8 Tips for Working from Home

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Ideally, when working from home, you’ll be at a desk or table and not on the couch or in bed.

Ideally, when working from home, you’ll be at a desk or table and not on the couch or in bed.

For awhile now I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about working from home, and with the coronavirus top of mind for countless American workers, I figured there was no better time than the present to get this post out into the world. Of course, you know that you should blast Fifth Harmony’s “Work From Home” at the start of each workday, but what else should you do to ensure #WFH success?

I’ve been working for home for about 10 months now, ever since I took Serve Me the Sky Digital full-time. I walk a fine line between introversion and extroversion, so I wasn’t sure how working from home was going to go. I was nervous I might feel isolated or bored. That hasn’t been the case. However, there are a few key things I’ve learned along the way that have made working from home work for me. I’m sharing them here with you today in case they help you too.

1) Get dressed

At first, you might think that one of the best parts of working from home is that you can stay in your pajamas all day. You certainly can stay in your pajamas all day, but I haven’t found that to be terribly helpful in getting myself into a mindset to do work. That being said, it’s pretty great to not have to put on business casual outfits every morning. I tend to wear comfy sweatpants or leggings with t-shirts or oversized sweaters. It’s a uniform of sorts that puts me in the mindset of, “Okay, I’m getting out of bed and going to work now.”

2) Create a commute

This advice may seem counterintuitive. You just got rid of your commute! But it can be hard to transition mentally from one mode to the next. Relaxing at home to being a professional? It’s not as easy as you might think! I’ve created a morning commute of walking my dogs around the block. That’s my signal that the day is starting. When I get back to the house, I’m in work mode.

3) Carve out a real workspace.

Working on the couch is awesome, but it’s far from ideal. You may feel more distracted on the couch where you watch TV and play video games every night. If you have the space, sit at a real desk or table in a separate room. Definitely don’t stay in bed with your laptop. You need a designated workspace so you can get in the zone. 

4) Take an actual lunch break. 

It’s so common to eat lunch at your desk in an office job, but when you’re working from home, there’s no pressure from the people around you to keep working while you eat. I’ve actually found it’s easier to overwork when you work from home. Without the distractions of an open floor plan office, I can dive into deep work and sometimes forget to re-emerge and eat. Stop working and go eat lunch! Don’t bring your laptop. Don’t check emails. An added benefit of being home is that you can cook yourself a little something (for me, it’s almost always an omelette or fried eggs). It sure beats PB&J! Enjoy a book or some time outside in the sun. Take a true break. It’s a wonderful thing. You’ll come back refreshed and ready to get shit done.

5) Beware of chores

When you’re working from home, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of “Look at me, I’m being so productive! I’ve done three loads of laundry and washed all the dirty dishes.” That’s great, but that’s not the professional work you need to accomplish. If you’d like to do chores while you’re working from home, go for it, but try to spread them out over the workweek so you don’t accidentally lose half a day to cleaning.

6) Get out of the house

This won’t apply if you find yourself under coronavirus quarantine, but otherwise, I highly recommend making an effort to get out of the house. I have a handful of meetings outside my home office each week and they help keep me from going stir crazy. If you don’t have in-person meetings, run an errand. Going to the post office, grocery store, or even the gym can be a good way to break up the day and ensure you see other humans.

7) Reward yourself

When you’re not working in an office, you miss out on things like birthday and holiday celebrations. Reward yourself for your hard work by celebrating the small wins. Finish all your work for the day? Stop early! It’s okay to stop working at 4 or 4:30 instead of 5pm, I swear. Wrap up a big project? Treat yourself to a cookie from your favorite bakery! Small, special moments really matter when you’re working all by yourself.

8) Set a hard stop

As I mentioned, overwork is common when you’re working from home. To avoid overwork, set a hard stop. Whether it’s shutting down your laptop every day at 5:30 or booking a 6pm class at the gym, make sure you don’t let your work bleed into every moment of your free time just because your office happens to be inside your home.

I hope these tips prove helpful if you find yourself working from home! Have you worked from home before? What are your best tips? I’d love to hear them--tweet me at @servemethesky!

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