This post was written in light of the COVID-19 outbreak and the number of people who are now adjusting to working from home. I’ve done this for several years, about fiveish to be not-very-exact. If you are frustrated with the transition to working from home for the first time, this post is for you. I hope what I have to share here encourages you, and helps make the transition easier.
TAKE BREAKS
About every 20-25 minutes, take a five-minute break. I use an app called Tide to help me time my breaks and remind me to take them. My therapist says that humans can really only focus on a specific task for about 20 minutes at a time. Give your mind a rest by taking those five minutes to get up and stretch, do a short workout routine, pick up a room of the house, get a snack, put on some coffee/tea or use the restroom. This also helps you get some other things done during the day. Every two hours or so, Tide will prompt me to take a longer break, about fifteen minutes long. This gives my mind a little bit of extra downtime. The key to effective breaks is not only taking them but using that time on short tasks that give you adequate mental separation from your work. Give your mind time to switch gears.
SEPARATE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE FROM YOUR WORKDAY
One of the most helpful things for many who work from home is the mental separation between personal and professional. Normally you do your morning routine and then you commute. This puts a natural mental transition into your day, but when you work from home, some of that can get lost. To retain that transition, I suggest that you eat breakfast away from your workspace, change clothes, and maybe to a chore that briefly takes you out of the house, such as taking out the trash. Then come in and get to work. Choose a period of transition that is about as long as your commute. Introducing separation between your morning routine and your workday can help your mind transition to work mode. Maybe you’re someone who can roll out of bed and eat breakfast as you start your day, maybe you need that clear mental boundary. Either way, figure out which type of person you are and make it work for you.
This is my weekly task board. I schedule out what I need to work on each day according to priority and how it will impact my workload later in the month. This week I want to get caught up on blogs and social media because I know next week I will have an engagement shoot to edit.
PLAN YOUR TASKS
I keep a list of tasks I intend to work on during the day. It helps keep me focused and know what my workload should be for the day. This helps me to not get overwhelmed. I have a glass-top desk so I have taped two note cards to the bottom and, voila, I have just made a makeshift whiteboard on my desk. At the beginning of the list are the tasks I want to finish my day with, so I can erase them from the bottom up. I usually start with the easy tasks, such as email, checking social media, and planning a few posts for my social media accounts for the day. Then I move into the more intensive work such as logo design, photo editing, and blogging. Starting with short, easy tasks helps me start my day with a feeling of accomplishment which motivates me to keep going.
DON’T GRAZE
It’s not necessarily work-related, but it is important. When you work from home, it’s pretty easy to just graze all day. This is how I gained about 20 lbs when I was in design school. I was constantly surrounded by snacks. Use your breaks to fix yourself a snack or replenish a beverage, and use the next break to take used dishes to the kitchen. If you’re using the Tide app, it allows you to take a longer break every two hours. This may be a good time to get a small snack. Keep the bag of Tostitos in the pantry, not at your desk.
A workspace that needs tidying. And a cup that needs more coffee.
TIDY YOUR WORKSPACE
But don’t do it in the middle of the day. Take the time either at the beginning of your day or the end to disinfect any surfaces, wipe down keyboards and mice, clean your computer screen, put away any stray items and remove any remaining dirty dishes in your workspace. Even though you’re working at home, keeping your workspace tidy can limit the spread of infection to your family members and to you. It may be tempting to use your breaks for this, but I recommend tidying your workspace before you start work or after work, maybe even both. This way, you don’t re-dirty what you’ve already cleaned once, and you don’t get distracted from your work by a cluttered workspace.
BONUS TIP: A GOOD PLAYLIST
I can’t work in silence. I find myself easily distracted if my office is perfectly quiet because it leaves room for my mind to drift off. I have a subscription to Apple Music and Pandora. Spotify and Pandora offer free versions of their service, but they are not free from ads. Find yourself a good playlist or streaming service and give your workday a good soundtrack. Currently playing in my office: Miles Davis.
In the coming days and weeks, you will probably see more and more posts like this. These are just a few practices that make my home office more workable. Working from home can be a lot of fun, and it can make your job so much easier. For others, it can be a real challenge. I encourage you to give these tips a try. Not all of them will work for you, maybe none of them do, so I invite you to share what works for you in the comments.