I’ve found ways to create peace and stability in my remote job because introverts like me thrive on routines.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our jobs have become remote — and stayed remote. I have a fully remote job and love working from home. While it brings me much-appreciated consistency, it’s hard to know what to expect from any given workday. The only guarantee is that I’ll spend it writing. As for how many assignments I’ll get, what the topics and word counts will be, and the audiences that will eventually read my work, those are all unknown until I take a deep breath and get started.
Since the details of the work fluctuate so much, my stress levels can quickly rise, especially if I don’t take steps to manage them. I’ve learned that the way to be happy as an introvert while on the clock is to create stability myself. After all, we introverts thrive with rituals and routines! Here are some of the things that I find most helpful in creating a more stable work environment.
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7 Tips to Make Your Unpredictable Remote Job Less Stressful
1. Get rid of artificial lighting.
I used to work in an office with extremely bright fluorescent overhead lights. They were so intense that some of my coworkers figured out how to disconnect something internally to make them less bothersome. I believe that work setting caused me to associate bright lights with overstimulation, which is very real for highly sensitive introverts.
Now that I work from home, I rarely use artificial lighting. The part of my house where I work has a lot of large windows, so I usually keep them open, ensuring my workspace is neither gloomy nor jarring.
If you’ve never experimented with changing the lighting in your workplace and have at least some control over it, give it a try and see if it makes a positive difference. The great thing about lighting is it’s relatively easy to alter. If you don’t like it, changing it again can happen in a matter of seconds. Adjusting the lighting is just one way to improve your work-from-home space, and it’s worth testing out.
2. Play soft music in the background while you work.
Unlike some other introverts I know, I prefer to keep music playing softly in the background. If my workspace is too quiet, I tend to get lost in my thoughts or distracted by things others might not notice, such as a ticking clock.
When the workday is particularly intense, I prefer slow, classical music, especially from the medieval era. Other times, I play music that’s either extremely familiar or not likely to cause a strong distraction. I can’t afford to start analyzing a song’s meaning when I’m trying to write, and since I focus on a song’s lyrics first, getting wrapped up in what’s sung is typical. Familiarity tends to halt that analysis.
Something else that surprises me about listening to music while working is how beneficial it can be when I’m under pressure. I think that’s because the tunes give me something to focus on other than the stress.
If the thought of music while working makes you cringe, that’s understandable. But if you’re curious about trying it, do so for a day or two and see how you feel — and how productive you are in the process.
3. Keep pets — or comforting objects — near you while you work.
I have two cats, and they’re surprisingly well-behaved when I’m working; they seem to know the difference between work time and downtime. Last Christmas, I bought them a combination cat tree and scratching post. It has two levels they can sit on, which they love to do while I’m at my computer. I’ve set it up next to my work chair, and they like to watch as new words appear on my screen.
Animals have amazing instincts, and both cats know when the workday is getting a little overwhelming. When it does, one of them almost always comes over to nudge me. She hates loudness and unpredictability, too, so I see many of my introvert traits in her.
I know that not everyone can cuddle with a pet during the workday, and I’m very lucky I can. If that’s not an option for you, keep something else nearby that you love — whether it’s a potted plant or a picture from the last trip you took with your best friend. Work isn’t always positive, so it’s helpful to counteract that reality with consciously placed items.
4. If you use a work timer, don’t focus on it!
These days, there is a tremendous emphasis on being productive. At my workplace, productivity seems to mean working fast. My boss urges me to be very strict with myself about how much time I spend on each phase of my assignment and to see if I can finish in progressively shorter time frames. She also gives me time estimates for each assignment, and I am expected to do anything reasonable to stay within them.
There’s also a time clock app that keeps running in the corner of my screen during the workday. I used to get very stressed, thinking, “Oh no, I have to finish the writing portion of my assignment by the time the clock reads four hours worked. If I don’t, I’m behind schedule.” Even though I am strongly encouraged to pay attention to the clock, I know doing that would only cause more anxiety and make me feel rushed. “Time anxiety” is a very real thing among highly sensitive people like myself!
I’ve had many conversations with my boss over the years about this situation. Now, she mostly accepts that I’ll get most of my assignments done on time, but not by being such a clock watcher. If your workplace places a similar emphasis on speed over quality, I’d strongly recommend being honest and firm with your superiors about why that doesn’t work well for you and trying to find a compromise together.
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5. Leave your phone on silent.
Even though my workplace prioritizes time spent as the most important productivity metric, I know I’ll get the most satisfaction by bringing thoughtfulness and intentionality to my assignments. But phone notifications immediately break my focus, making my brain feel scrambled.
That’s why I activate my phone’s Do Not Disturb setting before starting work and keep it that way until I finish. When I’m immersed in a task, anything that distracts me is also deeply startling, sometimes making me jump.
So you can imagine my annoyance if the offending notification is about a limited-time-only sale or a donation request from a charity I’ve previously supported. Those things don’t require my immediate attention, although the notification noise succeeds in getting it.
If you want to try this approach, I’d recommend starting by getting family members and friends accustomed to the fact that you won’t hear their notifications right away. I’ve also tweaked my phone’s settings so I keep getting notifications of specific types or from particular contacts. That way, people can still reach me in emergencies.
6. Use a meditation app.
I’ve been meditating daily for several years now. It is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable activities in my life. Being an introvert means I spend a lot of time thinking things through, whether I’m trying to make the most appropriate decision or considering the best ways to talk to a close friend about a challenging topic. But I now know each meditation gives me a valid reason to briefly stop letting those thoughts run through my head and concentrate on my breath instead.
When the unpredictable parts of my workday start feeling overwhelming, I alter what’s in my control by launching a meditation app on my phone. I find meditations lasting just a minute or two and use those to get centered again.
If you’re just getting started with meditation or have never tried it before, using an app with guided tracks, like Headspace or Insight Timer, may be one of the most accessible and appealing options. However, YouTube also has lots of meditations, and you can even find text descriptions of meditative practices with a quick Google search.
7. Above all, have compassion for yourself — you are doing the best you can.
Since things can get so hectic at my job, I sometimes feel discouraged at the end of the day, wondering what more I could have done to make things go more smoothly. Then, I remind myself that such thoughts are useless — the past is in the past.
Sure, I might reflect on how the day went and come up with a few things to do differently to make the workload more manageable in the future. But, ultimately, I did the best I could in the moment, and that’s what matters.
I know it can be hard not to blame yourself for things that go wrong at your job. But it’s healthiest if you take ownership (when appropriate) without dwelling on things that have already happened or were outside your influence.
If you’re struggling at work, try to determine if the distress primarily occurs because of things you can at least partially control. If so, talk to your supervisor about possible changes. I had a discussion with mine a while back about getting a bit more time to work on my most challenging assignments. She listened to my concerns, and some of my associated stress was alleviated because I decided to speak up.
Find Peace However You Can
Equanimity is one of my favorite meditation concepts. The goal is to remain composed, even if you’re exposed to things people normally find disruptive.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not even close to being an equanimity pro. But I know how important it is to recognize — and cherish — the things that bring stability to a fast-paced job where every day poses different challenges.
No matter what your career goals are, I hope you can apply some of these suggestions to your workday. They’ve helped me become a happier introvert in the workforce, which means I have more energy to devote to people and activities outside of work. 
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