the remote workers survival guide

A Laptop Computer and Pink Bunny Slippers If you’re drawn to work outside a traditional office, you aren’t alone.. It’s also something workers desperately want; Global Workplace Analytic

The Remote Worker’s Survival Guide

Get Beyond the Challenges to Reap Benefits

Esther Schindler

The Remote Worker’s Survival Guide

by Esther Schindler

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The Remote Worker’s Survival Guide: Get Beyond the Challenges to Reap Benefits

Telecommuting sounds so blissful You can work from the comfort of your own home, with a catpurring on your lap, while you blast your favorite music at top volume You don’t need to waste anytime on a highway during rush hour traffic And, with no interruptions, you can be productive Why

wouldn’t anyone want to work remotely?

That description of remote work is true, every bit of it You get independence, flexibility, and morecontrol over your work environment But it has its challenges and tradeoffs, and woe betide the

remote worker who tries the lifestyle without acknowledging and responding to those issues Herein,you find out how to make a success of telecommuting, whether you are an individual telecommuter, ateam member, or a manager

A Laptop Computer and Pink Bunny Slippers

If you’re drawn to work outside a traditional office, you aren’t alone In recent years, employers havebecome more sensitive to work/life balance and the benefits that attract top-quality candidates As aresult, it has become more common for businesses to permit, and even encourage, remote work, atleast on an occasional basis

It’s easy to understand why so many people want to escape their standard office jobs, the ones withflorescent lights, a pitiful excuse for coffee, and a despicable open floor plan According to the onlineemployment site FlexJobs, telecommuting has grown 103 percent since 2005, with 3 percent of theworkforce in the United States working at home at least part time The practice grew 7 percent in

2014 alone It’s also something workers desperately want; Global Workplace Analytics cites a poll

of 1,500 technology professionals that revealed 37 percent of employees would take a 10 percent paycut if they could work from home

If you’re self-employed, you’re even more likely to run your business from a home office About 22percent of consultants and other business owners work from home

The remote work benefits are considerable for individuals and employers, and for many people theyfar outweigh the disadvantages

Among the advantages are the following:

Undisturbed productivity

People often are more productive when they have fewer distractions and are empowered to maketheir own decisions For example, American Express remote workers produced 43 percent morethan their office-based counterparts, reported Global Workplace Analytics

Collaboration and creativity

Belying the myths about remote workers missing out on water cooler brainstorms, the lack ofinterruptions and efficient, asynchronous conversations often leads to innovative thought

Better job candidates from a wider talent pool

A company can afford a more senior candidate who lives outside an expensive high-tech city, orattract an expert to its small town without considerations about relocation

A balance of personality types

Telecommuting works brilliantly for introverts With instant messaging and other online

communication media, even the quietest person can be heard

Fewer “personal days”

Schedule flexibility lets telecommuters continue to work while they wait for the air conditioningrepairman, keep an eye on a sick schoolchild, or get over a flu bug that would be dumb to bringinto the office

Cost savings for day-to-day office expenses

As just one example, companies permitting telecommuting save on logistics, and benefit fromemployees’ reductions in travel time and energy use

It’s more environmentally friendly

Going green reduces the demand on road construction, highway maintenance, and public

transportation—not to mention avoiding the rush hour road rage

The result? Better work/life balance and more employee loyalty, which reduces staff attrition

The trust and freedom that come with remote work is a significant advantage to your company, saysDavid Haney, engineering manager at Stack Overflow, an all-remote-employee company “It allowsyou to source the global pool of talent rather than just those near your office This in turn can increasediversity, which leads to better products and happier people.”

But the process doesn’t always come easily Successful telecommuting requires good communicationskills, trust among colleagues, and shared dedication to accomplishing the team’s goals In this report,we’re transparent about the challenges, and we show you how to address each of them

There’s two main areas on which you need to focus: how you organize your own life as a

telecommuter, and how to work as part of a larger team If you can’t resolve the former, the latterwon’t matter Because if you don’t do your work, you won’t be telecommuting for long—at least not

at that company.

“If you work from home, you need to be more responsible for your output,” wrote David Gewitz in

his book, How to Save Jobs (ZATZ Publishing, 2010)) “If you’re an employee, you have to establish

trust with your managers You have to set boundaries with your family and you have to develop thediscipline to stay away from the TV—and the fridge.”

