I started working from home well before the pandemic hit. In fact, I would consider myself more familiar with how to work from home than how to work in an office. Along the way, I have picked up some tips that may help you as you navigate working from home. Whether you’ve been doing it for a few years or you’re brand new to it!
Create a Home Office
When I talk about my tips for working from home, I come from a perspective of not having kids. That being said, this makes finding quiet space relatively easy. Regardless of your living situation or season of life, it is still so important to find a few hours of quiet.
Even if you can only get an hour or two to yourself each day, you can use that time to schedule meetings, tasks that require writing, and more strategic thinking. The rest of your day can be centered around tasks you can do while multitasking. Having a dedicated space in your home can allow you to zone in on what’s most important.
I work primarily from home, coffee shops, and coworking space that I utilize occasionally. My boyfriend and I live together in a two-bedroom house. One of those rooms is our dedicated office/laundry room/ gym and storage space for his business. I find I can get a lot of work done if we are not utilizing this space simultaneously. However, because we are both entrepreneurs, it can be distracting with both of us working in the same space simultaneously. I head on over to the local coworking space on days I have meetings to take advantage of a private room!
Meal Prep to Save Time
I cannot remember life before meal prepping.
One of my clients is a meal prep expert. I have learned through her content that there is more to meal prep than chicken, rice, and broccoli. Many of your favorite foods can be prepped on a Sunday for you to enjoy throughout the week! I instantly regret when I do not prep my food for the week because it typically takes 20-30 minutes per meal out of my schedule to dedicate towards working and wrapping up early!
If you’re cooking your meals every day, I recommend planning out four of your favorite lunches and make them on Sunday before the week starts. Some of my favorite things to prepare:
- Turkey and cheese wraps
- Salads
- Chickpea salad
- Bento boxes
You will be amazed at how much time you save by not having to decide what you’re going to eat and then cook the meal. All you have to do is go to your fridge, grab and go!
Don’t forget to Move
If you can implement some movement in your day, you’re going to not only feel better, but you’re going to prevent things like backaches and stiffness that come with sitting in the same position all day.
Our bodies are meant to move and move often! If you’re working in an office environment, you may find you are getting up a little more frequently to talk with coworkers, go to the bathroom, walk around, etc. However, in the comfort of your own home, you may find it so easy to stay potatoed on your couch for hours at a time!
When I first started working from home, I would find myself working for 8 hours straight without moving from my seat on the couch unless it was to grab a snack from the fridge.
I live in southern Illinois, and throughout my time working from home, I have lived in Seattle and Oregon. None of these places have ideal weather year-round. I relate to the limitations of not being able to just get outside for a walk.
Separate Work and Home
Now that you’re working from home, it can be difficult to get out of “work mode.”
I set up my calendar at the beginning of each month. This way I know exactly what needs to get done and where I have gaps in my day to fit extra things. Now you may not know exactly what you’re doing that far in advance, but if you’ve been at it for a while, there may be some recurring elements. For example, some tasks that I know will happen each month include:
- Sending proposals to new clients – I try to build new relationships with potential clients at least 1-2 times per week, so I block out time to do this.
- Checking client social media accounts- Most of my clients are on retainers for social media services in some form or fashion, so this process is a part of my weekly schedule.
- Exercise- I try to block this out in the morning or evening because if I don’t, it won’t happen!
I can count on these things being a staple part of my schedule, so I always block out time for them each week. Once I have a schedule in place, I try not to work outside of it. I like to stick to an 8-4 schedule unless I am traveling. If I am working outside of this, it’s because I forgot to put it in my schedule. Which doesn’t happen often!
Thanks for reading! In the comments below, let me know if any of these tips helped and if you want to know more about how I became an online business owner. Read my full story here.
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