尽管许多人将在家办公视作平衡工作和生活的目标,但根据2017年联合国的一个研究报告显示,那些在家办公的人承受了更大的压力。事实上,据包括美国、英国、日本、印度、巴西阿根廷、比利时、芬兰、法国、德国、匈牙利、意大利、荷兰、西班牙和瑞典,共15个国家的研究表明,41%的灵活办公员工(那些经常在家办公的群体)认为自己遭受高压,而相较在现场办公的人群,只有25%的人认为自己压力过大。
一部分人认为基于这种特殊的安排,在家办公可能需要面对许多特殊的挑战。而更多的压来自于需要高频使用移动设备,这点并不出奇,因为有其他研究表明高压力与频繁查看手机的习惯有关。有趣的是,与在家办公有关的几项因素既会增加压力,也会减少压力。
的确,大多数人喜欢在家办公的灵活性——起床和睡觉的时间可以由自身的生物钟来支配,个人喜好也可以充分释放。尽管能够摆脱曾经感到局限的格局,但也会失去控制而感到压力。同样地,也可避免与麻烦的同事相处。大多数人很享受能够自由选择每天与谁共事(希望避免聆听办公室八卦、抱怨和政治),但他们也会对社交竟然需要主动花精力来维系而感到惊讶。
许多因素可能使得人们摆脱压力,但最近联合国的研究表明,对移动设备依赖程度的增加可能将在家办公一族推向高压的边缘。对智能手机和笔记本电脑的高依赖程度与孤独社交,甚至失眠等高压力行为有关。
这些体验对于新在家办公族而言可能是个意外,但都是他们普遍会经历的。这些也是压力的主要来源。此外还有一些普遍的压力来源,比如零通勤时间,可能不会意识到在面对意外压力来源时他们并非孤身奋战。
 
What’s Most Stressful About Working From Home?
在家办公的最大压力是什么?
Most people are surprised by the stress they feel once the novelty of working from home wears off and the stress of its challenges becomes more apparent. While these stressors may not be the same as long commute times, toxic co-worker interactions, or the feeling of never being alone, they still take a toll. Here are some of the common sources of stress that many work-at-homers face.
大部分人很惊讶在家办公的新奇感慢慢减弱而挑战带来的压力却变得更加明显。尽管这些刺激因素可能不同于很长的通勤时间、烦人的同事关系、从未被孤立的感受,但仍可能带来负面影响。下面是一些在家办公族可能面对的常见压力来源。
 
Lack of Structure
缺乏约束力
Feeling a lack of boundaries on when you need to start working (and stop!), when you need to get up and go to sleep, when to log off of social media and more can feel like true liberation. This feeling, however, can gradually morph into a feeling of being out of control for many who don't expect it. Flexible work hours can become too-long work hours as you struggle to fight distractions and get all of your work done, or they can be too-short work hours as others feel entitled to our time because they don't recognize that they are interrupting "work hours" for us.Later bedtimes can slip into less healthy sleep schedules. And social media can drain hours of productivity when we know there's little risk of others coming into our workspace and demanding to know why we're still on Facebook or Twitter.
当你面对何时开始工作、何时起床或睡觉、何时登出社交媒体这些让人感觉到真正自由之事时,你会觉得缺乏约束。但这种感觉,会渐渐地转变成一种许多人未曾预期的失控状态。灵活的工作时间可能变成过长的工作时间,因为你需要对抗各种烦扰,然后做完所有工作,又或者会变成零碎的工作时间,因为其他人可能打扰你的时间,而他们并没有意识到这一点。过晚上床睡觉会渐渐演变为越来越不健康的睡眠计划。而社交媒体则会侵占我们的工作时间,因为我们知道几乎没有人会闯入我们的工作空间,想要知道为何我们仍然停留在Facebook或Twitter上。
For many people, that structure that once felt stifling can feel like scaffolding on which we can structure our lives; It can be difficult to create this same structure if we don't realize it needs to be self-imposed.
对于大部分人而言,沉闷的安排好像给自己的生活搭上了脚手架。如果我们不曾意识到它需要由自己承担就很难创造同样的环境。
 