We use the terms “working from home,” “telecommuting,” and “remote work” interchangeably, but a

few distinctions are worth noting at the outset Most of our advice is for people working in a solitarymanner (though not necessarily alone), most likely in a home environment, though the suggestionsoften are applicable to people in shared workspaces, digital nomads, road warriors, and coffee

shops

You’re a remote worker, too, if your office is a “commuter desk” in a company-owned facility (e.g.,

an internal consultant) or if you work at a company facility distant from your colleagues (such as ateam dispersed between Austin, India, and the United Kingdom) Some challenges are lessened (such

as fewer technical problems with network access), but larger issues remain: isolation, team bonding,and workflow adjustments

The suggestions here apply primarily to employees who work in their own home, using their own orcompany equipment to connect back to “the office.” You participate in teleconference calls, likelyhave a secure connection to the company network, and are expected to deliver work “just like

anybody else.” Most of the advice applies equally to consultants and contractors who serve clients in

a similar manner

Managing Your Own (Telecommuting) Life

You’re all alone in your house It’s quiet Nobody is looking over your shoulder It’s just you, a

computer screen, and the cats

Somehow, the work needs to get done, and it’s up to you to accomplish everything on your To Do list,despite isolation, interruptions by family members who have “just one favor to ask,” or distractionsfrom all the oh-so-interesting things you could be doing instead (cat videos!)

Getting Organized

In traditional office life, you know when it’s time to begin work and when it’s quitting time You get

to the office, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down at your desk You’re surrounded by the hum of otherpeople with their heads down at their own desks, so you know it’s time to hunker down, too Whenyou leave for the day, you (mostly) stop thinking about the company until tomorrow Even if you hatethat life, it’s familiar and predictable

But remote workers don’t have a predictable daily rhythm It’s common—and reasonable—for newtelecommuters to worry whether they can motivate themselves without an outside social structure.It’s up to you to establish a daily tempo, to set work priorities, and to know when it’s time to walkaway Or at least to take a shower

Give Your Day Structure

Just because you don’t follow a standard work ritual doesn’t mean you don’t need one You might nolonger set the alarm clock for 6:05 am, rush for the 7:40 train, and stop at a coffee shop for your dailylatte and chocolate donut, but it’s a good idea to give yourself signals that turn work-time on and off

“It’s easy to lose your regime and work ethic when there’s no clear boundary separating the officeand home,” says Stack Overflow’s Haney “There was a period where I struggled to set a routine andwould end up working in my pajamas until 3:00 or 4:00 pm, when I finally found time to take a

shower This is not good for the psyche Set a schedule and stick with it.”

Many people create a daily schedule that looks much like their colleagues’ Matthew, who workswith IT departments on business alignment, made a point of being showered, shaved, worked-out, andready for the day before the children woke up at 7:00 am “That way, if (when) an emergency arose, itdid not push back my preparation,” he says

The main reason to create a routine is to help yourself switch contexts and nudge yourself into WorkMode Robin, a journalist, always gets dressed to go to work, even if it’s just shorts and a t-shirt.Some new freelancers go all-out, putting on the same suit they’d wear if they were driving into theoffice They don’t feel like they’re “at work” unless they’re wearing shoes

Most remote workers develop their own morning rituals over time: Do work email first, spend a half

an hour on Facebook and social media, and then have breakfast and get dressed Let the schedulereflect the times when you are most productive, and when to address the small things that require lessattention You learn it as you go

“For the first few months, it took some discipline,” says Aaron Sturm, who worked remotely for morethan 10 years and now helps early stage technology startups, “But over time, routine sets in, and youjust get stuff done.”

One way to give yourself structure and motivation is to use time management techniques Plan yourday When you know what you need to accomplish, it’s a lot harder to ignore it And when you’vecrossed off the last item on today’s To Do list, you can “go home”—which might mean turning on theTV

For example, Matthew builds his schedule at the beginning of every week “My calendar is my

benevolent dictator,” he says “It knows what is best for me If it is on the schedule, it takes somethingspecial to move it.”

Other people plan one day at a time “I plan my day either the night before, or the morning of, noting

which tasks must be done,” say IT manager Mark “I block time on the calendar to focus on specific

things, such as building an estimate or updating a presentation And I have scheduled meetings withclients and colleagues.”

