Whether you are a full-time remote employee, a hybrid worker, or somewhere in between, there is typically some concern about futureproofing your career against the veil of invisibility. In other words, protecting your current role and prospects against the remote worker bias presently growing in corporate institutions.
My book, Home @ Work, available on Amazon, provides examples of how to stay ingrained in your corporate position while working from home; however, there are some additional tactics that remote employees can take to improve their personal value and become preeminent thought leaders or experts in their fields.
In my book, I talk about multi-stacking. This is not the same as multitasking. Multi-stacking is using dead airtime productively while doing something else. You’re probably already doing this, but the time is filled with entertainment activities rather than educational ones.
Some examples:
- Daily Walks: Rather than listening to music or the breaking news feed cycle, tune in to an educational podcast, lecture, master class, or short course series such as Mind Valley University’s offerings. You’ll get your steps and learn something valuable.
- Drive Time: Audiobooks, podcasts, and other informational broadcasts can help you through the monotony of windshield time. Personally, I’m planning to heavily leverage this one in 2024 as I take short journeys across Texas.
- Meal Prep and Culinary Exploration: In truth, I loathe cooking. However, I am committed to creating better eating habits, including the expansion of my culinary experimentation. So this year, I’ll couple my time in the kitchen with my iPad so I can build my patience, my palette, and my personal knowledge power while tuning in to the Smithsonian channel.
- Trains, Planes, and Automobiles: Rather than watch the (lame) movie options on the plane or feel obligated to engage in small talk during your train ride or Uber, pop in your headphones for a quick meditation, prayer, etiquette tips, or financial lessons to help you build your calmness muscles, networking skills, and economic prowess.
- Cleanup/Decluttering: I often take my iPad into the garage, closet, or my micro-artisan antique shop and listen to podcasts and other audio content to learn new skills that help with my business and pass the time while I am tidying up.
Not every learning pursuit needs to be laser focused on the hardcore aspects of your chosen discipline. Much can be gleaned from creativity workshops, spiritual lessons, and other habit-building classes; all lead to integrated level-up education, which strengthens your professional soft-skill development.
It’s essential for all employed professionals to keep up their A game; however, it’s arguably more important for virtual employees who aren’t regularly “seen” in-office by executives who make promotion and other employment-related decisions.
Staying up to date on trends, tactics, and changing skillset landscapes can be the edge you need to keep your seat or get up and move to a new chair.
Keep learning!
Coach M