Introverts In The Kingdom: My Experiences As A Remote Worker
In a world that often seems designed for extroverts, as introverts we can often find ourselves feeling out of place. Social events, open-office environments, face-to-face strategy and vision days - our quieter nature can sometimes make us feel alienated, and can quickly sap our energy in work environments that value extroversion and constant collaboration.
However, when it comes to our faith and our professional lives, I really do believe introverts have a valuable perspective to offer. As Christian Jobs’ Marketing Manager and a big introvert myself, over the past two and a half years I have discovered a wonderful connection between my introverted tendencies, my Christian walk and how I marry the two in the workplace. In my experience, remote work has proved in many instances that it can allow introverts to excel in roles that emphasize focused creativity in a personal environment, that doesn’t demand all of our physical and mental energy all at once.
Being Responsible For Myself
One big thing working remotely has taught me is the ability to hold myself accountable for my calendar and to responsibly plan my work day. In an office environment, you usually have a sounding board for things like this with colleagues - they can keep you in check if you’ve missed anything important. When it’s just me at home, I of course don’t have that safety net. At the start of each day, it forces me to take time to consciously take stock of the projects I’m involved in, to fill my calendar in such a way that I can focus on different projects throughout the week, keeping on top of work but in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm me or increase my chances of burning out. If that were to happen, I’d be useless to the team! So, I try to work in such a way that honours my colleagues, and also my physical and mental health.
A Laser Beam Of Focused Creativity
The second, and I think the biggest advantage of remote working for me is the focused creativity it has afforded me, especially as my job is a predominantly creative one: graphic design, copywriting and branding are the main tasks I’m dealing with day-to-day. As we were all forced to work remotely in March 2020, I quickly took to it like a duck to water. I realised early on during the pandemic that in a space where I controlled the level of noise, what I worked on and when, and minimal conversations and distractions I was able to fully give 100% of my energy to the tasks at hand.
Prayer, Prayer and More Prayer
Thirdly, it’s increased my prayer life tenfold. As an introvert, I never used to have the confidence to pray out loud, especially in groups. Having a space completely to myself meant I felt more comfortable praying out loud, so I was able to exercise this muscle day by day. If I was frustrated, I could pray out loud and vent in an honest way, and there was no-one around me for me to disturb. This increase in prayer and confidence has eventually led me to the point where I’m now taking a lead on our church's weekly prayer meetings - something I’d have never even considered possible about three years ago!
To have been trusted to work almost exclusively from home is something I never take lightly - it’s given me new levels of responsibility and self-guidance and increased my prayer life and relationship with God so much. These things in turn matured me as both a Christian and a worker. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity and I’ve never felt more confident in the role God has blessed me with.
At ChristianJobs.co.uk we’re regularly having Christian organisations advertise their home-working roles with us, so if you’re contemplating a transition to remote work, get in touch with our recruitment team via info@christianjobs.co.uk today to see how we can help you.
As a final note, from one introvert to another in the workplace, I invite you to share your experiences with those around you. In doing so, we can create a more inclusive and authentic work environment that honours the diverse ways in which we serve and worship our Creator.