Too Many Distractions
太多分心的事
As mentioned, many people forget that those who work at home still need to work—including, sometimes, those who are actually supposed to be doing the working!
正如前面提到的,许多人忽视了在家办公仍是需要工作的,也包括有时是被强加工作的人们。
This means that people can call at all hours of the day and may not understand that, "I'm sorry, I need to work right now," is as valid as, "Sorry, I'll call you when I'm off work," when they know that you set your own hours. The problem is that there can be interruptions all day, and work hours need to be hours and not a succession of interrupted clusters of a few minutes at a time, as few of us work as efficiently this way.
这就意味着人们可以整天打电话但却不能理解,当别人知道你安排了自己的工作计划时,说“我很抱歉,我现在需要工作”和说“抱歉,我工作完给你回电”一样有效。问题在于整天都会有打断你的事,而工作需要成段的时间,而不是一连串每次都占用你几分钟打岔的琐事,这样无疑使低效的工作。
This can also mean that overnight guests may not understand that people who work from home may need to get up and work in the morning rather than taking a leisurely brunch, or they may need a solitary space to focus or they can't work as efficiently when they do start focusing on their work responsibilities. Solicitors, family members (especially children), well-meaning friends and neighbors may all provide distractions throughout the day, but that doesn't end the list of potential distractions.
这也同样意味着过夜留宿的客人可能无法理解在家办公族也需要起床并在早晨工作而不是吃一顿悠闲的早午餐,又或者他们也需要独立的空间专注于工作,他们难以在开始专注工作职责的时候有效工作。掮客、家庭成员(尤其是孩子们)、好心的朋友们和邻居们都会成天干扰你,当然潜在的干扰项远远不止这些。
Email, television, and the siren song of social media can all throw us off as it may seem simple to indulge in a few minutes but it's very possible to be distracted for hours by these things. Social media can provide a seemingly endless supply of fodder to focus on. Once we look up, it may be surprising but entirely possible to see that hours have passed with little to no productivity, putting more stress on the rest of the day.
邮件、电视和社交媒体的诱惑都会使我们跑偏并沉溺其中几分钟,甚至可能是几小时。社交媒体更是会提供无穷无尽的兴趣点。一旦我们查看了,可能会觉得很惊奇,但更可能就这么花费几小时单纯浏览而毫无产出,也因此给剩余的时间带来更多压力。
 
Difficulty Setting Boundaries
难以划定界限
Setting boundaries becomes vital when you work from home. This, however, can be more challenging that many people expect. Setting boundaries with others, as mentioned, can be difficult when people expect that you should have time to talk when they do. Setting boundaries with yourself can be even more difficult when you are feeling a lack of motivation. When you work from home so you can take care of your children during the day or in the afternoons, it can be even more challenging as you may feel pulled between competing loyalties and overwhelmed by the responsibilities of your various roles. Again, it can be challenging to set boundaries in these situations, and those boundaries may be constantly challenged.
当你在家办公时设定界限变得尤为重要,这可能比很多人预期得更具挑战。当别人期望你有时间和他们聊天时,要与别人划清界限就显得困难,而当你感到缺乏动力时要与自己划定界限则更加困难。你在家办公虽然可以在白天或者下午照顾孩子,但当你奔波于不同角色又受迫于必须完成的工作时,其实挑战更大。综上来说,你很难在这些不同的情境中划清界限,这些界限总会时不时挑战到你。
 
