8 Tips For Working From Home
Maybe you just landed a remote job or recently convinced your employer to let you work remotely, whatever the case might be, here are 8 tips for you to succeed when working from home.
Get started early— The biggest mistake one can make when working from home is to not take advantage of the time you are saving dropping the commute, getting ready, etc. Use this time to your own benefit. You can prep lunch and dinner, do some meditation, take a walk around the neighborhood, go to the gym, work on your side hustle, or I don’t know, get work started earlier? Whichever you choose, make sure it helps you by starting the day on a productive note. Getting your day started early will set you off to a successful day!
Create a routine— It is important for you to act as if you are leaving your home to go to the office as often as possible because it will help you manage your time and will organically create a routine for you. We highly recommend for you to take a shower, get dressed, and have breakfast. Treat your day as you would if you had somewhere to be at 9am. Think of it as simply adapting your previous routine of commuting to work to working from home.
Set up a designated workspace— This one is important! When working from home the last thing you want is to work from your bedroom. Please! Whatever you do, do not bring work into your bedroom unless you really have no choice. Set up a designated workspace where you can work with minimal distractions. If you have the space for a desk, perfect! If not, don’t worry. You can use your dining table, a folding table, or get creative with a standup desk. The goal is for you to find what works for you. You might not find the best fit right away, but once you get into your routine you will find what works best for you.
Create a to-do list— Yes, I know. This one isn’t that creative, but it is so helpful! Creating a daily to-do list will help you stay on track. There is something about checking a task off a to-do list that just feels so fulfilling, so take advantage of that! You can do this two ways:
Take advantage of technology to stay in touch with colleagues— This one is my favorite! Working from home can get lonely at times so make sure you find ways to stay in touch with your colleagues if your company does not have any polices in place. Some of the popular ones are: Slack, Zoom, Hangouts, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and Facebook Groups.
Take breaks—We are not robots! Please, repeat after me, “WE ARE NOT ROBOTS.” We are humans and not only do we need water to survive, but we also need breaks so we can function properly. When you work from home it is very easy to get caught up in your work and forget to eat breakfast or lunch. Do not get into this habit. Fit breaks into your to-do list. Trust me! It will make you more productive at the end of the day. We all need a quick reset every now and then.
Don’t be afraid to experiment— Yes, it is often called work from home because that is what most people do, but you don’t always have to. You can and should get out to the real world when you can, because after all, that is the beauty of working remotely, you can do it from anywhere! So get out there and visit a coffee shop, co-working space, park, library, etc. Get out there and have some human interaction.
Know when to log off— Saved the best for last! Make sure you know when to log off, from work, Slack, email, etc. The temptation is very high when working from home because you have your laptop within reach and your phone in your hand. Do not fall into temptation! Think about it…you wouldn’t rush to the office at 9pm if something came up, so think about it the same way. This is why it is important to get an early start so you can unplug as soon as your work day ends.