The Myth of the Lazy Telecommuter

It’s ironic: companies that prohibit employees from working remotely often do so because they don’ttrust people to be self-motivated But, most successful telecommuters insist: the larger problem isbecoming a workaholic

Mind you, you do need to be a self-starter “It’s important to be very self-motivated There’s nobody

standing over your shoulder watching you work,” says Stack Overflow’s Haney “Your home is full

of entertainment and distractions, and you could easily find yourself watching eight hours of Netflixeach day instead of doing your job.”

However, if you have a hard time focusing on work in a home office, you get over it quickly Youknow when you aren’t getting anything done, whether the distraction is a baby crying, the laundry

needs washing, or you’re drawn to binge watch the latest season of Orange Is the New Black In any

case, your work suffers and you find yourself back in the office if you’re lucky

Far more common for remote workers is a tendency to never “leave work.” Because the best thing about working at home is that you can get up at 4:00 am and go to work; and the worst thing about

working at home is that you can get up at 4:00 am and go to work

“Separating home and work life is difficult when they’re in the same place,” says Dan, a researchanalyst “It is very easy to have something pop into your head while you’re sleeping, then get up andwork the rest of the night implementing whatever it is that came through.”

“My biggest issue with working remote is ‘going home from work,’ or, stated differently, ‘leavingwork at the office,’” adds Brad, an experienced programmer “It is easy for quitting time to happen,then a few hours later, I’m back working because it is there.”

In one sense, this is a delight—particularly when you love your profession Yes, you might be productive But if your answer to “Get a life!” is “From where am I supposed to download one?” youcan burn out Your work quality will go downhill and, once more, you’ll be heading back to the

super-office

You need to find a balance, and to learn when—and how—to walk away from work

There are outside pressures to be “always-on,” particularly if you feel you have something to prove.System administrator Stevie says, “I wish I had been told, ‘It’s okay to stop at quitting time.’ Sinceworking from home was a privilege, I was more productive so as not to give them any excuse forthem to discontinue the practice.”

“Benchmark your quantity of work against a regular-work-hours norm,” suggests Peter, the VP ofmarketing at a high-tech firm “It’s easy to think you need to produce insane quantities of work toprove you’re ‘really working.’ Don’t expect anyone, ever, to tell you that you could be doing less.The path of least resistance runs downhill toward saying too much ‘yes’ and ‘no problem’ and ‘Sure,

I can make that change [after the kids are in bed?] by morning.’”

That’s another reason to adopt some kind of schedule with the aid of time management tools Thepriority-setting helps you manage your own time, not just the company’s Are you actually working anormal shift, or are you binge working followed by extended slacking? When you work 30 secondsaway from your bedroom it is easy to let your schedule go wild You might still be putting in your 40hours, but on a schedule that isn’t really healthy or good for the company

There’s another plus-and-minus: when you work at home, you are far less likely to take a day offwhen you don’t feel well You might be too sick to drive into the office, but that doesn’t mean you aretoo sick to walk across the hall On the positive side, it means you don’t bring your germs into the

office and spread influenza among your coworkers But that, “I guess I could work ” guilt can

encourage you to work when you really should stay in bed (Not to mention you’ll spend two weeks

debugging the code you wrote when you should have called in sick Fevers of 102 are not conducive

to excellent software design.)

Make Your Own Office Space

Telecommuting is a lot easier when you have your own “office space,” a place where work gets donethat is set apart from your “living space.” Ideally, it’s a room of one’s own, such as a spare bedroomwith a door that closes But it might be a corner of the family room, or a coffee shop where you’re aregular

The point is to have a space that is “for work”; a place that you and the people around you know isfor that purpose When you leave that space, you are off the clock, work is done, and it’s personaltime

“Creating a dedicated office space in your home is a great way to stay focused,” says Stack

Overflow’s Haney “It also creates a mental office-home boundary which assists in keeping yourregime in check.”

“I don’t do social media in my office; it is where I earn a living Computer stuff for business and

entertainment are kept separately,” says Andrew, an IT administrator “My wife knows that when I am

in my office, I am off limits for jar-opening, cat videos, and the like.”

Feather your nest

One advantage of working from home is that the office can be just the way you like it: quiet or blaringrock-and roll; a picture window or a darkened space without visual distractions; a pristine desk

surface or piles of paper that always threaten to fall over (and sometimes do); surrounded by books

or sparely decorated It’s yours And you don’t need to share it with anyone!

