Many people have been working remotely since 2020, and as the pandemic continues to have global effects, this trend is here to stay. Large companies like Uber, Intuit, and Twitter have transitioned to a fully remote culture. By now, most employees have become accustomed to managing their time outside the office; after all, with the economy booming during quarantine, companies and employees alike had to transition quickly to keep pace with business. Since then, however, the economy has changed significantly. With inflation and interest rates on the rise, and large companies like CoinBase laying off hundreds of employees, a recession seems inevitable. And with a recession comes a slower pace of business.

Even without recession-like conditions, the pace in the workplace tends to ebb and flow. It can be jarring when switching from near-term, hard deadlines to long-term, slower planning periods. It’s essential to maintain productivity even during slower times in the workplace to help prepare for when the pace picks up again. Keeping consistent progress can also help prevent burnout as it lessens the chances that certain weeks will require overtime.

As the stock market may indicate incoming work conditions, employees and management must prepare to capitalize on the slower pace that could await many of us.

Quick Tips on Staying productive in Slower Paced Environments

1. Use slow times as an opportunity to prioritize self-care.

The World Health Organization has just recognized burnout as a “syndrome.” 67% of workers in the U.S. believe the pandemic made burnout worse, but somehow self-care is still not prioritized in corporate culture. Use slower times in the office as an opportunity to take a mental health day and check in with yourself. Here are a few things you should think when you hear the term “self-care”:

• Create time for you to be social with your coworkers. Not all meetings need a distinct purpose, and bonding in the remote age is vital for team morale.
• Keep good physical habits. Make sure you are getting exercise, sunlight, and enough water.
• Keep good mental habits. Be in tune with your mental state and take care of yourself accordingly. No one knows your needs as you do.

2. Avoid overworking.

Overworking is a significant source of burnout. In the remote age, many of us have been working more than we did in the office. Employees often find themselves overworking when they have not set clear boundaries for themselves at work. Here are a few ways to set boundaries that promote a healthy working pace:

• Set appointments on your calendar for the end of the day. It can be easy to be pulled into new tasks when you are about to wrap up for the day. Set appointments for yourself to prioritize home life at the end of the work day; this could be a grocery trip, gym outing, or walk, but blocking off precise time for yourself can help you be more in tune with whether or not you are overworking.
• Set reminders to take breaks on your calendar.
• Use time differences to your advantage – when your colleagues are offline, chances are, you can be too.
• Keep track of what you’ve accomplished. This can help consider how much you’ve already done for both yourself and your manager.
• Be transparent with your team about when you’re leaving. Whether it’s for PTO, the day, or the weekend, make sure to communicate when you are no longer in work mode. To enforce this boundary, turn off notifications that may tempt you back into the office.
• Create a physical work boundary. Set up a designated space in your home to work, and shut the door (if you can) at the end of the day. Perhaps working outside or at a coffee shop can help you spice up your routine, but make sure that your work life doesn’t physically bleed into your home life more than it already has to.

3. Even when there isn’t a deadline, prioritize work and manage interruptions.

As most of us have experienced, balancing home and work life all in the same place can be difficult. Set aside specific time to handle chores just as you do with work. Other tips on how to prioritize work include:

• Keep dedicated, uninterrupted times and communicate these clearly with your housemates.
• Keep consistent work hours so that your housemates and coworkers know what to expect of you.
• Escape when you need to. There will be some days when your home is not a productive environment. Be cognizant of this and change locations when you need to.
• Create a routine and stick to a schedule. Habits can be difficult to hold without several looming deadlines, but they help keep you productive.

4. Invest in the best tools.

“I wish we could do X; that would really make my job easier.” Chances are, you’ve uttered these words at work, whether to yourself or a colleague. Slower-paced times in the office are the perfect time to overhaul current processes and investigate and invest in better tooling; this could include:

• Proper home office set-ups, including monitors, chairs, mouses, etc.
• An effective communication tool, whether Slack, Teams or something else.
• A task tracking software like Trello or Asana
• A video chatting solution that works for all parties

All of these tools make an enormous difference in our day-to-day quality of life on the job.

5. Set up and follow strict communication standards.

Communication is critical when working in teams, whether distributed or not. For this reason, organizations should invest in clearly defining what “good” communication looks like in different scenarios, whether in a code review or an emergency. Leaders should learn to also practice good communication by setting obvious expectations and having constant check-ins with their team.

6. Take inventory.

Invest in tooling that allows you to track your efficiency. During slow times, reflecting on processes and taking time to optimize or change them can help your business tremendously long-term. Note what you and your team excel in and struggle with, and plan how to invest in career growth using this information.

7. Invest in culturally informal interactions.

Outside of what individuals and teams can do to contribute to a positive culture, C-levels and other leaders are responsible for cultivating culturally informal interactions. Informal interactions can help build trust and camaraderie among teams, ultimately boosting morale and productivity. Leaders should invest their time in hosting fireside chats, having an “open-door policy,” and hosting Q&A sessions when important companywide decisions are made. If they haven’t already, leaders should also use “slow” time to:

• Master the art of the kickoff - A comprehensive kickoff is crucial to a project’s success; it’s your one opportunity to align a team fully on working preferences and goals.
• Create standards for collaborating remotely - Outside of defining what clear communication looks like, leaders should set the groundwork for effective collaboration by creating space for celebration and consciously connecting relevant parties. Ultimately, leaders are responsible for curating a collaborative and healthy work culture. Slow times in the office can be a great time to take a pulse on the culture of collaboration and find ways to remediate if necessary.

The underlying theme is that slow times in the office are a great time to invest in things you usually neglect during busy times. Whether this is documentation, taking a pulse on the culture, training proper communication, or something more complex, slow times are perfect for setting the groundwork for success. For many of us, slower office paces are a welcome change, as success is contingent upon us as individuals showing up as our best each day, and burnout culture makes this extremely challenging. Use slower-paced office times to take inventory and invest in yourself and your team, and reap the benefits when work takes off again, as it always does.