How To Work From Home

This is the first part in a guide on how to work from home. For more, take a look here. This post was updated on 03/21/2020.

If you’re new to working from home, social distancing may have sent you to a small corner of your otherwise-not-conducive-for-work home. Welcome! Working from home is now the new norm. And, global pandemic aside, this is likely a trend that will continue.

Companies are realizing that at home workers cost less and gives people a geographic independence they are looking for. Some companies are entirely remote because it increases the available talent if you can recruit globally, rather than locally.  Maybe you will go back into the office, or maybe this will become your new day-to-day. Either way, here is some advice on how to work from home (from someone who has done it off and on for the past decade and a half and is now primarily a work-at-home mom).

Obviously, you are going to need all of your required equipment: computer, high speed internet, phone, etc. But there are a few other, less obvious things, that make working from home a bit easier.

If you find that you are struggling to work from home now, during this crisis, I’ve written a post about that too. Take a look at how to work from home during a crisis. This post is just general work from home tips.

How to Work From Home

Get a workspace.

It doesn’t matter where it is or how it looks. Find a place in your home that is dedicated to work. I know that in some homes this can be more challenging. Even if it is just the other end of your kitchen table, find a place to set up shop. I’ve worked in a closet, my mom’s pantry, a bathroom (desperate times…).  Make sure it has a comfortable chair (but not too comfortable. You don’t want to find yourself napping), decent lighting (consider a lamp specifically for your workspace), and enough space for the things you need.

You have to resist the urge to work from your bed or the couch. I know…it is calling you. Mine is calling me right this very second. It is not great for your body or your productivity. And, it puts you in the wrong headspace for work (and an even worse headspace when you are trying to relax later on).  Your subconscious will think it’s time to work when your body is trying to get to sleep.

If there isn’t space on a table or a desk, a TV tray could work. Just find a space that you can dedicate to work and mimics an office as much as possible, with the space that you have. You need to be able to “go to work” and just as importantly, “leave work.” Which brings me to number two…

Leave work.

Sometimes, when you first start working from home, you find yourself always working (and at the same time never really working). Work bleeds into home and home bleeds into work.

It is important to set aside a chunk of time to work (without getting distracted by laundry, dishes, your dog, etc) obviously. But it is just as important to leave work. At around the same time each day, or after a certain accomplishment, turn off your computer and “leave.”

Even if it just means physically getting up from your kitchen table, it is important to leave work.

Find a ritual to mark the end of your day (I turn off my computer, stack up my notebooks, and neaten up my space). Anything that signifies that the day is done (just like packing up to leave the office would). At first it seems silly, but after a while, you signal to your subconscious that the day is done and your evening can begin.

Get some high-quality headphones.

Depending on who else is working (or not working!) at home with you or what other background noises there are, you may need to drown it all out. Or at least listen to some motivating and focus-inducing music (like Spotify’s Lo-Fi Beats playlist).

If there are a lot of people, dogs, traffic, etc. but you don’t like headphones, try a high-quality speaker or you may even consider a white noise machine.

Get whatever equipment will make you comfortable.

If you have the space in your home office, outfit it with whatever ergonomic accessories you need. Get a better laptop, a better mouse, a way to lift your computer to a better angle. Find the best chair you can afford.

And get yourself a favorite water bottle and coffee mug that you absolutely love. Let them be your “work” cups.

Get some work clothes.

Yes, you have to get dressed. And you have to do it in the morning.

I know. It is so tempting to just “head to work” in your jammies. Don’t.

I will admit, that when I have a deadline or am stressed about something, I will often dive right in, before getting dressed. But, when I do this, I usually regret it, and I always take a mid-morning break after I’ve made a dent in whatever I’m working on, and get dressed.

You don’t need to wear a pencil skirt and pumps, but you do need to wear something different than what you slept in, even if it is your “fancy” yoga pants.

I talk more about what I wear when I work from home here. I am almost never dressed up, but I do get out of my jammies and I usually get out of my yoga pants. I sometimes even wear a silk blouse (during conference calls). Getting dressed is important. It is one more thing that separates your work day from your home life, and being “ready” for work makes us much more productive.

Take a break

You have to work in a few breaks. Obviously, you don’t want to interrupt your flow every twenty minutes to clean or chitchat, watch Netflix or check social media. But you do need to build in breaks.

I like the Pomodoro Technique, with 25 minute increments and two minute breaks for projects that don’t take a lot of concentration and are tedious or difficult and one to two hour increments when I batch work. After two hours, I get up from my workspace and stretch a bit. I usually grab a snack, fill up my water bottle, and then zone out on Pinterest or email for a few minutes.

If I’m particularly stressed or feeling stuck, I take a walk.

When you work in an office, your coworkers interrupt your day (which sometimes makes things difficult) but they often force necessary breaks on us. You have conversations in the break room and usually the bathroom is a bit of a walk from your desk. When working out home, especially if alone or with others who are also working steadily, we don’t have these forced breaks. They are important and will always help with productivity (as long as you don’t let the breaks take as long as the work).

Be Patient

Working at home is a skill. And like any skill, it takes work. It takes discipline to avoid distraction. It takes skill to get comfortable doing what you do at your office at home. And it takes time to get used to.

Be patient with yourself while you develop a few systems and a work-from-home groove.

After a while, you might find that you love it!

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One of the most important things to do when you work from home is to find ways to delineate between the work day and your home life, your workspace and your relaxing space. Going to work, dressed and ready for work, and then ending your day, just as you would if you worked at an office, is the best way to make your work-from-home day as productive as possible.

For more tips on how to work from home, see part two of this post, take a look at my work from home collection or subscribe.

And, if you’re reading this as we are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic (or any very stressful time), take a look at how to work from home during stressful times.

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