My Best Tips for How to Work from Home…
Whether you work for a flexible corporate company or work remotely full time, there are probably times when you need to work from home. It can be tempting to use that time to do your housework, run errands, etc. – but you need to think of it like you’re AT work, not on vacation.
Get ready for the day
Rather than hanging out in your pjs for a while, set an alarm, get up and into the shower, and get dressed as if you were going to the office. By doing this first thing, you’re basically telling your brain that you need to be in work mode, not lounge mode. Plan to be at your desk (whether that’s an actual desk or your kitchen table) by a certain time.
photo from this post at Four Seasons Boston – I wish this was my bedroom!
Gather what you need in one place
Think about your workspace as if you were going into an office: What would you have on the desk? Make sure you have those items, and get ready to work.
If you don’t have a home office and use your living room or dining room (like I used to!), put all of your necessary items in a tote or tray you can take with you to easily have everything at your fingertips. If you’re constantly getting up to find things, you can’t 100% focus on your work.
Photos are from this post – before our renovation was done and our living room turned into my home office!
Set up background noise
One of my essential items is background noise, whether it’s the news on TV or music on my laptop. If I’m in a super quiet space, even if it’s in an office building, I’m much less efficient.
Schedule breaks
Oftentimes working from home means working far more hours than if you were in a traditional office setting. When you’re at the office you probably stop and chat with coworkers. But being at home and getting into a work groove, you don’t have those natural breaks. Sometimes when I’m working, I completely forget about lunch until 3 or 4pm, and then I’m frantically calling whoever is delivering because I’m starving. I try not to do that by putting onto my schedule a lunch break.
Wrap up at a set time
I used to be really bad about this, but I now have a pretty set schedule. I work during the day and then stop at a set point for Eleanor. After dinner, bath, and bed (for E), I sit back down to do more work. I try to break up the week by only doing night work a few nights a week and reserving the other couple of nights for watching a show with T or blogging.
Love your space
Whether it’s a home office or a living room, brighten up the space with fresh flowers, keep it clean and clutter free, and make it office-comfortable. I mean don’t make it TOO comfortable (aka regular-comfortable lol), like a really comfy couch or a bed.
I hope my tips on how to work from home will help you be more productive! Is there anything you do that I missed?
Biggest issue with my work from home is ergonomics, offices have come a long way with office chairs and standing desks. Proper desk setup is key for a nice healthy work from home space.
Totally makes sense. Wayfair has an adjustable standing desk that’s about $100 if you need one for the short term! https://bit.ly/2vUN20C I’m most comfortable working from our table or our home office because both are the perfect height for me. It can definitely be hard to adjust to a new space when you’re very used to a comfortable desk/desk chair at work!