Make Your Work from Home Days Work For You

• How can you stay productive when you are not in the office?
• How do you maintain that all-important balance between work and life? 
• Who is making the coffee this morning?

We may not have all the answers, but we are here to help you with staying productive and making the most of your quality time at home.

Maintain Your Daily Routine

We all have habits we do every workday. Waking up when you usually do, taking a shower and getting dressed in clothes you didn’t wear yesterday are all simple acts that can ground you in your routine and set you up for a good day at work.

Recycle Your Commute Time

Your daily commute is not going to be a factor for now, which leaves you with some time in your morning. Use that to connect with your family, read a book, listen to a podcast, or simply relax before you officially start your day.

Establish Your Workspace

It is important to have a space in your home where you know when you are there, you are working. This puts you into a naturally productive mindset and lets others around you know that you are working, even if you are sitting only 10 feet away.

Set Boundaries

Let those around you know that you are not available when you are working, particularly when you are engaged in a meeting or working on a creative idea. Setting reasonable boundaries will help keep you focused and productive. tools & resources to stay connected

Stick to Your Schedule

Start working at your usual time and keep your appointments and meetings throughout the day. This helps keep you in a productive headspace, and lets colleagues and customers know they can depend on you to be there when you normally would.

Eat Your Frog First

Mark Twain speaks to our modern-day work experience surprisingly well: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Meaning: do your most unpleasant task first and the rest of the day will be easier.

Set Achievable Tasks

As you progress through your day, crossing things off your to-do list is both motivating and immensely satisfying. Make your tasks realistic and bite-size to prevent being overwhelmed, and to make sure you feel productive throughout the day.

Take a Break. Take Two!

Resist the natural urge to be connected ALL THE TIME when you are working remotely. You take breaks to eat, stretch your legs or find a scrap of sanity while you are at work. Allow yourself those same basic kindnesses while working from home.

Allow Time for Interruptions

Boundaries or not, sometimes the cat runs outside and the baby’s got a face full of soggy cereal and you need to drop everything and lend a hand. You are often interrupted at work too – interruptions are a part of your job. Try not to get frustrated when they happen at home.

Business Unusual

Have you seen the box? I am not sure where it is, but I am sure we are all out of it. It is the perfect time to do some out-of-the-box thinking. As Karen Costello said: “Creativity and impact blossom where problems live.” Let this unusual situation inspire you to try something different.

Stay Connected

It may seem like you are alone, but nothing could be further from the truth. There is no shortage of tools and technology to keep you connected to colleagues, customers, and friends.

Ending Your Day

Consider Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands to fill the time available.” Ending your workday makes you more focused and productive during the hours you are working. When you would usually head home, close that laptop and let it go until tomorrow.

Keep an Eye on the Future

Once you establish that routine at home, it is easy to get caught up in your day-to-day duties. Set some time and effort during your week to plan and set yourself up to hit the ground running when business is booming again.

Appreciate Now

There will be a day – soon – when we all find ourselves in the office, wondering what happened to all that time we were away. Take some time to enjoy our current situation for its benefits, to appreciate those around you, and to simply be. Take a breath. Take a moment. Take a sip of that coffee.

And then do it all again tomorrow.