Tips For Working At Home Without Going Crazy
This is my 7th year working from home full time so self isolation is nothing new to me. As we move into a time of uncertainty with some of you able to work from home I thought I would write a quick blog post with things I would recommend when working from home so that you avoid going stir crazy.
DO NOT WORK FROM YOUR BED.
This is for many reasons. At first it may feel comforting and chill but after a day hunched over a laptop in bed your neck & back will be aching. What are you used to doing in bed? Watching Netflix? Online Shopping? You are more likely to fall back into those habits and get distracted because that’s what the bed is for. Lastly, working in your bed may taint your bed for you. It may mean you no longer feel calm and relaxed in a bed because it’s now a place you read business emails or get negative feedback. No bag energy in the bed please.
GET DRESSED (even just into your good sweats)
For some this may doing your hair, make up & outfit like you normally would, for some may mean getting into another pair of sweats. I don’t personally go the full nine yards everyday but changing my clothes can be a great mood shifter for me so I have been known to change multiple times a day. You want to wear clothes that help you get in the mood. If you are most productive in sweats - go ahead. However if they make you feel lazy and get you into a procrastinate mindset maybe pass on them. Basically though, just get out of the damn clothes you slept in.
CREATE YOUR SPACE
I am well aware that not everyone has a spare room that they can transform into a little home office so try transform a little spot in your house to a temporary workspace. If you have a desk already - great. If not, try clear your dining room table or an outdoor table for the day. Set it up with whatever your job requires eg. Tech & Stationery. Then add a couple of little things like a carafe of water, something that smells nice and if you have access - plants or flowers.
HOW TO STAY PRODUCTIVE
I think this is the biggest hurdle for most people when they are met with the challenge of working from home. I get it, you can see the laundry that needs doing, food that can be eaten, the floors need to be mopped, oh look I need to take the recycling out, maybe I should look what is in the fridge, I wonder how my living room would look if I rotated all the furniture, maybe time for a coffee, I think I am hungry. My advice would be to fill your day with so much on your to-do list that those things can’t creep in as options.
Lists
Physically write a daily to do list (maybe on one of my essential notepads) & make it super specific. For example write EMAIL [insert client] about [project X] rather than ‘reply to emails’. That way looking down your to do list you have actionable steps to take. If you don’t feel you have a lot on your list, try fill it with other little tasks that you would imagine your boss would make you do if you were twiddling your thumbs.
If you work in a team and you’re finding productivity as a collective tougher, a lovely lady once emailed me about Trello (not sponsored in any way) which is a online board system where you can make to do lists with colour coding, notes and deadlines that can be shared between multiple people.
Flexible Time
If you’re really struggling to get those things around your house out of your head, if possible try give yourself 30 minutes a day where you can just do those random things. You could allow yourself to do it when you’re stuck on issue or when you have just sent off a risky email. Something just to break up your day a little. For me it is showering. Of course I shouldn’t (and don’t) shower 4 times a day like I sometimes want to but on occasion I will shower in the middle of the day when I really can’t work out a creative issue or need to brainstorm. I don’t feel like it is a waste of time because it is adding to my work. Try do that if you’re cleaning or moving around furniture.
Routine
Pay attention to how you’re feeling at different times of the day and build a routine around that. For example. I am most productive in the mornings, I lag a little just before lunch then have another surge in the late afternoon. Knowing this I do a lot of my creative work & brainstorming in the morning, I have a coffee to boost myself up around 10:30/11AM. Mid afternoon I do things I can do quite intuitively like design or shooting. Then I usually power edit in the afternoon. This may not be possible with your work but I also schedules times for emailing. First thing in the morning then before I close up in the afternoon/night. I do sometimes break this but I try to limit my time emailing to avoid distraction.
LONELINESS IN ISOLATION
Hands down this can be one of the toughest things about working at home. If you don’t have children or a pet or a partner working at home with you, it is very easy to go a full day without speaking or seeing another person. As much as I am an introvert and love working alone, there are some things that I do that help me from going insane.
Music. Take advantage of not being in an office. Play whatever music you like, play it loud, sing to it or even move your body to it. It really helps to get out of your head as much and avoid dead silence.
Podcasts. This may not be the best for those writers or if you’re emailing a lot but for me podcasts help me a lot with loneliness. Find podcasters that are like minded to you, those who are experts in their field or stories that you wouldn’t believe. Personally at the moment I am loving After Work Drinks, Love Etc., The Party Room & Dying For Sex. If you want me to do a full blog post on all the podcasts I love in different categories let me know.
Social Media. When working from home you need to find new ways to connect. Social media can thrive in this arena. Post about your day even though it feels silly. Talk to camera so that you feel like you have spoken to at least someone today (just don’t watch it back before posting). Comment on other’s posts or reply to their stories.
Go for a drive. I know this isn’t possible for a huge group of people but it is something that often works for me as a last resort. When I have been inside for too long and feeling a little off and nothing seems to be working. I drive. Even if for just 20 minutes. It does wonders even if just seeing others living their life. It gets me out of my head and my own world and back into ‘the world’ if that makes sense.
Lastly, enjoy the little things about working from home…
I thought I would end with listing some of the little things that I love about working from home. I love making my own coffee whenever I feel like it. I love being home for all of my courier deliveries. I love having more time in my work day because I have zero commute and don’t spend time getting ready. I love being able to play music & podcast as loud as I like and laugh at them without feeling silly. I love putting on incense.
I hope this helps even just a little as you adjust to working from home temporarily.