Working from home is a dream scenario for most young professionals….Or at least it is until your next door neighbors take up drum lessons, the cat throws up on your keyboard, and you realize you don’t have any mediocre coffee always ready in the break room.
Today there are more young professionals working from home than ever before. According to data released in 2017 from the US Census, 5.2% of US employees worked from home in 2017. That’s more than 8 million people avoiding their co-workers. If that isn’t enough, research has found that employees working from home are more efficient at their jobs than those who go into a traditional office. So whether you work from home long-term or are working from home once a month, creating a productive environment and getting into your groove is important in making sure you’re WFH (working from home) the right way.
With the help of some “work from homers” we put together a list of tips and tricks to make sure you’re doing it right.
1. Put On Pants
Do it. Put on pants. You’re probably thinking “then what’s the point of working from home?” Dressing for the day resets your brain to work mode, and if you’re not wearing pants or are in PJ’s, your brain is ready for…not work. Get up, put on something you’d leave the house in and go to your workspace. Even if that workspace is the same place you put on pants. Rituals are important.
2. Claim Your Workspace
No more thermostat wars, or Debra’s weird, smelly lunches because you have your own workspace now! While we all wish our home offices were like those featured on Apartment Therapy’s Instagram, that dream can be crushed quickly because our home offices are…in our homes. You don’t need a whole room to have a space to work. This can be another way to incorporate a ritual. You can say that the dining table is your space to do all things work but as soon as your laptop is off the table, the normal dining table functionalities return. Creating an area with as few distractions as possible is key, so maybe don’t claim the couch that’s in front of the TV.
3. Set Clear Breaks
Working from home can mean working in the same space you sleep. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t spending real brain power on work. Don’t forget to set clear breaks throughout your day to give your brain a break. You can even schedule those in your Google Calendar beforehand, so others know you may not be readily available at your computer. Breaks could mean going and talking to someone else in your home or just going for walk around the block.
4. Make A Schedule and Stick To It
If you commit to as rigorous of a schedule at home as most people do in the office, then you’re more likely to get your work done in the designated time. And because you are working from home, you don’t have to work 8 am – 5 pm. If you operate better early in the morning and your work permits you to do it, start your day at 4 am. If you cannot function before 10 am, then commit to starting your day then and only stopping when you have finished your to-dos. Whatever your ideal schedule, make it and stick to it.
5. Tell Your Friends and Family to Leave You Alone
Sorry. No useful research or tips on this one.
Now that you’ve put on pants, claimed a workspace, set those breaks, are sticking to a schedule and have told friends and family to bug off….You’re ready to successfully work from home!
