Blog Post 43: Remote Work
Many of us made the switch to some level of remote work during the pandemic, which inevitably led to specific struggles for Type C people. Speaking from my own experience, (Anna) I was working in a corporate environment at the time and I had difficulty on a number of fronts: sticking to a beginning and end of the workday, struggling with an elevated need to show my output and prove myself, and feeling guilty if I needed to help my children doing remote school. I also worried a lot more about team dynamics since it’s harder to get a read on other people from a virtual distance.
Let’s expand a bit on these. An amorphous work day presents a real challenge for Type C’ers, who tend to give 150%. Going into an office at least gives some structure and semi-hard boundaries with a start and finish to the day. Some people with Type C habits have talked to us about struggling to make time for lunch, a coffee break, or even going to the bathroom while working at home for fear of not being available or making others upset at them. When working from home, the Type C mindset is likely “I should be working at all times during the workday,” so when we violate that rule by throwing in a load of laundry or running an errand, we feel guilty. Type C’ers can end up giving 200% instead of the usual 150%!
What are some tools to help here? I (Kore) often advise my patients to ask themselves - could I give 110% instead of 150%? Could I dial it back a little? Could I wait a half-hour before answering that email instead of responding immediately? These are helpful practices for all of us to keep in mind. We all struggle with work/ life boundaries and can easily get stuck when doing remote work with no checks and balances.
Another tool that’s helpful is considering your work and performance on a relative basis. Chances are, if you are a Type C person, you are near the top of the team! Type C people are almost always among the top producers, but they typically underestimate their worth. Maybe you do have colleagues answering emails until all hours of the night - but is this everyone? Does it seem like others are upping their output? (Likely no). Are others popping away to work out or unload the dishwasher? (Heavens, yes.) As always, we need to deploy our all-important Type C tool of allowing ourselves to sit with the discomfort of guilt, understanding that it arises from breaking our own rules, and that our rules can be softened. What opens up when you can sit with guilt and not push away uncomfortable feelings? Are you able to do more for yourself? This doesn't mean you have to stop doing things for other people. Are you able to set better boundaries and not feel so burnt out? What becomes more manageable?