The physical elements of your office usually are fairly simple: a desk, a comfortable chair,

high-speed Internet access, and a working computer with good security—just as you’d have in the office.Don’t forget a printer; you probably won’t need it often, but you no longer have the option of saying,

“I’ll print my airline check-in documents when I get to the office.”

If your budget permits, you can invest in the ergonomic equipment you’ve been lusting after, such as atreadmill desk Try to keep yourself in check at the outset You probably don’t need as much “stuff”

as you think

However, do spend the money on a comfortable chair and good lighting Plenty of telecommuters start

out with a table on sale at IKEA and a desk lamp from Goodwill You’re bound to regret it

After you arrange your desk the way you like it: Turn around and look at the background You’re verylikely to be on camera in videoconferences What will your colleagues and clients see in the spacebehind you? A framed photo on the wall? Bookshelves? A handmade quilt? Or the laundry basket in

the corner of your bedroom? You might decide to move things around to create the most professionalspace possible (It’s another reason for good lighting Your home office is darker than you realize.)There are a few other money-related issues to consider beyond the cost of equipment If you’re a full-time employee, you and your manager need to identify what expenses (if any) the company will pick

up Don’t expect much; most companies assume you’d be paying for Internet access anyway, so theysee no reason to underwrite it, but it’s a negotiating point So is the cost of that desk and ergonomicchair You usually can get permission to put consumables (such as printer ink) on an expense report.But other expenses are harder to track, such as for the electric bill and heating Because you’ll be athome all day, those costs go up

Give some thought to tax deductions, as well A home office often means you get a tax break,

particularly if you’re a freelancer Consult an accountant; you might be pleasantly surprised with thefinancial benefits

Remote working without work-from-home

Sometimes, an actual office isn’t practical Perhaps your job requires frequent travel Or there’s nofeasible way to cram a desk into your studio apartment Maybe your living arrangements prohibit auseful private space (because babies cry, or quality Internet access hasn’t made it to your rural area)

Or, you know that you go stir crazy when you are cooped up in a single room all day

If that’s the case, consider finding or creating a workspace outside your home There’s an entire

community of people who work in coffee shops, some of whom are energized by the background

noise of people-doing-stuff The downside is that the etiquette requires you to spend a bit of money oncoffee, which also might be more caffeine than you need And there’s no privacy, which makes

business calls and videoconferencing problematical

Many cities have shared office spaces you can rent These “coworking” options provide the

“everyone is working” environment that you might be missing from a traditional office These

facilities often include a kitchen, conference rooms, private phone booths for videoconferencing, andcommercial-quality WiFi Because members usually are telecommuters and early-stage startups,

coworking spaces might include opportunities to network, share resources, and collaborate Somehost weekly events, such as workshops, guest speakers, and happy hours

But you probably can’t wear your pajamas

Coping with Isolation

You’re working alone, or at least in a solitary environment That has its tradeoffs

On one hand, most remote workers appreciate the opportunity to work without distraction That’sespecially true of introverts, who prefer to limit “chit-chat” and who are worn down emotionally byconstant social pressure

“The water cooler chat magic is overrated and a waste of time,” contends a programmer who

telecommutes most of the time He accomplishes far less on the days he works in the company’s open

office “People are constantly interrupted (both by off-topic conversations as well as by work-relatedthings) and need to stay late (past 40 hours) to finish their tasks,” he says Plus, because so manythings are discussed verbally and in passing, documentation suffers “If the entire team was remoteand utilized more written communications, we’d spend less time rehashing old topics and more timedelivering value,” he adds “As to the spontaneity and ideation of face-to-face, I’ve observed thishappening over video chat and Slack just as often as in the office If people are excited about theirwork, they talk about it, in person or not.”

“The distractions on-site were unbearable,” adds another software developer She wearied of thepeople who felt it was okay to interrupt her (usually when she was in a warm creative haze), and tocall her on the phone about unrelated projects (which required context switching) “Working remotely

is more efficient because you avoid the random chit-chat,” she says “Plus, unrelated calls transformthemselves into emails which I can open and respond to at a more convenient time.”

