Work-ride balance – How to boss your home office and bike life

Many of us may have had some fairly major life shifts recently, in which the words home office and working from home have muscled into our daily vocab. Now the norm and not the exception, working from home admittedly comes with certain drawbacks but also offers masses of opportunity to become a better person and, most importantly, work on a more palatable work-ride balance.

Let’s set the scene: Wednesday, midday, the sun’s out and you’re not at your desk. Instead, you’re carving down a lush Italian coastal ridge trail, with unbelievable views over the Med. Are you on holiday? Is it a dream? No, it’s reality – your home office for today. Or, as South Tyrol’s innovative hotelier, Klaus, from Hotel Melodia del Bosco would put it: you’re on a workcation, not a vacation.

Everything is pointing towards a less office-focused future; one where more and more tasks can be carried out remotely, with less reliance on fixed workstations in fancy office blocks. Such a societal shift doesn’t just change how we work but how we live as well. Sure, it presents a lot of risks but it also opens up opportunities for a better quality of life with higher job satisfaction. More time to ride? That’s a welcome side effect. For the past decade, we’ve had a flexi-time approach at 41Publishing, always aiming for the ultimate work-ride balance with a dialled-in mix of home office, mobile office and our central HQ. Given that our team comprises around 30 talented and driven individuals, this flexible approach is manageable, but what’s it like when you’re running a company with thousands of employees? We chatted to a whole bunch of freelancers and employees in the industry, as well as Sophia Brunold, the author of the Home Office Guide and Stefan Althoff, Head of HR at Porsche’s Development Centre Weissach, where more than 6,500 employees work on future vehicle projects. Our aim: identify the top tips when it comes to bossing your home office and your bike life.

Know your enemy — What are the dangers in your home office?

Right up until 2020, the idea of working from home was the exception and rarely the norm. Often that was fair, other times less so. With a fixed workspace, your day is automatically structured and there are certain benefits to having colleagues and a shared workspace – developing, learning, socialising and identifying with company culture can’t be overlooked. So when that place then becomes out of bounds or nonexistent, you lose the social contact. For the creative industries like artists, designers or anyone in the media, it’s crucial to have time and space for discussions and spontaneous chats at the water cooler where ideas can crop up and solutions can be thrown around. When everyone’s working remotely, that spontaneity is hard to replicate on Zoom, especially if you’ve got a dubious internet connection.

Stefan Althoff from Porsche recognises the challenge here. “When the first lockdown was enforced, we quickly set about creating the necessary technological infrastructure for comprehensive and efficient remote work. Technically this was executed really well, but socially the transformation was and still is much harder. There are no unplanned encounters and those pre- and post-meeting chats, which are so crucial for collaborative work and giving space to creativity and new ideas, simply don’t happen. They’re essential, especially for a development centre, where the focus is on product development. Our teams have now created their own opportunities to stage these sorts of spaces virtually but it doesn’t truly replicate personal contact. It’s also tough for employees to recreate the same work environment in their home office that they’d have in the office.”

The threat of the hamster wheel isn‘t reserved for offices!

The transformation of our working world presents a dilemma: while being stuck in a routine is a drag, it can be just as unsettling to lose that routine, losing sight of a sense of purpose and subsequently losing motivation or morale. For many, your routine might have been severely shaken up and for others it could have disappeared entirely. Here’s where new and potentially less favourable habits could creep in without us even being aware.

The fact that many people lack the incentive to stage the office at home is understandable. Showering? That can wait until tomorrow. The pong of an unwashed t-shirt won’t be apparent through the webcam. If you’re not obliged to put the video on, why get dressed anyway? Business-casual is now your shirt, plus some joggers below. But these rituals, getting showered, getting dressed, mundane everyday acts, are what add structure to the day and put you in a specific mindset. Your attitude is reflected in your appearance, and vice versa, taking cues from it. By consciously choosing to refute the presence of rules and structure while working at home, you’re not really building a sustainable or healthy relationship with remote work.

Where’s the off button? Work and leisure merged.

Without a physical division between workspace and home, the temporal division between work and play becomes just as blurry. You work until late, into the night. Over lunch, when you could close your laptop and go to a different table or room, you instead collect snacks and bring them to your laptop, mindlessly chewing on them, one after another. In extreme cases, it feels like the work is constant or that you’re not being productive enough, hence not allowing yourself any breaks. Physically and mentally, it’s detrimental to your health and those who are already stressed can be stretched to breaking point by the rollercoaster of a self-imposed work-life balance.
The new home setup comes with all manner of added duties, which double the workload and do little to help concentration. Your kids are also at home and demand attention. The number of video calls is sky high and for each one you need to smile, concentrate and muster your energy. Your posture suffers, your neck and shoulders tighten up and your wrists complain of over-working; that spot on the sofa was comfortable for about an hour and the office chairs that you dragged out from the attic are definitely not osteo-approved for 2021. Depending on where you live, your video calls might be punctuated with the drone of road works or the buzz of deliveries, intended for your neighbours but somehow always ending up at your door. The strengths of remote working are supposed to be focus, flexibility and freedom but you’re not seeing much of these. Until you feel as comfortable in your home office as you do in your own home, you have to learn to deal with the many external and internal forces at play.

