How to Work from Home.

The COVID-19 crisis has forced many of us to work from home. I have a friend that is working from home for the first time who says she feels “discombobulated.” That is funny to hear because I’ve been doing this work from home gig for 16 years. SIXTEEN! And I love it! Over that time, I’ve found many things that help productivity but the two most important things are: structure and discipline. Here’s how I’ve been able to make this work for me. 

Structured workspace: Set up an area in your home where you will be working. Make sure this area has everything you need, including office supplies. The last thing you need to do is wander the house looking for a stapler and then get sidetracked by a dishwasher that needs to be emptied. 

Structured routine: Figure out your “work hours” and stick to them as closely as possible every day. Plan on taking a lunch break at the same time every day. If it is nice, go outside and eat so you’ll get a break from your desk. Setting work hours will establish a routine of “work time” vs. “home time.” This means you aren’t doing laundry in between conference calls. Laundry and other household chores can wait until after work hours, just as if you were leaving the house every day. This also means you aren’t checking work email after work hours. You do not want to blur the lines between work and home. This adds stress and creates the feeling that you never really stop working.

Disciplined planning: Plan your daily schedule as much as possible, however this works for you. I’m an obsessive list maker. I have a grocery list, work list, goals list, longterm list, what’s in my freezer list, errands list. Excuse me while I raise my freak flag. Lists keep me focused. My lists are even color coded between work projects vs. errands. If I have a list, I can focus on the tasks at hand. I don’t ever have a day where I sit down at my desk and think, “What am I supposed to be doing today?” One of the tools I use for this is called Evernote. It’s a digital way of keeping “notes” or whatever you want to save for later. Another tool I use is Paymo. This is a time tracking application that allows me to accurately track time I’m spending on projects so that I can bill clients later. I don’t use this for all clients but it works well if you are jumping on and off a lot of different tasks. It can also be used for time management. If you are new to working at home, you could actually track how many hours you work, and how you spend your time.

Disciplined routine: Get up, get dressed, brush your teeth and “go to work.” This will make you feel as if you prepared for work and arrived ready to work. I’ll admit, this is one rule I frequently break. Some days I’ll get up, pour coffee and dig in to work, losing all track of time. Lunchtime arrives and I begin to wonder if I’ve brushed my teeth. The good news about this is it means work is getting done. The bad news is that personal hygiene is not a priority for the day. 

If you exercise every day, try to set a time that is also a routine and part of your daily schedule. One of the first things I did after becoming a freelancer is join a gym. I’m an introvert so working by myself is not difficult but I early on, I found that even I missed seeing people. Since then, the gym is a regular routine and I’ve made many friends there. 

Working at home with kids: This one gets a little tricky. Hats off to all the parents that are working from home AND having to homeschool your kids. When my kids were little, the only time they were home while I was working was during summer break. Sometimes I found camps or other summer programs  for them to attend. Sometimes they had to entertain themselves. But many summers they were home while I was working. When they were little, I invented “Mommy Summer Camp.” Each day, I gave them a list of things to do. Read a book, make your bed, draw a picture…something that was age appropriate in both level of task and number of tasks. If they completed their tasks (and didn’t fight with each other) at the end of the day, they were able to go to the “treasure box.” This was a big bin of junk they could choose from. (Silly string, a treat, stickers, water balloons). If I was lucky, whatever they selected could be something to keep them busy for the next day. Again, for parents working at home and having to manage kids and schoolwork, I would suggest blocking out “work time” vs. “school time” in order to manage expectations.

Good luck to all my friends that are navigating this new work from home situation. I hope everyone can find balance in this “new abnormal” and find what works for you and your family.