Working on the web side of journalism has allowed me the privilege of being able to work from home a few days a month. Working from home definitely has its bonuses, but it does come with a unique set of hardships. I’ve reflected on my experiences and come up with five tips to help you get the most out of working from home.
1. Start the morning with a routine.
Whether you work from home five days a week, or skip the commute to the office only a few times a month, your morning routine should remain the same every day. Shower, coffee, breakfast – those habits should be done at the same time every day, regardless of if you’re leaving the house or not. Sitting around in your pajamas all day will not lead to productivity.
I like to wake up an hour before I have to start working. This gives me plenty of time to wake up, go through my morning routine, and be completely alert and ready for work on time.
2. Separate work from home life.
If you don’t have a home office, as I don’t, it can sometimes be hard to feel like you’re at work while sitting on your living room couch. If possible, work from a different area of your home, like a kitchen table, so you still get the benefits of sitting upright like at a desk, and are away from distractions like the TV.
It’s also important to stick to normal business hours. Just because you’re in your home, doesn’t mean you should keep the laptop open until 7 p.m. It might be hard, but make sure to put the work away when your day ends. Without this separation, you’ll either feel too relaxed to get much work done during the day or be too distracted to enjoy your home life at night.
3. Communicate with your team often.
Just because you’re working remotely, doesn’t mean your team doesn’t need you. Make sure you’re completely accessible — whether that’s through email, phone calls, texting or a combination of the three — your coworkers need to know they can count on you, even if you’re not there for face-to-face chats. If you work remotely for the majority of the week, it’s probably beneficial to set up a weekly call or Skype meeting with your team for a routine time to check in.
4. Make a to-do list and stick to it.
If you’re working from home, it’s easy to become distracted by the dirty dishes piling up in the sink, or the dust bunnies in the corner you’d like to suck up with your vacuum. Don’t let yourself be pulled away from your work by creating a daily to-do list. The trick to sticking to a to-do list is to make sure you haven’t packed too much into your day, but to also make sure you find a balance and push yourself to stay busy.
Stick to that to-do list. If you’re flying through your tasks, maybe reward yourself with a break to clean or relax. If tasks are taking you longer than you expected, maybe work through lunch to get everything done. Circumstances come up and sometimes completing your to-do list isn’t possible, but muster up all the will power you have and really attempt to cross everything off that list by the end of the day. You’ll feel better being able to start the next day fresh, with a whole new list of things to tackle.
5. Enjoy it!
Working from home is a privilege many would love to have, so don’t take it for granted. We know it can be difficult sometimes; separating your work from home life is not always easy and feeling so disconnected from your team can cause complications, but getting to avoid morning traffic or skip putting on make-up for a day can be a huge plus. Prop your feet up, listen to music without headphones and enjoy your time working from the comforts of your own home!
