With quarantining at home becoming the new norm across the globe, many people have joined the ranks of remote workers.
Making sure you're able to work from home without too much effort is a skill worth learning, since most likely the next few months are going to be just that: the future of work will be a hybrid of going to the office and working remotely.
While avoiding the perils of getting yourself up and into the office on time is something many have wished for, working from home comes with its own challenges and rewards.
If this is your first time working in your home office, you may be overwhelmed by all this freedom, and let's not forget the emotions surrounding the currently raging global pandemic.
But try not to get too carried away with all the newfound flexibility. For the most part, it’s just an illusion.
Telecommuting from home in these troubling times you will encounter more temptation to do anything but work.
How can you stay productive at home and what things should you consider when working from your home office?
Check out the following 13 tips that hopefully come in handy.
- Get Ready To Work 👩🏽💼👨🏿💼
- Avoid Immediately Checking The News 📰❌
- Rejoice Over The Lack Of A Commute 🙌🏽
- Dedicate A Space For Work 💻
- Set Ground Rules 🙅🏽♂📝
- Stay Organized 🗄
- Make A Daily To-Do List 🖊📃
- Ensure There’s A Reliable Connection 🖥👍🏼
- Embrace The Video In Video Conferencing 🧑🏻💻🙋🏿♀️
- Abide By A Schedule 👀
- Prep Healthy Meals & Snacks 🥗🍎
- Strive For Balance 🧘🏽♀️🧖🏾♀️
- Rest Up 🛌 😴
- Which internet service provider is the most reliable in the area?
- What internet speed do you need? If you have a lot of devices hooked up to one network, your internet speed gets divided up between each device.
- Where will the router be? Will I hardwire the internet (cord is connecting your computer to the modem), or use wifi?
Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra).
1. Get Ready To Work 👩🏽💼👨🏿💼
Avoid pressing that snooze button on your alarm. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it really is time to roll out of bed. Even when working from home, you need to get a solid routine going.
Even though you’re in the private confines of your house, fight the urge to sit around in your underwear pouring over the news.
Actually shower and get dressed. Avoid staying in your pajamas or bathrobe for too long.
Set yourself up for productivity and success as soon as you roll out of bed. The attire you choose to wear has been proven to affect the performance of individuals on the job.
Choose wisely. Dress for success.
2. Avoid Immediately Checking The News 📰❌
It’s natural to want to stay updated and in the know.
But by all means necessary, please evade embracing the onslaught of news first thing in the morning – good or bad.
Checking your smartphone first thing in the morning makes you more stressed out and overwhelmed, increases the difficulty of prioritizing tasks, and makes you feel already behind in your day.
With tensions already running high, you really don’t need the added burden.
Instead, consider tricks like charging your phone far away from your bed and investing in an alarm clock.
Once you’re up, maybe drink a tall glass of water or make yourself a coffee before settling in to drink it while you write in a gratitude journal, read, meditate or listen to a podcast.
Again, it’s all about setting yourself up for success – don’t let your countless notifications and unread emails rattle you right off the bat.
3. Rejoice Over The Lack Of A Commute 🙌🏽
This is a big one.
Commuting to and from work is not only a waste of time, but it’s also harmful to the environment.
On average, Americans spend almost an hour a day commuting to and from work. In your case, all this will now be avoided.
A typical work week usually consists of 5 days, plus a 2 day weekend.
Working from home in an effort to flatten the curve will not only eliminate most of your commuting time, but also help slow the spread of the virus.
In your average week, you can now add an additional 5 hours to anything you’re doing. Make that extra time count whether it be dedicated to practicing self-care, learning a new skill, or connecting with loved ones.
4. Dedicate A Space For Work 💻
Since you won’t be commuting to a dedicated office setting, you’ll need to find a spot somewhere that works for you and is comfortable.
Make sure that you can set yourself up properly and not feel cramped the whole time you’re working.
You don’t have to dedicate an entire room to your workspace, just make sure you have plenty of room for yourself, your documents, and equipment (i.e. computer, tablet, etc).
You may want to escape the confines of your home and wander off elsewhere. In normal times, people flock to local coffee shops, co-working spaces, or perhaps even the library to get their work done.
This isn’t possible or recommended at the moment, but maybe you’re instead able to set up shop in a shady area of your yard or on a balcony.
Get creative and see what works for you. Play around with your setup and you’ll eventually figure out what best suits your work efficiency.
5. Set Ground Rules 🙅🏽♂📝
This bit of advice is probably going to be a lot easier said than done. But as much as possible, try to set some ground rules with the other people residing in your home.
If you have kids who are also stuck at home and engaged in remote schooling, maybe consider syncing up your times. You focus on your job while they do their homework.
If your kids are younger and more in the daycare zone, setting up designated playtimes with their favorite toys or special TV time only during Mommy's work time can be a great solution.
If the kiddos have something to look forward to, they'll hopefully be less inclined to interrupt.
You can also try setting up an activity center near your designated workspace so you can keep one eye on them and one eye on your laptop.
It’ll be tough and likely take much trial and error, but some semblance of strategic structure will go a long way. Experiment and find what works for your household.
6. Stay Organized 🗄
Working from home makes it easy to forget that your work may sometimes need to be separated from your personal life.
All of your work content - files, documents, contracts are most likely also now at home with you.
Because of this, you need to take special efforts to ensure everything is well organized and not going to get lost among the usual things you find around the home.
