Rinck Life

Trials and Triumphs of Remote Work

May 10, 2020

We’ve all seen the memes, skits and articles (perhaps some Tiktoks, too) about working from home. We’re all going through the motions of the new normal so the clichés ring true. But for us, it’s more than “you’re on mute” or making jokes about whether or not Tim from accounting is wearing pants.

How the hell do you stay motivated?

How can you keep a creative mind turning?

How did I not know my spouse was a work-whistler?

These are all questions we wanted answers to – so we went to the streets (slack channels) and asked the people (coworkers) what they are doing to stay sane and productive.

How are you staying productive?

It’s no secret working from home has its challenges, but we also like to look at the benefits! For example, our pets are our coworkers. Not great for collaboration, but wonderful for cuddling. The challenges are still there though and one of the big ones is productivity. Wearing sweats on the couch with your computer on your lap isn’t always the most efficient (or ergonomic) way to get things done. Some productivity practices we heard over and over were:

Exercising daily

Getting fresh air

Listening to music

Sticking to a routine & starting early!

So, build out a killer playlist that will keep you focused, put some real pants on, and open a window! That’s the Rinck formula for success.

What’s one thing that keeps you sane?

Ahh, sanity. What a luxury to have during a pandemic. Here’s how we are desperately trying to hold onto it:

Video calls with family and friends
Bike rides, yoga, meditation and mindful walks
Separating work hours from family hours
Wine.

Where are you finding creativity or inspiration?

You may not know this, but Rinck has quite a creative second generation. We’ve heard the kids-of-Rinck have been helping to stimulate creativity for their parents and we love it. Others have said they are finding inspiration from good-vibes online. These days the news and our feeds are filled with encouraging stories and inspiring ways to stay connected. Can’t hate on that. Then there is always the classic go-to: social media. Have you heard about a little app called Tiktok? A few of us are hopping on that bandwagon and loving the ride to get creative juices flowing.

Where are you set-up: home office or kitchen table*?

75% home office

23% kitchen table

1% haunted attic

1% craft room

*Fun Fact: Rinck Advertising started at the kitchen table so we like to pay it homage.

And let’s keep it fun: any embarrassing Zoom moments?

“Mornings are filled with 10 second shower and kid duty. The first time I see what I look like is on the daily company Zoom call.”
“My 3.5 year old walked in bottomless – Luckily only her top half was in view!”
“My husband walked by in just a towel. OOPS…”
“Belched while unmuted”
“Daughter ran in with paint on her hands trying to paint the walls”
“Toddler meltdowns and diaper changes”

Working remotely may be new for the majority, but it’s something we’ve been practicing for a while. Not that we were trying to prepare for a pandemic, but we did feel confident for the agency to WFH. When we opened our Annapolis office, we hit the ground running with remote-work policies and how to collaborate from afar. Rinck has been fine tuning this “working from home” thing for the last few years and it’s paid off.

Don’t get us wrong; we miss the office chatter and sharing donuts – but we’re handling it like champs and supporting each other the best ways we know how. We’ll be back together soon. In the meantime, we’ll still be Zooming, ya.