Social Isolation
社交孤立
Those who work at home may find that the solitude can be a double-edged sword. It is, of course, easier to focus when you're in your own home with no co-workers coming by your desk to chat at random times. But while this solitude can feel blissful at times, when we have no mandate for social interaction during the work day—when we don't automatically run across people outside of those we live with—we can become lonely before we realize it.
在家办公族可能发现孤立是一把双刃剑。当你在自己的家中没有同事随时到你桌边找你聊天,这无疑更容易做到专心致志。有时这种孤立会使我们感到快乐,因为在工作时间里没有必须社交的要求——当我们不会主动和身边居住的人走动——我们未曾意识到其实自己是孤独的。
Social media can feel like a lifeline to others, but this type of interaction can sometimes feel isolating as well, as these interactions can feel less personal than face-to-face encounters and conversations. While we may not need to resort to painting a face on a volleyball and talking to it, the feelings of isolation can sneak up and we can feel more alone than we expect. And given the research on loneliness, this doesn't always feel good. Social isolation was a factor mentioned in the UN study that was related to increased stress of home-based workers.
社交媒体对于其他人而言好像是生命线,但这种形式的社交互动有时同样令人感到孤立,因为这种互动比起面对面的交谈少了亲自参与的感觉。当我们不得不通过在排球上画个头像来和她聊天,孤独的感觉可能悄悄来临,会比我们想象的更加孤独。根据孤独感的研究表明,这种感觉并不好。在联合国的研究中,把社交孤立作为增加在家办公压力的一项因素。
 
Lack of Focus
缺乏专注力
While many people who work from home are self-employed, it can be paradoxically difficult to remain true to your personal goals when you have so many distractions and energy drains. Maintaining a focus on the future is vital if you have goals for changes you want to make, but staying motivated when you are juggling many roles can be a challenge in itself. If you find your resolve weakening, you can start to lose hope that you will achieve the goals you've set for yourself.
很多在家办公的人群都是自我雇佣,面对很多干扰和能量枯竭时,很难持续正确地追求原本的个人目标。如果你有想要改变的目标,对未来保持专注就非常重要。不同角色本身都是挑战,如果你被它耍的团团转的视乎记得保持积极的动机。如果你发现你的决心在减弱,你开始对追求原本设定的目标失去信心。
 
Stress Associated With Mobile Devices
与便携设备有关的压力
While all of these sources of stress are significant, the UN study found that working from home in and of itself may not be inherently more stressful than working on-site, but the added stress from frequent use of mobile devices appeared to be a significant source of added stress. Part of the reason is that those who use mobile devices late at night, as those who work from home may be more prone to do, can harm their sleep schedule.
尽管这些压力的来源都很显著,但联合国研究发现在家办公本身并没有比在现场工作带来更多压力,而由频繁使用移动设备带来的压力成为了新增的压力源。部分原因在于那些在家办公的人更倾向于在晚间使用移动设备,这会打乱他们的睡眠计划。
Indeed, this study found that it was linked with frequent waking at night: 42 percent of those who work from home report frequent night waking while only 29 percent of office workers reported the same. This is notable because poor sleep can create significant stress throughout the day for several reasons. Another study found that social media use led to stress because of increased social comparison and other factors you can read about here. One other factor that seemed to be a deciding one was job intensity; Those who worked from home tended to have more intense, demanding jobs. This may be part of why those who work on-site may be less stressed—perhaps their jobs are less intense. Regardless, this constellation of stressors takes its toll.
同时,研究发现:这还和晚间频繁醒来有关。42%在家办公的人反映他们在晚间频繁醒来,而出现同样情况的办公室办公者只有29%。这一情况引人注目,因为出于各种原因,睡眠质量差会给全天都徒增压力。另外一项研究表明,社交媒体的使用也会带来压力,主要来源于社会性比较和你在社交网络上读到的东西。另一个决定性的因素是工作强度。在家办公一族面对更大的强度和必须完成的工作。这也是在办公室办公的人压力较小的可能原因。不管怎样,这一系列的压力源的确带来了严重影响。
 