How are you going to explain to your boss or clients that the hardcopy report they procured for you disappeared somewhere between your ever-growing stack of magazines and other household paper items?
You wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that Zoom call, so follow these tried and true tips for organizing your workspace.
7. Make A Daily To-Do List 🖊📃
When it comes to staying organized when working from home, it can be a real struggle to keep track of what needs to be done throughout your workday.
It’s surprisingly easy to lose sight of priorities, tasks, and deadlines when there’s no boss breathing down your neck.
To counteract this, start your day by reviewing what needs to be accomplished for the day.
When you make your task list, try your best to stick to delivering. Depending on your personality/ work ethic, it might help to set goals and time limits for each task. Then after you complete one, cross it off the list.
So simple, yet so satisfying.
8. Ensure There’s A Reliable Connection 🖥👍🏼
Depending on your business, this may be one of the most important things to have for your home office.
Having a reliable internet and phone connection will alleviate loads of pain in the long run.
Remember, when ordering internet and phone services you want to keep these things in mind:
Once the physical infrastructure is in place and functioning properly, you’re going to need to ensure there’s effective remote communication taking place. This timely infographic does a great job of depicting exactly that:
9. Embrace The Video In Video Conferencing 🧑🏻💻🙋🏿♀️
Time delays, accidental interruptions, and dropped connections are just a few of the ways communication can be hindered when conducting virtual meetings.
It all becomes especially difficult if you’re unable to see the speaker.
Nowadays pretty much every device comes with a built-in camera. So, throw on a nice shirt, use the call as an excuse to spruce up your workspace a bit, and learn to embrace your webcam fully.
The added effort may feel like a drag when the option of disabling video is ever-present. But make the effort and avoid confusion.
It may go without saying, but if things are unclear, don't be afraid to double-check. Repeat back what you heard the other person say to ensure you’ve correctly interpreted their meaning.
Video conferencing tools have allowed people to maintain some sense of normalcy during these uncertain times.
Zoom quickly became the belle of the ball with its free version allowing up to 100 participants to stay connected while working from home, but it isn’t necessarily the best option for everyone.
10. Abide By A Schedule 👀
As mentioned before, working from home means much more freedom. But don’t let that go to your head.
Creating a makeshift home office doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want. There still needs to be structure.
Figure out the hours or days when you are most productive. This might take some trial and error to accomplish, but I strongly suggest you give it a shot. Take note of when your performance peaks and when it recedes.
Some people choose to incorporate ultradian rhythms when optimizing their work schedules. Working in blocks during peak productivity with plenty of small breaks in between.
Use the information you gathered at productive times of day to help construct yourself the most optimal schedule.
Again, everyone is different. Play around with your schedule, it might take a little while to create the one that works for you best.
11. Prep Healthy Meals & Snacks 🥗🍎
Another new work-from-home reality is the close and convenient proximity to your pantry and fridge.
Whenever lunch or snack time rolls around, it’s common to grab whatever is easiest – leftover pizza, anyone?
Additionally, for many of us, second and even third lunch somehow work its way into our busy schedules.
The beauty of working in an office is that you’re oftentimes forced to consume whatever lunch you prepared at home – thereby preventing excessive intake.
The research has spoken, and it’s widely accepted that eating fruits and vegetables has a direct link on your overall productivity.
So whenever making a daring grocery store run or ordering food supplies, try to stock up on the good stuff, avoiding buying unhealthy snacks altogether.
12. Strive For Balance 🧘🏽♀️🧖🏾♀️
Mind-body balance is a key factor for working from home success - regardless of what's hitting the fan.
Keeping your body and mind grounded should be a top priority.
So, try to carve out at least 5 minutes each day to sit in silence, let your thoughts wander, and breathe out all the frustration you might be feeling.
After introducing a daily mindfulness routine, you may be surprised by the results and end up thanking the pandemic for providing you with a chance to stop for a moment and breathe deeply.
Combine this with 10 minutes of physical exercise and you’ll feel like a whole new person after a few weeks.
YouTube is filled to the brim with HIIT, yoga, pilates, and all other sorts of tutorials for you to check out.
👉🏼 Pick one and start moving.
And speaking of tutorials, you can also use this time at home as an opportunity to learn new skills.
If you’re a small business owner who was forced the shut the doors to your establishment, this quick course on how to take your brick and mortar business online may be right up your alley.
Whatever you do, do not despair. Make the most of your time instead.
13. Rest Up 🛌 😴
Lastly, it’s important to stay productive while also taking time to unwind. Whether it’s by binge-watching a new show (no guilt attached) or soaking in a warm bath.
Rest is essential for our brain and body to function properly.
Try to take things relatively lightly by again limiting when and how much news you consume.
Also, consider limiting contact with panicked people.
I’m not saying to avoid those in need of your support or a sympathetic ear, but keeping a healthy distance may be advisable if you’re a highly sensitive person prone to soaking up the negative energies exuding from others.
When all said and done, what matters is your health and too much worrying is never healthy.
Final Thoughts 👈🏼
It’s great to be able to work from home at this time. It offers a variety of advantages - the main one being the benefit of much-needed social distancing.
If you endeavor to practice a few things that we talked about, the transition will hopefully go off without a hitch.
Remember that in the face of all the confusion and fear, you need structure more than ever and more so than when you were working in an office.
It’s a lot easier to stray off course and get a little stir crazy in the confines of your own home.
But try to keep your eye on the prize and your feet on the ground.