Tips For Working From Home

Working from home is nothing new for me. Having been in Sales for over 20 years, I feel more at ease working from my house than I do when I have to venture into the office. I know I am the outlier when it comes to this, so for those of you that are now outside of your comfort zone, below I have compiled a few of my tips for working from home, along with several articles to help make your working from home experience productive.

1. Set-up a work space within your home. If you don’t have a home office, don’t worry. Find a spot in your home where you can permanently keep your laptop and whatever else is necessary for you to do your job.
2. Write-out your daily To-Do List. Since many of you now have kids at home and will be pulled in many directions, write out everything that you would like to get done today and then prioritize it! The ultimate goal each day is to accomplish the tasks that either have the earliest deadline or are the most important for you line of work.
3. Get dressed. Yes, the idea of working in your pjs sounds fantastic, and while you drink your morning coffee it is more than acceptable. However, spending the entire day in your pajamas will not feel as good as you think. So have some breakfast, finish up your coffee and get dressed in clothes that make you feel comfortable.
4. Take breaks and don’t forget to eat. It is always a great feeling when you get in to the zone! Everything starts to come together and you start to check off items on that ever growing to-do list. But there will come a point when your eyes start to glaze over a bit or your brain gets a bit fried! When this happens, take a break. If it is nice, go outside for a walk and bring the kids if they are home. Sit down with your family and have lunch or a snack. Take a few moments to get the laundry, the dishes or something else done around the house – this may seem against the grain of working from home, but checking some items off of your personal to-do list, may inspire you to get back in to work mode.
5. Set a schedule and a quitting time. One of the hardest parts about working from home is setting a finite time to stop working. Pending on your family dynamics that time may not be the same as it was when you went in to the office. If you live alone and have limited distractions, you may be able to start your day early than you would in the office and end at 3pm. For those with kids or who have other potential distractions during the day that take away from the normal 9-5, you can set your schedule with larger family breaks and then spend some time after dinner catching up. Whatever your schedule looks like, just make sure at a given time every day, you close down your computer and take some much needed downtime at night.

For some additional advice about working from home, please see the articles below. Wishing everyone well as we all adjust to our current environment.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90477552/ive-worked-from-home-for-almost-20-years-these-6-tips-make-it-awesome

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/productivity-tips-working-from-home

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/career/a31436581/working-from-home-tips/

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/15/815549926/8-tips-to-make-working-from-home-work-for-you

https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-organized-20-tips-for-working-from-home