suffering, but family and rest (Unless of course, you are hosting. You get to rest when it’s bedtime. My wife let’s me call it quits by late evening, okay it’s not so bad). But all of this is compliments to the troops that came before us. The faithful Red, White and Blue. Skin has no color. To Thank such a large contingent and anyone who has put their life on the line (Literally anyone, you aren’t even safe on a ship) would be futile. There are too many. And it’s not just the soldiering types. Families and loved ones of those with oozing patriotism need to be recognized, too. So, a hearty felt “THANK YOU”. Whether you served in a war, abroad, at a post that seemed more like a Civilian job – or are loved ones of these brave freedom fighters … Thank you. The 4th of July really is about YOU. Not so much about the commercialism of the holiday, so I hope it is understood. While I have served time, my head bows to YOU this week. It’s not that you are forgotten for the rest of the year, but a special recognition certainly resonates on this epic week.
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You want to hear about the WFH stuff, right? Let me get into the TIPS portion of this post. Not steak tips, but hopefully just as meaty — We are talking about TIPS in helping you be successful Working From Home. The WFH civilians. I have had the opportunity to Work From Home for a better part of 8 years and wanted to share what I learned in the Navy in applying it to the corporate world. Military folks should work for your company – their discipline, dedication, panache… the list goes on. Uncle Sam would be happy to be a reference.
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Discipline. Discipline helps you in being successful working from home. This was likely an obvious one, but here is the connection. The Navy and military is a way of life; Everything is very calibrated and rules-oriented. When I Work From Home I don’t take advantage. Without the Navy, I wouldn’t have understood the importance of a staunch routine. I log-in around the same time every morning. For me, 8AM Monday – Friday. Establish a routine – regardless if you don’t have a specific time to clock in. Try to END when you normally end, too. If that is 5PM, then try to honor that. No earlier, no later; It will keep you on track. Consistency is the key. Taking a break? You are afforded breaks at work, why should it be any different at home? Here is a trick though: Spend your lunch break outside or go for a brief walk. If you turn on the TV, make sure you stay away from the movie channel or programs that vastly exceed your break / lunch time. If you turn the TV on, watch something you can easily break away from – News, 30 minute programs, Hogans Heroes re-runs, etc. Stay away from Harry Potter, Wolves of Wall Street or Dances with Wolves (See what I did there?). Wolves. You get the idea.
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Dress for Success. No one is going to see me in my home office. I can even hide most of my appearance using Skype or Video Conferencing. Sure, I might go out to feed the dog, take out the trash, or water the flowers in the AM – but these things can also be done in your boxers. Yes, I am guilty of this, too. Still, don’t need to don a suit and tie or wear your Sunday best, but wear “something”. I have learned that – much like in the Navy – dressing for success is about “Self” respect. Not saying that the aforementioned is wrong to do, but dressing up and taking it seriously – – your job – – will help you feel like you are at work. Dress for success even when noone is watching. We did. You might not be in the office or the doghouse, but atleast you will feel like you are in WORK MODE. Always Ready. Don’t be too comfortable. Pajamas, robes, “Nothing”, might be nice – but it might not remind you that you are supposed to be working. In summary, you don’t need a pressed shirt and shiny shoes while at home, but maybe opt for sneakers and a button down. Not wrinkled and disheveled either; Ladies, flats and a sweater. You get the idea, and just don’t be too comfy… you are working.
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Sidebar: I was a cook in the Navy. A Mess Specialist, but surprisingly – outside the Galley – we dressed up, too. Lose the smelly, (formerly blue) reddish-orange apron adorned with chili and lobster bisque… for Dress Whites and clean duds. By the way, another great skill, learned via the Navy, that has helped with my working from home endeavors. I can cook breakfast and be on a conference call the same time – what is better than that? I remember the loud emcee system (1MC) screeching, “Breakfast for the crew”. You knew it was time to start. The best part of our day, it’s all we had. 5AM – Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. What does that mean anyway? Were we wolves, werewolves or Food Artists? Isn’t it great how titles can shape the reality. Food Artists – Mess Specialists… Big Kids with spatulas.
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Reward Yourself for Productivity. If I can put my head down and get that pesky report done or crunch numbers for the upcoming meeting I am not a stranger to rewarding myself for a job well-done. We are not robots. And, you can be MORE productive by taking a break, once you have achieved a goal(s). I suggest doing it mid-day, when you can still come back and make sure there isn’t anything else left to do before leaving for the day. Example: You work until 5PM Eastern, maybe you do a walk from 3:30PM-4PM – – and catch-up on anything last minute (or prepare for tomorrow) between 4-5PM. If you cannot do this (a walk, yoga session, swim laps, or whatever), make sure to treat yourself AFTER work. If work gets too monotonous it can impact your productivity. The Navy was infamous for work hard, play hard.
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Use tools / planners to keep yourself on track. Kind of goes with the Discipline item, but knowing WHAT you have planned for the day is important. Don’t approach it with aimless sentiment or you are less likely to be productive. Use Outlook, Task Manager, OneNote, Evergreen, or even a good old-fashioned notebook. All will do the trick. In the Navy we had our orders. It was clear what you needed to do in a given day, but the art of it is lost sometimes in the corporate world. Make sure you have a way to prioritize your day. Working From Home can be challenging, especially if you are not a self-starter.
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The Navy continues to facilitate my corporate world experience and success in Working From Home in many ways beyond the above. It instills Confidence, Integrity, Communication, all of which have been vital to my success. The last tip to deploy and maybe one of the bigger ones is knowing when to have work / life balance with working from home. You are working and living in the office. Don’t forget that your day still needs to end. You cannot work 24 hours a day and expect to be successful, the antithesis is actually true. It’s the quality of work you put in. Sometimes we have to put those extra hours in whether you are working out of the corporate office OR Working from Home, but you cannot forget to have balance. Try to leave (the Home office, that is) by a reasonable hour. Strive for “by 5PM”, but no later than 6PM. Arrange a dinner time. Try not to wear your lobster bisque, especially after quitting hours. “Dinner for the crew”. Werewolves take notice.
