My Best Tips for Working from Home

I’ve been working from home for quite a while now so I know all the ins and outs 😉 But for most of you, this is likely a very new (and possibly challenging) experience. It can be difficult adjusting from a structured office routine to a not-so-structured and confusing home schedule. While it does take a while to get used to, it does get much easier and you might find that you even enjoy working from home! To make the transition a little easier, I’ve compiled my best tips on how to efficiently and productively work from home 🙂 Enjoy!

*****************

My Best Tips for Working from Home

Create a Routine

Creating a routine will help you adjust from office life to working at home. It’s important to set aside time for non-work related activities so you don’t burn out. For example, when I wake up in the morning, I love to stretch, do a quick 5-10 meditation and watch a short YouTube video while I mask and drink some blueberry green tea. From there, I make my (realistic) to do list and get started on my work! Throughout the day, I also make sure to schedule in a 30 min yoga session/workout, a quick chat with friends through DM and some type of creative activity. My work day is pretty long (because I love my job!) but having something non-work related to look forward to makes it even sweeter. Plus breaking up my time between different activities

Set a Schedule

Much like setting a routine for yourself, it’s important to also set a schedule for your work. For me, every day is different but I have an idea of what I’ll be doing. A couple of years ago, I started time blocking my schedule and that has helped me be much more effective in my work. Since I own a business, I schedule specific days for editing, writing, brainstorming, bookkeeping, site updates, etc but time blocking could definitely work for other type of work too! And even if you aren’t into time blocking, just having a set time to do things will help a ton! I schedule my largest and most important tasks in the morning since that’s when I have the most energy and then I leave the afternoon for finishing up smaller tasks that don’t require much thought 😉

Establish Regular Working Hours

This one is SO important because when you work from home, it can hard to know when to “turn off.” If I don’t set specific working hours then I can easily work the entire day and while I do love my job, I also love other things and try to balance out my schedule by making time for those too. For the last four weeks, I’ve been working from 8am-5:30pm and I’ve been very strict with these hours (because let’s be real… you have to be!). I find that if I plan my day out right then I can usually stick this with no problem. I find that setting a timer helps when it comes to certain tasks and instead of worrying about the items that I didn’t finish on my to do list, I give myself grace and leave it for the next day. If I find that I still have an important task to complete after my work hours, then I’ll give myself one more hour before bed time (after my husband has already gone to sleep) to finish. And if I’m feeling tired when the time comes, then I go bed and save it for the morning. Listening to my body and how I feel has definitely helped me out so much in this area!

Make a To Do List

Every morning before I start my work, I write down all the tasks (big and small) that I need to complete for the day. I also have a separate list of tasks that recur everyday on a dry erase sheet in my planner. I go through my first list and star anything that is important or time sensitive and then I begin on those. Once I’ve completed all the big tasks, then I’ll move on to my recurring tasks or the smaller tasks that don’t necessarily need to be done right away. I also have another list that includes projects I’d like to start on that don’t really have a timeline and I utilize this when I need a break, I have extra time or just when the mood strikes.

Get Ready for the Day

When working from home, a lot of people tend to stay in their PJS or loungewear (been there!) but I find that I’m much more productive when I actually get dressed and get ready for the day (find my favorite work from home outfits here). I usually wear a cute and comfy dress along with light makeup (BB cream, mascara, cream blush and lip gloss). If I’m shooting photos or a video, then I get completely made up and dressed in my normal attire. And for those days when I’m just feeling lazy or have a ton of work to do, I give myself a DIY facial and wear leggings and a cozy sweater or cute top. It’s important to note that whether or not I’m wearing makeup, I always make time to do my full skincare routine every single day. Even just doing that makes me feel a million times better!

Set Up a Workspace

I find that I’m most productive when I work at my desk rather than on my couch in the living room. If I need a “change of scenery,” then I’ll work from my pink futon in the office or out on the patio. I always feel much more inspired working in my office and I tend to get more things done 😉 To create the right atmosphere, I always keep my office tidy, light a candle burning and listen to soft music (usually GOT/piano) or a podcast if I’m doing a task (like editing) that requires very little thought. I never ever watch TV unless I take a quick break.

Quick Tips

Stay Hydrated

When you work from home, you can easily forget to stay hydrated! I have a few different water bottles but my faves are a water bottle with different time stamps to remind me to drink more often and my gorgeous rose quartz water bottle with a fruit infuser insert. It’s been so helpful in keeping me on track!

Take Frequent Breaks

Not only do I love scheduling non-work activities throughout the day to break up the work day, but I also love to schedule in breaks because it’s so important to have that downtime. Since I work from my computer and phone mainly, I get off all devices during my breaks. I love eating lunch on my patio with all of my pretty plants, taking a short 15 minute walk outside, reading a few pages from my favorite book, watching an episode of The Office, taking a quick “nap” with a face mask on and even just having an impromptu dance party!

Use Blue Light Glasses

I started using blue light glasses last year and they have made such a difference! They are a must have for anyone that works from a phone or computer (which most of us right now haha!). Plus they look super cute 😉

Do you have any other tips to add?