8 Work From Home Tips

“I will form good habits and become their slave.” — Og Mandino

As we all continue to face the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve had to step outside of our comfort zones and make huge lifestyle shifts — both personally and professionally. Those of us who are lucky to be able to work from home are met with daily challenges and struggles, especially if you’ve never worked from home before or have multiple responsibilities during your WFH days (parents, I’m looking at you!).

It’s safe to say that we are all a little lost right now and just trying to figure it out the best we can, so don’t feel bad about having a bad day or not doing everything “just right” — you aren’t alone.

● Keep the area clutter-free and away from distractions (if possible).

● Make sure you have everything you need to do your job well (i.e. reliable Wi-Fi, a work monitor, access to proper materials/tools, etc.). If not, be sure to let your boss know. It is their responsibility to make sure you have everything you need to be able to do your job.

● Set a weekly alarm to tidy up your workspace — Sunday nights are ideal for me so that I can start Monday off on the right foot. There’s something really nice about starting your work week off in a clean, organized space. And it helps with happiness and productivity too… Just ask Marie Kondo!

Yes, it’s important to be flexible when working from home, especially if you are having to balance your time between teaching your kids and taking care of your animals. However, if you want to keep your sanity (and productivity), you need a proper schedule now that your work and home life are merged. The first week will be the hardest, but then you’ll get into the groove. Try and stay consistent! You won’t regret it.

The mental association you make between work and the office can actually make you more productive. Set your alarm, make coffee, get dressed, etc. This is key: your mind must be trained in the daily habit of partitioning work life with home life. As easy as it might be to just roll out of bed and start working in your pajamas (which, I’m not saying you can’t do every once in a while #YOLO), this habit will actually hurt your productivity and ability to properly balance your new WFH life.

Without the typical office banter or walk breaks (many of the Budsies team members do a walk around the building every hour to give their eyes and minds a break), it’s harder to naturally give yourself the mental break you need and deserve. So don’t forget to build breaks into your schedule.

Working from home means that you don’t get those casual interactions you’d normally have throughout the day with your coworkers. It might feel forced at first, but don’t shy away from hopping on a Zoom call with a colleague to check-in and catch up as you normally would at the “watercooler” or during lunch break. It can be impromptu, scheduled on a weekly basis, or part of a company-wide phone tree (I got that last idea from a Parks & Rec episode). These interactions go a long way and will make you feel more connected. You can also organize an open invitation for anyone online at the time to join you for a post-work virtual happy hour.

Divide your tasks into (i) mental thinking tasks and (ii) rudimentary tasks. Make sure to work on the hardest, most mentally-stimulating tasks during the highly productive times and save the simpler tasks for the slower times of the day. You may also want to partition days of the week. For example, block off some days as “focus days” where you don’t take any meetings or calls. If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to prioritize your time, remember the 70/20/10 Rule:

● Now: 70% — Your typical daily, low-risk tasks that make a moderate-to-high impact

● New: 20% — Iteration and innovations based on things that work in the 70% bucket. The ROI isn’t necessarily immediate, but it’s worthwhile to try.

● Next: 10% — High-risk, high-reward. These are strategic and experimental tasks that are expected to pay off big time down the line if done right.

Set time goals for yourself and stick to them. This will help to keep you from going down a rabbit hole, which we’re all guilty of doing. There is a reason why certain tasks should require more time than others (think ROI), so you don’t want to spend too much time on tasks that don’t deserve it. If you find yourself running out of time before a task is completed, then inquire whether this task is truly worthy of extra time or not. You only have so many hours of brainpower per day… spend them wisely! If you’re looking for a time tracking tool, I use Toggl, but there are plenty of other options out there.

YOU’VE GOT THIS!

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