7.17.2014

My View ::: Working from Home

With my current job, I'm working from home about 40% of the time, but after two years of working from home 100%, I've learned a few tricks on how to not completely lose your mind if you get the opportunity to do it.

And, most of the time, it really is an opportunity to work from home. Not only do you get to stay within the comfort of your own home, you can manage your house SO much better. Plus - I have found that working from home really reduces my work anxiety. There is much less urgency from day to day, and I definitely appreciate that perk.

But, there are some hard aspect to being home, alone, all day long. It takes a lot of self-motivation to stay on task and get things done - and sometimes the couch just looks way too comfortable. 

I found that the best way to feel productive as a person - and as an employee - working from my home I have to follow these "rules" 


Workout first thing
Being home and sitting all day can make me feel very unproductive and grungy. Getting a workout in before 9am makes all the difference in my day (even the days I go into the office). It gets my body energized to work and if I take a class - it's about as social as my day is gonna get.



Get Dressed
It's very easy to stay in those said workout clothes, but it does me no good. After my workout, I need to shower, slab a little make-up on, and put on something. I don't wear office clothes if I don't have any meetings, but putting something together helps. 


This is pretty much my work-from-home uniform.


No TV
Not even as background. It's too easy to sit down in front of it, and the presence of TV makes me feeling like I'm not at work - even though I'm on the clock. My mom shared this secret with me (and the get dressed tip) when she started having babies, and it works for me too. 


Sit at a desk or table
I don't like sitting in our guest room all day, so I normally set up shop at our dining room table. 

 

I like to have everything that I will need for the entire day there. Having my little work station set up in the morning and then put away at night also helps keep me on task. 


Pandora all day
I keep my Pandora going all day - because otherwise, it's just too damn quiet. Jason Mraz is my go-to station, but then after work, I like to switch it to Darius Rucker to have a glass of wine outside or prepare dinner to. 


Take outside breaks
Roscoe reaps the benefits of this one, but every two hours or so, I've gotta get out of the house.

 

 24 hours starts to feel very long if I'm trapped in our small condo all day, so lots of outside breaks help keep the day moving. We just go around the block but when I come back inside, I normally get a good 30-60 minute jolt of productivity. 


Set Timers
When I am really struggling to sit and work - which happens more than I wish it did - I will set timers for myself. I won't let myself stop working for 45 minutes, and then I'll get away from the computer and try and do something; walk the dog, run to CVS, fold clothes, water plants, whatever. It just breaks up the day, and I consider that time spent equal to the distractions that come up in an office - so it all breaks even

 
When you stop, really stop. 
When my day is done, I need all working materials out of my line of vision. My computer and work stuff need to be packed away so that I get my "home" back too. And then pour a drink. 




There are all pretty obvious - and easy to do tips, but when I break ANY of them, I can tell the difference in my mood, my work, and my week. Hope they help if you find yourself in the confines of your house all day.
What young inner city girls need to know, you should be strong, fierce, and occasionally ruthless on the INSIDE. Let the outside be a LADY you will get farther in life than knocked up at 16 or dropped out working for minimum wage.

4 comments:

  1. Love the idea of having a candle going - I've used those mini Yankee Candle ones (I love me a tacky ass candle) at my old job when I basically ran the office for 5 people, but my current job is too 'populated' and I'd probably annoy people with the scent. But it's such a perfect zen addition to any focus/work space.

    It is such a perk being able to work from home, but I am totally guilty of getting distracted - namely, I want to clean my house if I'm there!!! It's easy enough to throw in some laundry (it's in our building's basement, woop!) and for my little breaks, I'll run the vacuum or another 'quick' task. It gets me up and moving around AND is a productive task.

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  2. I need to use some of these tips for when I'm home all day on a day off! It's wayyyyyy too easy for the hours to slip by in front of the TV. Guilty, oops.

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  3. These are great tips for working from home and I love them because a lot them can really be true for the SAHM's too!! It sounds like you have the best of both worlds where you get to do half your time at home and half your time in an office!!

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  4. Totally agree with all of these tips- I used to work a lot from home and I always had to get dressed in the morning in order to really do work. Staying in my pjs made me lazy.

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