Working from home to many is a foreign concept but with everything going on in the world, it might soon be the norm.
Working from home is a luxury in my eyes and something I can do every now and then. With the spread of coronavirus, working from home soon might be the new normal. Every company is different and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of weeks if this continues. A couple months back I shared ways of how to be productive at work but today I wanted to focus on how to be productive when working from home.
Wake up the same time every day, just like what you do today. Since you can work from home, your commute is simply from your bed to your desk. Don’t let your body feel comfortable with sleeping in just because you can. You have to maintain your normal schedule and make it feel like the ‘work week’ and not the weekend.
Get dressed. This is SO important. You need to be dressed like you are actually going into the office. This will make your body feel like you need to work and not just lounging checking emails over the weekend. If you want to be comfortable, wear leggings but make sure you have a sweater on or a button down, something to make you feel a little more put together.
Do your hair and makeup. Again, don’t look like a slob because you will feel like one too. This goes along with getting dressed, it really helps your mood and tells your body it is time to get sh*t done. Don’t put on a full face of makeup but do wash your face and make yourself feel presentable.
Do not turn on the TV. This is MAJOR. You will be distracted by the TV all day and feel entitled to move from your desk to the couch for the rest of the day. Do everything you typically do at work. If you listen to music/podcast while you work, feel free to do that at home! You need to make your surroundings feel as normal as possible.
Make lunch or go out to get it. I feel like when I work from home I just snack for my meals. This isn’t an actual meal and isn’t good for my body and mind. You need to maintain your energy since you are working after all so make sure you have a proper breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Just like what you normally do if you go into the office!
Encourage video conference meetings. Everyone hates video conferences. Myself included. But if we are working from home for a period of time we have to do them. What is there to hide? You are going to be getting dressed/looking presentable (per my tips above) so why not? You need to have social contact especially if we are in a situation where your entire city is working from home. You need to maintain those relationships and again show people that you really are working and aren’t taking advantage of the working from home situation.
Prioritize tasks and always create a to-do list. You must stay on top of things and don’t become disorganized. It is a really weird transition to go from in-person meetings to everything online. It will take time getting used to and the work will stay the same. Make sure you prioritize what is important during the day and what you need to accomplish in order to meet those deadlines. Make sure you have a planner, whether it is a physical copy or something online. It will be your saving grace.
Do you work from home? Is your company making you work from home?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