Rule the roost – Why home offices rule

Seeing as your home office comes with less externally imposed structure and fewer social constraints, we can do ourselves, our health, our productivity and self-development some favours by creating new routines that nurture our bodies and minds. There’s nowhere better than your own home when it comes to having the space to add design and freedom to do what you like. Try things that suit your lifestyle and improve your quality of life. You’re in charge. It’s your pad.

Sophia, founder of buero uno and author of the Home Office Guide, has one clear instruction for everyone working remotely: shake that ass! Staying active is the best way to keep mind and body on track. Sophia’s advice: get out for a bike ride before starting your working day. Make a point of stopping at your favourite barista for a takeaway coffee and a smile, even under your mask. It won’t just make your day start well with a crucial moment of social contact that could have a major effect on your day, you’re also supporting local businesses. Remember that right now, we’re all in the same boat. For those of you that aren’t traditionally morning riders, claim your lunch break for you and your bike. Home trails or takeaway lunch – your shout.

New routines can have a positive effect on your mental health but try not to put pressure on yourself or pile on the expectations. Asking too much of yourself is a common curse. Your daily appointment with the bike may occasionally fall to the wayside but that’s not a bad thing. Balance is key. There’s as much of an art to taking a relaxed approach as there is to actually being active. Listen to your body, especially if it’s tired. Pushing yourself even further isn’t always the answer. Try to introduce little improvements to your day-to-day routine, which will all add up in the bigger picture. Eventually you’ll get to the point where you can exclaim, “Yes, I am in charge, this is my turf!”

The right place at the right time – Your workspace, your working hours

Is it written anywhere that you have to take the term home office literally? Remote work doesn’t specify your home address, so why not diversify over a few workspaces? In Sophia’s guide, she gives the following advice: feeling like it’s time for a change of scenery? Switch home offices with your bike mates for a couple of days or pitch up in their spare room, log into their WIFI and create a co-working space at theirs. Make the foreign living room the board room and the kitchen the canteen where you can meet for coffee.

Have you already made a mental list of what you’d need to work from the world’s best bike spots? The answer will surprise you: remarkably little. A laptop and a decent WIFI connection. So, why are we settling for the same office day after day? A local café, your friends’ and family’s places or in that swish bike shop with the workshop space where you can get your brakes bled and suspension serviced while you work? Got a van or access to one? Enough said. Let your imagination run wild. Your work-ride balance will thank you for it! Note: don’t set your sights too high. Be realistic. It could get stressful. New places tend to result in distractions.

Workcation

Clued-up people have spotted the opportunities: if there’s a demand for flexible remote working spaces as well as a lull in tourism, why not create the ultimate workcation? That’s exactly what out-of-the-box thinker Klaus Irsara, who runs the Hotel Melodia del Bosco in the Dolomites, is proposing. It sounds paradoxical to merge a holiday with work, but it’s pretty genius. Guests have access to special workstations, conference rooms and all necessary equipment such as a printer. During the week there’s a menu of time-efficient activities, including early-morning, pre-work hikes and workout rides, while the weekends are reserved for guided all-day rides. If the notion of remote work in the Dolomites at a designated bike hotel sounds appealing, check out the website — there are workcation packages for mountain bikers, roadies or gravel riders.

If the roof feels like it’s caving in you, spice up your home office environment!

Sure, some of the options may feel woefully unattainable right now, but you can spice up your home office simply by creating a new playlist (seriously). Sophia recommends filling your home office with cool pieces of furniture or design that radiate good vibes. Integral to shaping the right atmosphere includes dressing to impress (yourself, probably). Working from home lets you dig into the back of your wardrobe and try on all the things that are too casual even for your office’s usual dress-down Friday. We’re convinced that the mood-boosting potential of a Hawaiian shirt is yet to be discovered by scientists. By wearing your favourite jersey and comfiest baggies, you’ll minimise time spent getting changed between work and riding, especially if your lunch hour is limited and you want to max out every minute.

Home-office-mullet: Business on top, party on the bottom!

