What’s happening babes? I know a lot of you are new to working from home lately so I wanted to share my top, CAREFULLY honed tips for working from home over the past 3 years. It’s been a JOURNEY to say the least and I have learned a lot. Here goes!
DO: establish a routine… specific to working from home
This was absolutely VITAL to me being productive. Just like having a routine for LEAVING the house, you should also have a routine for staying there, but it WILL look different. For me, I don’t get dressed unless I have a reason to. I start with washing my face/brushing my teeth and applying tons SPF & skincare products so I feel like I have taken care of myself and my skin stays dewy throughout the day. Then I make COFFEE + breakfast around 6am while listening to my morning podcast (most times NPR, sometimes Gary Vee… When I’m down I will listen to music instead). Once coffee/breakfast are made, I move to the table to work while I eat. Once about 10am rolls around, I will go exercise for 30mins to an hour or so. When I get back, I will take a 5mins shower, make lunch, and settle back in at my desk or the table for the afternoon. Around 5pm I make dinner for Deven and myself (and usually welcome him home, these days he’s obviously already here!) and we kind of catch up. Then I work a little more with the TV going. That’s just my routine that works for me! You can CLICK HERE for a blog post on some amazing Amazon products that have helped me stay productive while working from home over the past 3 years!
DON’T: worry about your attire/appearance unless necessary
This is a rookie mistake, in my personal opinion! I tried for a few months to get up every morning and get ready. Once that felt excessive, I downshifted to just putting SOME effort into my appearance. But it STILL just felt like a waste – a waste of money (all the makeup you put on and then wash down the drain after no one sees it, it costs money), time (obviously), and effort (all the laundry you use, you have to wash it after or at least put it away). I realized, once I got into the flow of my workday, I forgot what I had on and just wanted to be comfy sitting at my desk all day. Also – makeup daily clogs your pores. This could be a great time to give your face/hair a break!
DO: Set the scene
My best work takes place when I take a minute to get my space ready. You’re probably already in the habit of this at work but you have to learn to do it at home too! Get the temp right, turn on a lamp so you have plenty of light, get your essential oils or a candle going, make a cup of tea, start some music (I have playlist recs below!), and cuddle up in a comfy (but not too comfy) chair with a blanket. Set your vibe, and you’re setting the tone for the day. Start doing this daily and it will signal to your brain that it’s time to work!
DO: take breaks but use a timer
Studies show that we are actually MORE productive with a 10min break every 2hrs. Definitely take breaks. BUT when you work at home, THE BED IS A TRAP! Also, for a lot of you snacking will become your new favorite procrastination technique. If you’re ACTUALLY HUNGRY, go get a snack and bring it back to your desk with you. Otherwise, DON’T GO INTO THE KITCHEN, don’t get into your bed. Set a timer for your breaks and let yourself truly be “off” for those 10 mins. – When the timer goes off, stop scrolling, turn off the TV. And get back to work.
HOT TIP: use other tasks like laundry, exercise, cooking, etc. as “breaks”
This is one of my fave tips… Don’t fall into doing this ALL day but I love to use other ways of being productive as “breaks.” Like I said when I explained my schedule, I workout kind of in the middle of my work day. Why? It breaks up the day & gets my blood flowing. Gives me a mental break! Ultimately, it helps me be productive. If I need to meal prep, schedule it in the middle of your day as a “break!” Go out and water your garden. Take a walk around the block. Using a different part of your brain for a sec can really help, for me at least!
HOT TIP: the LoFi Beats playlist on Spotify
None of this post is sponsored – I simply LOVE working with the LoFi Beats playlist on Spotify. I find myself taking DEEP breaths while listening to it. It’s so relaxing and basically has no lyrics so it’s easy to get work done while listening. HOWEVER, some days I prefer something more badass (just depends on mood) so I created a playlist of my top pump-up songs as well and that can help a ton as well!
BALANCE: Kicking your own ass with giving yourself grace.
In the very beginning of working from home every day, I tended to SLEEP IN. And then by the time I ran, got dressed, did makeup, made breakfast, etc. the whole day would be gone! I realized I would never be successful working this way. And I HAD to kick my OWN ass if I was going to get my blog off the ground. I started waking up earlier and earlier because I realized mornings were my most productive time (CLICK HERE for a post about becoming a morning person… It’s a process!) – before the rest of the world is awake. I’ve had to kick my own ass in that way, many a time. When I need a REAL ass kicking, I turn on Gary Vee’s podcast. He never fails to make me want to work my tail off.
That said, you must balance that with giving yourself grace. You’re not superhuman and pretending you ARE only leads to burnout. This can really happen anywhere but when you’re in charge of your own time and no one’s watching you, it’s easier (in my experience) to go overboard towards either being too easy on yourself or too hard. After my lazy phase, I chugged along for while pretty well. But I kept beating into myself that I was inherently lazy and needed to overcome it. And I went to the opposite extreme and never let myself have a minute off that I wasn’t feeling guilty about. That lead to pretty extreme burnout. Over that Christmas, I went into a pretty deep dark hole. And did not come out the same. I learned I HAD to prevent burnout as well as overcome the temptation to sleep half the day away. It’s tough but it truly is a balance. Hovering in between those two extremes is where I have seen the most success + happiness.
Those are my top tips for working at home! I hope they help you. If you don’t already, give me a follow on social below!!
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