How to work from home
Conquering the task of working from your home
I want to talk about working from home because everybody seems to have to do it now and a lot of companies are making you guys work from home. I have been functioning like this as self-employed organizer for a while and I know it takes a lot of adjustments and a lot of self-discipline to be able to work in your own house.
My professional organizing job requires me to go to client's locations and organize their homes, help them manage their clutter and create order in their homes. When I'm not working with a client, I am in my own home office working on behind the scenes of my biz. So I thought I could share some of my experience to help you with this situation right now, where more and more people have to work from their own homes.
It took me some time to adjust to working from home because I feel that it's not as easy to just drop everything and start working and be productive. After all, for me, a home is a place where we want to relax and when we come home after a long day at work, we just want to “be”. We have it associated with relaxing and being cozy. I used to commute to work for two hours each day, so I know both sides. Now I commute from my bed to my computer which can be challenging in terms of motivation and productivity. That is why I prepared 5 tips for you on how to get the most out of working from home.
Step 1: Set up your designated area
The first thing I did was to set up an area in my house where I wanted to work. I used to work on my couch or my bed and it just did not work for me. I need to have a desk and a slightly uncomfortable chair to be able to work. The first thing you have to do is to designate an area that will become your working space. Your work area should be as far as possible from your current bed and your current relaxing areas. Because if your couch is only 2 feet away it's very easy to just go lay down and read or lay with your laptop on your couch and zone out. If you have a smaller apartment, you can work on your couch but I suggest getting a bed tray. Looking down at your screen for a couple of hours can hurt your neck. Again, that is my personal experience, I just bought one for my boyfriend after his issues.
The good thing to have is headphones as well. I either use my earbuds or noise cancellation headset because my partner and I both work from home and that gives us some quiet and privacy.
Kick the clutter
When setting up the area for work you have to make sure that it is clutter-free. As a professional organizer, I know how important it is to have your area free of anything that's not supposed to be there and is not related to work. Empty mugs, wrappers or have too many office supplies on the surface can sidetrack you easily. So just take the time and make it neat, it's going to make a huge difference. Our visual cortex then tends to focus on the clutter around us and not on the work itself. I have set up many offices for my clients and because the clutter got out of hand they were falling behind on tasks, bills and important things.
Step 2: Set your timeline
I know everyone has a different schedule and people with families and kids home have a difficult time working at home. I suggest planning your week and set hours for yourself when you’re going to work. I usually do that on Sunday nights, I plan my week ahead. It helps me prepare myself mentally knowing when I am working and when I am not. If you are a morning or an evening person, doesn’t matter, do what works for you. No boss to oversee you if you came to the office at 9 a.m. and nobody's overseeing you can be a challenge. Now you are your own boss and you somehow have to make it work.
It took me a long time to put myself on a schedule. When I started to work from home my schedule was all over and I had days (and days) where I wasn’t able to start working for some reason. I figured out that if I don’t plan on my work and don’t set my hours, I will never get anything done. And it helps me prepare mentally. You can even set up an alarm to remind you it is time to work. I would also suggest not drag that work all day because then you feel like you have worked for a long time even though you made lunch and exercised in between. Take breaks if needed, you can switch in between tasks if you get “stuck” or overwhelmed.
Step 3: Have a morning ritual
Even when I work at home I get ready as if I'm going to work. I try to differentiate the time when I am home during the weekend in my pj’s and being home having a workday. That works best for me. I put on different clothes when I work at home, maybe a little makeup. I pretend that I am about to leave the house. But I just “commute” to my work desk. But the different morning ritual sets apart relax days from workdays which helps with my productivity and motivation. I suggest wearing different clothes, that gives us a different vibe.
By not commuting, you might have more time in the morning. It is a great opportunity to make work mornings different. You might have time for longer a breakfast or you can start working earlier, so you are done earlier.
Step 4: Stay productive
To-do list
Easier said than done, I know. But what works for me is to-do lists all day, every day. I start with a big general tasks like “write a blog post” or “buy client supplies.” Then I need to break my big tasks into smaller tasks because I get easily overwhelmed like any other mortal being. So “write a blog post” becomes mini-steps of “find the topic”, “write the copy”, “find a photo,” etc. Small mini steps are more manageable and easily achievable which is beneficial.
Limit your distractions
It is crucial to silence your phone. Some people even turn it off for the time spent working. I sometimes flip it upside down, so I don’t get distracted or I leave it in a different room with emergency only calls allowed to get through the “do not disturb” mode. When not working in online programs, you can turn your Wi-fi off as well so you won’t get bothered with email notifications and one click away access to social media.
Accountability
I like to have an accountability partner. You can ask your colleague, family member or friend. If you work from home and you are friendly with your colleagues, there is a chance he or she might work on a similar task. You can team up and ask them to hold you accountable for the task you want to have done that day or week. I have had an accountability partner for couple of months now and improved my productivity. We check in every Monday and Thursday on our to-do list. It is helping me to stay on track with my tasks when I know someone will check on me.
Step 5: Reward yourself!
You did it! After all the planning and execution, it is important to create a reward for yourself. You have worked so hard, it is time to treat yourself. It helps with the motivation. Knowing that something nice is waiting for me at the end of the workday helps me with finishing my tasks on time and pushing me forward. So don’t forget to do something nice for you after you’re done working.
At Chic Organizer, we are here to help with a project big or small, from a simple closet makeover to whole home & office transformations.
As usual, leave me a message if I can be of help with your home & corporate organizing project.
Xoxo
Pavla
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