Working from Home? 10 Tips for Productivity, Sanity, and Your Health

Due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, many professionals are working from home for the first time. I regularly work at home two days a week and usually on Sunday, depending on my weekend schedule; it's not as easy as people may think. I've had this routine since becoming a professor in 2000 and since my daughter was little. Given that I am able to be highly productive when I work at home, I thought I'd share some strategies.

1. Set an alarm early enough so you can eat breakfast and complete your morning routine in time to start working at a set time each morning. I typically get up at 7:30 a.m. so that I'm ready by 8:30 a.m. to begin working. Routine is key for me.
2. Locate a place (or places) in your home where you are going to work. Most people choose one place -- perhaps a home office or the dining room table. I tend to like to move around during the day and as I do different things on my to-do list. I write at the dining room table (even though I have a desk in my home office). I do emails in my home office sitting on a small couch with the ottoman in front of me. I read in a big chair in my living room with my knees tucked underneath me as it's cozy. I am back at the living room table for virtual meetings. Given that you will be by yourself and not with your co-workers in the office, it's good to get up and move around as often as possible.
3. During conferences calls that are phone calls only, I get up and walk. I have done conference calls on a treadmill, walking the circumference of my open concept living room/dining room/kitchen area, and outside to get fresh air. In an hour, I can get 10,000 steps in for the day, sometimes more. Depending on the number of conference calls, I can get 5-6 miles in. Remember exercise makes you more productive.
4. My work involves writing, which means I'm in front of my laptop for long periods of time. I break up the time with lunch at noon and then a workout around 3 p.m. I do this because I begin to lose focus around that time and know that a short workout gives me energy to last until 6 p.m. I also take email breaks for a few minutes every few hours.
5. My next suggestion may sound strange, but I surround myself with items that make me feel good when I work at home. Flowers are my go to item. I like to write and work next to them. They make me feel happy. I also make sure I have my favorite cup full of hot, black coffee in the morning. And I always have a thick journal next to me to jot down ideas as I work so that I can come back to them later and don't get distracted.
6. I suggest making a to-do list at the beginning of the day -- noting what you want to accomplish -- and then check things off as you move throughout the day. This strategy always makes me feel good about my work and my day. I use one notebook for my to-do lists so that I can reflect back on them and to ensure I did various items.
7. I don't work through lunch or with lunch next to my computer. I take an actual break. During this break, I make my lunch -- something that is satisfying and yummy. I sometimes watch a comedy like The Office to laugh a bit. Other times, I read a magazine -- I have to get through my subscription of House Beautiful each month somehow. I've been subscribing since before I could afford a house -- always dreaming of the future.
8. If you want to get your work accomplished, it's important to stay off social media. Given that I direct an academic center, I have to post items to social media daily. I have staff that also does this for our center, but it's important for me to post from my personal accounts as well. In order to post without getting sucked into the vortex that is social media, I just post and leave. I place my phone away from me while I write and resist the urge to check social media all day long. Of note, in January, I decided that I wasn't going to scroll through social media sites anymore given the vitriol that I was seeing among so many people -- strangers and friends alike. Life has been better since making that decision and I have less of an urge to see 'what's happening' in the world as presented through the filter of others. I read various Apple News platforms instead.
9. If you have small children, working from home is challenging. When my daughter was little and we were both home together, I used a variety of strategies to make the most of her day and to get my work done. My breaks from work were spent with her. I might take her for a walk, make a quick trip to the park, play a game with her, eat lunch together, or just talk about any subject that she deemed funny or important. I did teach my daughter early on how to entertain herself and would set up activities that she could do throughout the day. I also taught her to clean up after herself from an early age (my mom did the same thing with me). On any given day, my daughter had a range of things she could do from reading to tea parties with stuffed animals to arts and crafts to watching one or two of her favorite TV shows. I'm not going to lie, it was much more difficult to work from home when she was smaller, but I did the best I could. Today, we work side-by-side on our writing when she is home from college.
10. If you are caring for an elderly parent it can also be challenging to work from home. I love my mom with all my heart and I love when she visits for extended periods of time. However, she is 89 and requires a lot of attention. Plus, she loves to tell stories and wants me to listen to them. As I love to have her visit and spend time with my daughter as well, I am direct with her. I explain to her that when I'm home working, I'm actually at work. I have responsibilities and tasks to complete. I also include her in my breaks. She loves to have lunch together and we normally break in the afternoon for coffee or tea and something sweet. Most elderly people take a nap for a few hours a day so I use this time to work without disruptions. I also make sure my mom has a lot to do -- I bought her an IPad (and taught her to use it), make sure she has all her favorite Danielle Steel novels, and plenty of magazines. If she wants to talk while I'm working, I politely ask her if we can chat during lunch or a bit later. Sometimes she complies; other times not so much.

Working from home takes some getting used to for most people but if you can be disciplined, you will make more progress than you did in the office. You may not realize it but there are far fewer distractions at home. Consider how many times you are interrupted every hour while working in the office. Good luck and know that I'm working from home all week long now too.