How to Manage Stress From Working at Home
如何管理在家办公的压力
Fortunately, there are many tools at your disposal and you are not alone in experiencing stress from working at home. While people who work together can gather and discuss the challenges of working in their office environment, those who work from home may need to be more proactive in finding a venue to give and receive support, and to discuss the challenges they face. It can be more challenging to realize that you're not alone in what you're dealing with.
幸运的是,有许多工具可供你使用,你作为在家办公一族所感受到的压力并非孤军奋战。在办公环境中,人们可以聚在一起,共同讨论所面对的挑战,而在家办公一族则需要更主动地去寻找一个能够给予和获得支持的场所,以便讨论面对的挑战。
Now that you know how common some of these stressors are, you may feel less isolated in what you face. You may also feel more energized in tackling these challenges head-on and minimizing some of the stress that comes with them. Here are some proven strategies for minimizing the stress of working from home.
既然你知道了这些压力源有多么常见,那你可能会对所面对的情况不再感到那么孤立。你也可能觉得在克服迎面而来的挑战时变得更有能量,并减少伴随而来的压力。下面是一些有效减少在家办公带来的压力的方法。
 
Set a Schedule
设定计划
While it's wonderfully freeing to set your own schedule, it's vital that you do set a schedule rather than working when you find the time. If you wait until you feel like working, the distractions will come from all sides and swallow up your time, so setting a schedule and sticking to it is a vital component of working from home for most people. There are several useful tricks for doing so, however, from calendars and apps to detailed to-do lists. Here are some things to keep in mind when determining when you'll work:
虽然设定你自己的计划是个人自由,但比找时间去做事重要得多。等到你想工作的时候,各种分心的事情都会扑面而来并侵占你的全部时间。所以对于大多数在家办公的人而言,设定计划并严格遵守是至关重要的。有不少用来设定计划的有用诀窍,不管是日历、应用程序还是详细的待做事项清单。当你下定决心何时工作时要谨记以下几点:
 
Work when you work best. Many people find that working in the morning when they feel rested can provide a more productive experience than beginning work halfway through the day after cleaning house and doing other non-work-related activities. This isn't true in all cases, so feel free to experiment if this advice doesn't seem to ring true for you.
在你工作效率最佳时工作。许多人发现,比起在打扫完屋子或是做完其他和工作无关的事情后再半路开始工作,在上午比较放松的时间里工作会更加高效。这个观点并非总是正确,所以如果它对你无效,不妨大胆地做其他的尝试。
Prioritize the challenging tasks first. Rather than letting unpleasant or difficult tasks hang over your head and create stress when you think about them, pushing yourself to get the most difficult jobs done first can help you to clear your plate of those less exciting tasks, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment and increased energy and satisfaction throughout the day.
把最具挑战的项目放在最先做。比起让不愉快或是困难的工作时时威胁着你并无形中给你增加压力,不如先把最难的事情做完,这样有助于你清除这些不太激动人心的事项,同时也能使你获得成就感,从而增加能量和全天的满足感。
Make use of technology. There are apps that can help you to track your social media usage (to help yourself use it less), remind yourself to work when you become distracted for too long, create to-do lists, and more. Learn what's available and use these tools to your advantage.
利用科技。现在有应用程序可以追踪你社交媒体的使用率(帮助你减少使用),在你分心太久时提醒你工作、设定待做事项清单。看看哪些有用的工具可以有助于你。
 
Create a Cohort and Stay Connected
创建支持者,与他人保持联系
When you feel isolated, it can be difficult to have as much energy to be productive. Plus, it can be very unpleasant and difficult to sustain for the life of your career. If you work from home and feel a bit too alone, it's important that you take responsibility for your own social life. You can create your own supportive network of colleagues, fellow work-at-home buddies, or like-minded individuals relatively simply through social media groups, planned meet-ups, or even text-chat groups. You can also find already-established groups through social media or online.
当你感到被孤立时,很难获得能量使自己变得高效。此外,也很难愉快地为你的职涯。如果你在家办公,并感到有些过于孤独,对自己的社交生活负责就变得很重要。你可以简单地通过社交媒体群、见面会甚至文字群构建起自己的同事支持网络、在家办公的伙伴群或是志趣相投的个体,你也可以在社交媒体或线上找到已经建立好的群组。
The point is to identify people who share your needs or perspectives, gather them into a group, and benefit from that group! This group can feel like a lifeline when you need someone who understands or want to feel like part of a supportive community. The rest is up to you.
关键在于辨识出那些分享你的需求或观点的人,把他们组成群组,然后从中获益。这个群组感觉就像是当你需要某人理解时或是希望成为支持部队的一份子时的救命索。
 
