Back when I was working in an office I actually hated working from home and rarely took the opportunity. So when I started working from home full time, it was a HUGE adjustment for me. While I always thought I was pretty darn organized, this was new territory for me. I couldn’t concentrate and always felt like I was just ‘hanging out’ although I definitely wasn’t. But once I was more intentional about replicating my ‘in the office’ behaviors, my productivity at home nearly doubled!
Here’s what I learned after a month of working from home!
1 Get ready for work right when you get up in the morning, not say …. an hour in to doing work. Originally I would wake up and start working right away in the morning, but still hadn’t changed out of my pajamas, washed my face or brushed my teeth. I’m not sure that I became more productive by getting ready first, but I definitely felt better!
2 Although I still wear sweats every day during the day, I did opt to wear ‘nicer’ ones that my standard lounging around ‘I should probably throw away they’re so old‘ clothes. It made me feel more put together.
3 We still haven’t gotten blinds in our new townhouse, so in the morning I work in the kitchen because the sunlight hits right on my eyes in the office. Then afternoon I switch to our office. Although not intentional (obviously I should buy blinds!), even when we do get blinds I will still continue this mid day desk switch as it makes for a really nice change of scenery.
4 Each night before I go to bed I create a to-do list of the essentials that I need to get done the next day. If you’re someone who’s work allows you to pick and choose what you’re going to do each day, I think this is essential. This also really helps me know when to ‘turn it off’ as there’s ALWAYS work to do. Once I finish the critical items I can then decide how much longer I want to work that day.
5 Each Sunday I spend about 15 minutes planning out my entire week on my Google calendar. I’m talking hour to hour scheduling! Everything gets a calendar invite and everything is planned out in advance. At first it did feel a little odd to plotting out which times I was taking a break to take Reagan (our new puppy) to the dog park or do chores around the house, but it really helped provide structure. This also helped me see exactly how long I was working for. Sometimes when working from home it can seem like you’re ALWAYS working but in reality that wasn’t’ the case for me.
6 Make sure to set boundaries and ensure everyone knows that you’re WORKING from home. It’s always always always nice to help out friends and spouses during the day when you can, but it’s up to you to use your time as productively as possible. Typically when I don’t get enough work done during the day I end up making up for it in the evenings.
7 One of the biggest adjustments in working from home for me was not having coworkers to interact with throughout the day. Not only is it nice to bounce ideas off of someone, it helps to have someone else to chat with periodically to break up the day! Initially I made the rookie mistake of having the TV during the day, just as background noise. Then I started finding myself getting a little too sucked in to the episode (embarrassingly it was Gossip Girl). That’s when I made the switch to listening to music while I work.
8 If you’ll have a schedule where you can decide WHEN you work, it’s a nice perk to be able to take advantage of getting some couple household things done during the day. From experience I can tell you that grocery stores are near EMPTY on Tuesdays at 9am! The consolation may be that you need to adjust your work schedule to do work in the evenings and weekends. I’d give you the low down on what the gyms look like mid week, but I’m still working on getting that gym membership 🙂 .
Anni says
Great list! #2 made me laugh because it’s so familiar. Sometimes I’ll even go all out and put on jeans. 😀
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
ohhhhh you are FANCY! I can’t remember the last time I got out of yoga pants during the day 🙂
Whitney says
There is a great podcast episode now on “beyond the to do list”, where they discuss working from home. One idea shared to try and get more interaction with others in an “office setting” was to join a women’s professional group, meeting weekly for breakfast, lunch or coffee 🙂
Cathy Lawdanskk says
I’ve worked at home for many years. I recently started moving from the office to the kitchen table when working on a on-Line course and am amazed at what that one small shift does for my focus.
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
Incredible what a change of scenery will do right? Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Natalie says
As someone who also made the leap from working in an office to working from home, I’ve struggled with many (make that ALL) of the same challenges. I totally agree that planning your the schedule on Sunday for the week ahead is an absolute necessity. Before I routinely began doing this, I’d spend the first hour of each day trying to figure out which of the gazillion tasks on my To Do list I should be tackling. Ironing all of those decisions out in advance really is a time-saver. Thanks so much for the awesome tips!
Visiting from Merry Monday Link Party
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m learning that planning out my day in advance is seriously life changing. I was pretty much a mess when I first started working from home!
Anna says
Thanks so much for these tips! Getting dressed for the day helps so much! And about that gym membership… LOL.. I recommend at-home workouts! Get them done in the morning, shower, dressed – then you’re charged up for the day! 🙂 Anna K.
Lindsay @ Crazy Organized says
Glad you can appreciate the gym membership 🙂 ha! Love your idea of getting these done in the morning! thanks so much for stopping by!
RafaelKt says
It can also help to join a class or social group that meets at a set time after work, which will give you an extra incentive to manage your day to get out of work on time.