Working From Home 101
Working from home can be a blessing and a curse. Sure, there’s no commute involved transportation other than getting up in the morning, you can make yourself breakfast and lunch, you can work in remote places if you’re traveling… truly the list goes on. But there can be downsides if you don’t design a routine for yourself leading to unproductivity. I work in Project Management, so there are a lot of phone calls and Excel sheets haha so I need to keep organized! Here are a few tips I have learned about working from home!
Have a designated workspace (invest in a desk and comfortable chair)
This will forever be my #1 tip! For the first month, I sat on my couch and it was terrible. I felt lazy, my work was all over the place and unorganized and overall I just felt sloppy. I bought a desk from Big Lots (linked here!) and it was the best investment! I now have a place and drawer for all of my necessities and when I sit down I know it’s time to work! It can be tempting to stay on the couch or even bed (EK!) but trust me, once you get a desk it really turns morale around!
Have a morning routine
Goes along perfect with the suggestion above. ROUTINE IS EVERYTHING! Just like if you were going into the office, you need a routine to set the foundation for your day. Whether it is waking up and working out, making yourself breakfast and shower, whatever works for you, do it! It will help you be more productive so when you sit down you are able to get right to work!
Take a lunch break
Lunch! Take it! Eat it! Please! It is so easy to get lost in emails/meetings/phone notifications/etc. and I promise you that if you forget to get lunch you will be miserable. If you get hangry like me you know what I’m talking about! I saw myself literally forgetting to eat lunch and so what I started doing was blocking off my calendar “Lunch” and put things on Do Not Disturb. You deserve to have a rest so please take a lunch break!
Go outside to either grab coffee or just walk around for break
You can do this instead of or on top of lunch! Breaks are important. They clear your head, they allow you to take a breather. The best thing you can do is get fresh air during the work day! Force yourself to go out for a walk around the block, or grab a coffee. When I have a bit of time I go out and grab something for lunch that takes a bit of a walk to get the body moving and give me a boost of energy!
Set work hours
Warning: This is a HOT take. Unless you are a brain surgeon, the world is not going to collapse and no one will die if you answer an email at 11pm vs. 8am. It just won’t. Set your hours and your boundaries and stick to them. My calendar clearly states that my work hours are 7:30am-4:30pm and if your email or phone call does not fall within that timeframe I may not be able to answer. It is important to have that balance and separation so remember that.
Use a planner
Planners are truly my saving grace. I get a new one every year (like this one from Lilly Pultizer, or this one from Ban.do) and it keeps me organized like nothing else. I have tried the whole iPhone or Google calendar and it just doesn’t do it for me. I actually missed appointments because it just wasn’t reliable to me. Pro Tip: Look at your planner the night before so you know what to be prepared for the next morning!
Make to-do lists
Post-Its, sticky notes, iPhone notes, napkins, I don’t care where but To-Do lists make a difference. I am a huge believer that writing things down allows you to commit it to memory and what better than a bright yellow note screaming at you to let you know you have to get something done?
Get dressed!
Seems silly, but it is true. This is a tip I got from my mom. Once you do your morning routine, get dressed and out of your PJs! I normally very natural makeup, some jeans (these are my fave right now!) and a sweater with my UGG Slippers. It really does make a difference.
Stay off social media
This one is a given. Just don’t do it love. Once you open it all of a sudden you’re an hour in, looking at your friend’s cousin’s sister’s wedding in Hawaii and you totally missed a deadline.
I hope this helps some of you considering working from home, and ones currently doing it! What other tips do you have?