Nonetheless, plenty of remote workers suffer from the lack of interaction The line between “on myown” and “I feel alone” is a fuzzy one At times, working on your own can make anyone feel lonely,especially if you are an outgoing, gregarious individual

At some point, you realize that you have no reason to put on makeup, jewelry, or clothes that need to

be dry cleaned Because who’s going to see you? The cats don’t care what you’re wearing

Phil telecommuted for five years But, he says socializing regularly was more important than he’dimagined initially “I was not always properly dressed, and my hygiene routine was not always

consistent,” he admits

Don’t be that person There are several ways to counter the sense of isolation We cover some ofthese topics in more detail later, but the following sections offer a short list of remedies

Use instant messaging (IM) and videoconferencing to connect with coworkers

These tools exist to make it easier for you to chat with people, whether about work topics or just asfolks You can be as “connected” as you want to be

Spend time in the office every so often

For some remote workers, that means one day each week For people on the other side of the country,

it might be ten days once a quarter During the “office time” you can do the in-person team bondingthat telecommuting critics decree is so valuable After you create an in-person relationship, it’s easier

to bring it back home Afterward, if you truly care about your teammates (and surely you do), in thenext videoconference you’ll be more willing to show the team your adorable new puppy

Get up and walk away from the computer

As you create your daily rituals, include a mid-day “up and around.” Walk the dog, drive to childcare to pick up the kids, schedule 20 minutes of swim-time as part of your lunch break (Also, take alunch break.) “There is no way to sustain five, six, or seven hours of focused time,” says Matthew

“But you can trick your mind into being highly focused for short bursts, particularly later in the day.”

Use social media, email lists, and IM

If you feel a need to socialize, use online communication media to connect You don’t always need tosay something “aloud;” sometimes, merely seeing that another telecommuting friend is online is

enough It’s like working in an office after hours, and seeing a light on in a colleague’s office downthe hall You aren’t alone

It’s okay to take breaks for Twitter, Facebook, reddit, and the like The trick is making sure that theyare “breaks” and not time-sinks That fuzzy line becomes even more blurred when you do businesswith online friends “I find social media invaluable for connecting and relating on a personal levelwith clients and project colleagues,” says Brenda, a successful home-based PR pro and relentlessextrovert

Get out of the house

Find local activities that you enjoy, during which you can interact with other people, such as a regularbasketball game, attending a programmer’s meet-up, or organizing a monthly local-writer’s lunch.(That gives you an excuse to wear dry-clean-only clothing, too.)

Don’t let yourself get boring

Happy workaholics can think about work all the time and nothing else It’s a good idea to develop ahobby or other activity that helps you to recharge your creative batteries, especially if it lets you

connect with other people socially Sign up for a quilting class Buy baseball season tickets Join afitness club—and be sure that you sign up for a personal trainer

Do your best to choose activities with a fixed time and place, for which you pay in advance Because,

if you fight workaholic tendencies, you are certain to find yourself saying, “Oh, I must finish this work

before the deadline!” and you won’t actually go to the ballpark, fitness club, or quilt shop.

The result of these techniques? You get all the company you want, and little of it if you don’t

As one startup founder comments, “Between conference calls, Slack, sync, socialCast, flying to theoffice every four to six weeks, lunch with local customers and field teams, and old friends I feelmore connected than ever.”

Family Not “Getting” That You’re Working

Another real problem—for a subset of telecommuters, anyhow—is that family and friends don’t

understand that the key word in “working at home” is working Because you’re in the house, the

housemates believe that surely you are available to do errands and it’s okay to interrupt you for anyrandom conversation

“The hardest part is family and friends,” says Joe, a VP of corporate communications “‘Oh, youwork from home!’ means you can take the dog to the vet, or you can wait for a delivery, or you canrun to the dry cleaners.”

“Family do not comprehend that I’m working I’m not there to cook, clean, or be your waiter,”

complains Jerry, an IT administrator “Just last week, I said, ‘I have some work to do for a few hours,don’t interrupt me.’ Naturally, I was interrupted every five minutes, even after repeatedly asking to beleft alone And when I was done I had to sleep on the couch because, ‘You ignored me all night.’”

It isn’t just spouses and children who can have the idea that “I see you” means “You’re available, pay

attention to meeeeeeee.” Extended family, particularly older relatives, sometimes believe that if

you’re at home, you’re unemployed “My mother would keep telling me about jobs,” says Celeste

“Even though she saw my work.”