Depending on your employer, working from home gives you more freedom to plan and schedule your working hours. Figure out what works and when you’re most productive, then embark on a conversation with your boss or colleagues to see if your revised approach could work for them too. Do they care more about you being present and available, or about how much you actually deliver? Once you know exactly what is expected, you can slot in nicely. For example, Porsche have set up a flexi-time framework from 6.30 am to 10 pm to ensure those who are juggling family and work simultaneously can work when suits them the best. Obviously, if you’re the sort of person who counts your bike as a treasured family member that demands your time and love (we hear you!) eyebrows may get raised.

The main thing is setting aside time when apps like Instagram, Tinder or Netflix are off-limits. And your laundry too. Distractions won’t help you meet deadlines and it’s important to give your day some structure, including breaks. The more disciplined you are, the more breaks you can take, right? Whether in the actual office or at your home office, don’t cram all your meetings back-to-back. Give yourself a breather and put it to good use. You want to re-energise away from the computer screen and, in the best-case scenario, get outside for a lunch ride, picnic or combination of the two. The amount of flexibility will vary from company to company and we definitely recommend clarifying this before heading out. If you can’t squeeze a lunch ride into your schedule, why not put the time that you would have spent commuting to good use and turn your former rush-hour into a positive pedal-powered rush on the trails instead? If you follow the mantra of “When I’m happy, I’m never snappy.” your partner and kids may be more understanding of your need to get out and ride, provided, naturally, that you offer mutual support. Even just a short blast around the woods can have a mega mood-boosting effect. Stefan knows this all too well. “I try to spend every possible minute outside, either running with the dog, walking, or, if time permits, getting out on my eMTB for a loop of the trails around Stuttgart.”

What will work look like in the future?

The future is being formed today, with the right strategy emerging from the constant cycle of analysing what’s happening, figuring out how to make it better, making the changes, then re-analyse. We asked Stefan how Porsche are dealing with the changes in workplace behaviour and shift to remote work. “Many people were really enthused at the outset, being able to work much more at home and still be efficient. However, the majority are now keen to be back in their usual working environment with colleagues. However, we certainly want to keep hold of the many positive learnings, such as virtual meetings, so you can expect the future working style, at least here at Porsche, to adopt a hybrid work approach.

While the coronavirus pandemic forced us into expanding the idea of remote work, we’ll be purposefully honing in on the advantages to embrace what’s called the ‘New Work’ approach in the future. We’re convinced that our productivity and efficiency can only get better by adopting an intelligent mix of working styles. And naturally, you shouldn’t overlook the fact that a business’ approach can do a lot for its appeal as an employer. It’s important that we define the appropriate guidelines to do this though, which is why we’ve developed a so-called ‘cookbook’ for remote work. It doesn’t just outline our guidelines but also provides ideas and gives best-practice examples for effective, virtual collaborative work. Given the scope and diversity of our departments, the cookbook includes a number of ‘recipes’. These are what have always set Porsche apart: we don’t take a scattergun approach. Instead, like in this case, we look closely at each team to see how they’ve best executed their remote cooperation. As the amount of remote work increases, the working environment is naturally evolving too.

We’ve launched a few pilot areas now, whereby we’re deviating from the conventional office spaces or open-plan layouts into hot-desking areas. Depending on departments, we’re also creating project spaces for creative work, group rooms and designated places for working in peace. It’s a really intensive process that we’re undertaking; it cannot simply be a case of changing the furniture. The most important aspects involve changing the way we work and the creation of common guidelines.”

While such structural changes are a massive task for big businesses, each of us individually can adopt a new approach, whether you’re a startup or running a company, to ensure the smoothest possible transition to New Work.

ENDURO best practice – Our top tips!

Your home office setup naturally depends on your situation – single and nomadic, settled and full of responsibilities? What follows is our generic hack list curated, tried and tested by our editorial office, featuring personal tips from Julian, Jonas and Robin.

Tips from the ENDURO editorial team: Expectations and communication
Stress and frustration crop up when people don’t effectively communicate what they expect. Speak to your colleagues and boss before anything goes awry. Don’t zoom in purely on what you want but consider what’s best for the company and everyone involved. Find out when you should be available and how quickly you’re expected to respond to requests. If colleagues then demand the quickest imaginable turnaround to an email, stress might be inevitable, but there’s got to be an amount of understanding from all parties. Treat each other fairly and all of you can reap the benefits of working from home. It’s about communicating openly and planning well. Seriously, no one really wants to have their smartphone pinging from the jersey pocket throughout their ride. Constant availability probably isn’t part of your job description.

