Editor’s Note: Today’s post is by Gabe Harp. Gabe leads the Digital Products & Software Services team at the MIT Press, where he is neck-deep in digital books, journals, open access and exploring new ways of working. Before joining the MIT Press he spent many years with Cell Press/Elsevier. He will be joining the Society for Scholarly Publishing Board of Directors as of the 2020-2021 term.
Having worked from home in multiple locations, ranging from the wilds of western Massachusetts to the coast of Maine, and in a variety of roles for different organizations, I recently decided to distill my key recommendations. These tips are focused on working from home during this pandemic and are based on my own experience; not every point will suit every person. Guidance abounds these days, including recent Scholarly Kitchen pieces, but my hope here is that readers of this short post will each glean at least one nugget to help them through this pandemic.
These are not normal times. Be realistic about the time you have and what you can achieve. Ask only what is reasonable of yourself, and share that with others – friends, family, co-workers. If you can no longer make that 9 a.m. recurring meeting, let your colleagues know. If you need to more aggressively carve out meeting-free (and interruption-free) time to spend on focused tasks, give yourself permission to do so.
Offer the same consideration to others. Understand that everybody experiences and responds to a crisis differently. Be especially mindful of the needs of others. Let those you interact with know that you are there to support them.
Please select this link to read the complete article from The Scholarly Kitchen.