Your family might not intend to interrupt you But children do leave their backpacks at school, dogs

bark, teenagers have schoolmates visit (and play dreadful, loud music) It’s no less distracting even ifthey didn’t mean to bother you If you need peace and quiet, you need some way to create a safe zone

in which to work

So what do you do? If you’re lucky, you explain the situation, gracefully decline the invitation to betheir dogsbody, and they apologize profusely

“Family not ‘getting’ that you’re working?” says IT manager Mark “I point out the paycheck.”

If you’re not so lucky, here are a few suggestions

Work when they aren’t there

Take the kids to school and then focus during the few hours of uninterrupted work time before thechildren come home Schedule administrative and other noncreative tasks for the afternoon, while thekids are playing

That isn’t effective for everyone, but it’s a common way to balance child care and productivity

Create a signal to let people know “I’m working” and “It’s safe to talk to me again”

When Theresa’s children were young, they were taught to respect the closed door of her office IfMommy was in the room with the door closed, they learned that they should act as though she weren’thome If it was open, they could knock

Not everyone has an actual door, though It’s up to you to find signals that the people in your

household can recognize Maybe you wear headphones when you’re working Perhaps you can pointout to your spouse that it’s a wise idea to tiptoe when a programming editor is open on your desktop.Turn on a lava lamp when you “go to work” and turn it off when you’re done

From the telecommuter’s point of view, interruptions are unwelcome—except when they are It’d be

fine for your spouse to ask you a question when you’re on a break, checking out cat videos on

Facebook Deliberately and explicitly discuss how and when it’s okay to ask for your attention

That doesn’t need to be a physical interruption Instant messaging works well for this purpose, too.Never mind that you’re sending messages from one room in the house to another Plenty of spousalmessages can be dealt with when you emerge from your creative flow (such as “I made the eye doctorappointment for Saturday”) Unless the need is immediate (“Dinner is burning”) and it should be okay

to “bother you.”

Make the family part of your daily routine

Blake’s father has been a full time telecommuter for years Blake understands when Dad is working,

but the problem is that Dad’s always working “I just wish he would close the laptop, sometimes, and pay attention to me,” said Blake “He needs to remember to create family time, too.”

Remember the advice to schedule your day? Family time is part of that schedule Create reasonableexpectations, and live up to them For instance, if you have lunch with the kids at noon every day, theyknow it’s “their time” and are more likely to respect yours

“My wife had a challenging time letting me be at work when I was at home,” says network

administrator James “I don’t work well with frequent interruptions, no matter how brief, so it was anissue I maintained a separate space with a door that I could close I did not show my face outside thatdoor unless I was on a break.” But, James learned, he could go downstairs for a coffee break “Thatwould give us 15 minutes or so to chat and to deal with any issues she wanted We worked out a

pretty good routine,” he says

Wrestling with Childcare and Domestic Chores

One of the true joys of working from home is the ability to do things that otherwise are

time-consuming tasks, and they add no negative impact on your day You can change the laundry loadswhile you wait for a long file to download You can put a roast in the oven during a short afternoonbreak (you needed to get up from your desk anyway), so Tuesday-night dinner doesn’t have to beprepared in 30 minutes after an exhausted day at the office You can take out the trash while you’re in

a “wander around and design” mode Because you make your own hours, you can go out for a longlunch, and stop at the battery store and the office supply store on the way home This is the flexibilitythat makes it all worthwhile!

The domestic chores can be a danger for some people, though Because you’re home, you see what amess things are, and that tempts you to shampoo the carpet instead of working on the overdue project

If you’re blocked on a project, it might be tempting to make lunch rather than to struggle with an

assignment And rather than a sandwich for lunch, how about making a lasagna? Starting with from-scratch lasagna noodles?

made-Or, you can go the other way Because after spending all day in the house, you can go stir-crazy: let

me out of here! The last thing you want to do is mop the floor And with so many project deadlines,

housework never seems to creep to the top of the priority list

“Chores are being neglected,” admits Judith, a faculty research liaison “The money I earn is so

significant that I’ve been known to put off essential household chores (vacuuming, cleaning out litterboxes, grocery shopping), because if I knock off for an hour, that’s one less hour of earning.”

If that’s the case, there’s a simple solution: Hire a house cleaning service Let someone else pick upafter you You almost certainly earn more per hour than you’d pay the house cleaners Or, if it works