Reward Yourself
自我奖励
To keep your motivation up, it's vital to create your own personal rewards. Actually, taking a step back, it's a great idea to break tasks down into smaller, workable steps. However, the point is that it's up to you to make your work experience pleasant, for you to keep yourself feeling appreciated (even if you yourself are the only one who appreciates you), and make forward momentum a regular part of your life. You can do this by breaking down your tasks into smaller goals and then rewarding yourself for taking each step. This keeps people motivated and excited to let go of comfort and move toward the life they really want, even if it takes a sustained effort to get there. (Hint: rewards don't need to be food-based to be rewarding!)
想要持续保持激昂的斗志,创建自我奖励就很重要。事实上,退一步来说,把任务拆解成更小的、可操作的步骤是个不错的主意。然而,关键取决于你,要让自己的工作经历变得愉快,使自己增值(即使你自己是唯一赞赏你自己的人),并使前进的动力成为你生活的常规部分。你可以把你的任务拆分成更小的目标,每完成一步进行自我奖励。这能使人保持动力,远离舒适,向真正想要的生活靠拢,即使它需要花费持久的精力才能实现(注意:奖励不能是食物奖励)。
 
Get Comfortable Saying No
更大胆地说不
You'll be faced with many requests, most of which you need to refuse if you want to have enough time to get everything done. It can be surprisingly difficult to say no to people you don't really owe your time to, simply because most of us can find reasons why a "yes" is a perfectly reasonable answer. We may think of their needs and see ourselves as a great answer for them, and not realize that saying yes to them means saying no to ourselves. We may have our egos involved. Whatever the challenge, realize that saying no to the time drains you didn't plan for often means saying yes to the life you truly want, one step at a time.
你可能会面对很多请求,如果你想有足够的时间把每件事都做完,那么大部分请求都要拒绝。对于那些你并不欠他们时间的人,要对他们说不异常困难,这单纯因为我们大部分人都总能够完美地诠释为何“是”才是最合理的答案。我们会考虑他人的需求,并把自己视作他人的答案,却不曾意识到对他们说“是”等同于对自己说“不”。我们会有内在的自我,不管多大的挑战,都要明白对于不在你计划内的时间流失说“不”,意味着你对自己真正想要的生活说了“是”,步步为营。
 
Protect Your Sleep, and Don't Use Mobile Devices Late at Night
守护你的睡眠,不在夜间使用便携设备
You may already know that this is a no-no but do it anyway, or you may not be aware yet, but using screens late at night can alter your sleep patterns and make it difficult to get to sleep. It can also make you more wakeful during the night. Because healthy sleep is vital for your productivity, do what you need to do to protect your sleep. (This includes setting a bedtime for yourself and sticking to it.) This can be quite challenging, but well worth the effort.
你可能已经知道,这是不该做的事但却做了,或者你可能并没有意识到,但整晚对着屏幕会改变你的失眠习惯,使你很难入睡。它也会使你在夜晚频繁醒来。因为健康的睡眠对你的生产力非常重要,所以要尽你所能地守护你的睡眠。(这包括为自己设定睡眠时间,并严格遵守)这会极具挑战,但值得这么付出。
 
While working from home can provide an amazing sense of freedom and flexibility as well as a no-cost commute, there are pitfalls and hidden stressors to be aware of. By focusing on what you can do to mitigate this stress, you can enjoy the added benefits of a work-from-home situation without the added stress. This is a great step toward achieving an ideal work-life balance.
尽管在家办公可以享受自由和灵活,同时没有通勤费用,但需要警惕陷阱和隐藏的刺激因素。专注于那些可以缓和压力的方法,你可以享受没有附加压力的在家办公的好处。这也是实现理想中的工作生活平衡很重要的一步。