Tips from Julian, Art Director ENDURO

Right now I’ve got to do everything possible to make sure it doesn’t feel claustrophobic while working from home. My job means that I’ve got to be almost permanently inspired. As often as I can I’ll jump into the camper and drive out of the city, either to the countryside or to explore a new region or town. But you can’t whip up an illustration or design from the backseat of the van. When there are jobs that I can do on the road, I’ll make sure that I’m in close contact with the rest of my team. I can then use the time at home (or in my holiday home) for the more time-intensive jobs. Here are my do’s and don’ts:

DONT’S

• Go on the road when the workload is at its highest. It’ll mean double the stress and less chance to relax.
• Hunching over your laptop to work in the car isn’t sustainable.
• Don’t push back your work until you’re forced to do it late at night – a recipe for disaster

DOS

• Always have access to a power source.
• Plan a route with backups so that you can react quickly if need be. Dead zones without phone service won’t work, neither will back-end cafes without wifi. If you plan on working using your phone’s hotspot, it’s 4G or go home.
• Self-discipline will reward you. Estimate how long a job should take and plan accordingly. I won’t start an adventure until it’s finished.
• Wherever you’re staying, Airbnb, hostel or hotel, find the quietest corner and claim it.

Tips from Jonas, Editor and dad, currently WFH
Working from home with a young child isn’t easy. For them it’s hard to understand why their parents are physically around yet don’t have time to play with them, prompting screams and cries. But there are massive advantages that you can’t put value on. Both parents are around to witness their child’s progress, whether it’s the first words or steps. Every single day there’s a new development and neither parent wants to be stuck in the office and missing these moments, which would have been the case up until now. When things get stressful at home, just go and ride bikes*! Take the kid with you while you’re at it! It does us all good and brings balance to our family life.

*Edit by a colleague, who choses to stay anonymous: or head to the empty office for peace!

Tips from Robin, ENDURO founder:
Happiness comes about when there’s coherence between needs, wants and goals in how you live and how you work. You need clarity first: how do I want to work and how can I work? What makes me feel energised and inspired? What drags me down or saps my energy? Once you’ve understood your inner self, you can start to shape an environment that works for you so that you get the maximum enjoyment out of (almost) every day and wake up ready to embrace it. Investing in your space might feel like a burden but it’s totally worth it. We recently went to Tuscany for two weeks of group testing, staying on an estate in Massa Marittima, where we tried to adopt the same principle. Your environment plays a major role in how you feel and your ability to develop. A comfy desk chair isn’t enough on its own – a morale-boosting atmosphere and teamwork help!

Whether I’m in the office or on the road, I try to slot energy-boosting activities into my daily routine and avoid the things that sap my energy. It helps to look back over your day and workout at what might have unwittingly drained you, why you let it and how you can make sure it doesn’t happen again.

I work in a sort of sprint-style, forcing myself to take regular breaks. This keeps me focused and lets me work effectively. I plan in time to recoup my energy as well — while smokers go for ciggy-breaks for a brief escape, I’ll do something similar (minus the nicotine) like put the kettle on, get some fresh air or walk around the block. A cold shower can be just as good as a coffee. I choose to go with the flow, so if I find myself buzzing with motivation and fully committed to a task, I’ll go with it, getting up from bed or off the bike ready to work. When you know yourself well enough, you’ll learn how to interpret your body’s cues – when it’s in a fit state to work and when not. In those moments I’ll try to alleviate pressure and collect my thoughts. If you’re not feeling the work you’re doing, it’s probably because it’s just not that good.

Not enough tips?
Highly recommended, Sophia’s home office guide includes bountiful tips for setting up the ultimate WFH situation and advice on how to eliminate distractions and get yourself in the right mindset. Order the home office guide here.

We’ve given you some prompts but now it’s up to you: paint a picture in your head of what it’ll take to make your WFH life even better. What does your dream home office look like? How can you make it happen? Be inspired by others but don’t try to imitate. No one gets your style as well as you do. In true ENDURO style, be original.

The WFH lifestyle can be a blessing and a curse. Change equals chances, as long as you spot them, seize them, and build upon them. With the right amount of self-initiative, discipline and flexibility, you can take your (working) life to the next level. The ultimate ride-work balance is within your grasp. If you get one part of your life in order, the rest should follow suit. So, get to work, at home, in your van or in the office. Colleagues, family, your boss, yourself – you can all benefit from the shift.

Now tell us. How are you balancing the work-ride juggling act while working from home? What are your lifehacks, what are the biggest hurdles and the greatest highlights? Write to us at homeoffice@enduro-mtb.com” with photos of your WFH space! And no, we don’t want you in your pants at the desk. We’ve got enough of those already ;)