Five Tips For Getting Sh*t Done When Working From Home (+ Bonus Tip for mammas with kids at home)

I know, I know working from home sounds like the ultimate dream. You get to sit in your pajamas all day, don't have any bosses breathing down your back and don't have to worry about chatty co-workers interrupting your day, right?! Pure bliss.

For anyone who works from home, you know that this is far from luxury. There are a tremendous amount of distractions and opportunities for slacking when you are working solo. Not only that, but it's lonely AF to be at home, staring at a computer or making cold calls without someone to connect with. But it is also incredibly invigorating and provided you are disciplined, rewarding.

For anyone looking to transition to working from home, keep the below tips in mind as you transition out of the corporate office and into the comforts of home

Create a similar morning routine to what you had when you did go into the office

When I first started working from home, one of the most impactful actions I found to help me get in my work groove was to keep the same schedule I had when I was going into the office. For me that means, waking up when my husband needs to get ready to go to work, getting my son ready and out the door, and then getting ready for the office myself.

All of this gets accomplished in approximately 30 minutes and my day starts at 5:45 am. I am at my desk and working by 6:30 am (my team is on the east coast) so while I am up really early for my west coast self, I am at my desk and ready to go in alignment with those I work with. My day was fairly similar when I worked in an office, except for the commute. Back in those days, my official work time was roughly 7:30 am.

Why keep a similar morning schedule?
Keeping a similar morning schedule as you had when you had to go into an office will help you transition to at homework much easier. You have the mindset to get to work, the habits already in place, and process down pact. The only difference is your commute time goes down to mere minutes.

For me, this kept me from going back to sleep, being lazy and slacking off. I found that this schedule was really helpful as it was a very similar schedule and process to when I was commuting 30 minutes each way. This transition meant I kept my focus and drive to complete my job, and bonus points - I finished my "workday" earlier! Which also meant I now have more time to focus on myself, my wellness and fitness. (My workday is typically from 6:15 am - 3:30 pm).

Treat your office like, well, an office

This may be hard if you have limited space or no space to work from home at all, but it is important (and along the same lines as above) to keep the space you work from feeling and being as closely related to an actual office as possible. This will help you to transition your focus and energy easier than just working from your couch, also, hello distractions! If you can, and do have a space you can set up - make it look and feel like your dream office. This means, decorated and free of distractions. Depending on the work you do, this could include 1-2 monitors and a great headset (so, so necessary). Also, remember your office is a place for work, not to lounge in or watch TV. (If you are working from your table, as I am currently writing this), try to make it as, "office like" as you can.

Turn off notifications and distractions

This is probably the hardest! TV, Instagram, Facebook, text messages, etc. can all distract you from doing your job, even more, when you work from home. Treat your workday like you would if your boss was breathing down your back.

It takes a lot of practice and discipline to get this one right, especially when working from home - alone. I recommend time blocking your day and setting 1-2 hour blocks where you log out of all social media, put your phone on airplane mode and resist the urge to "check". If social media isn't your work kryptonite, and TV is, to start, work in a room with no TV. No immediate stimuli, no distraction.

Connect with co-workers like you would if you were in the office

No one wants to go at it alone, and working from home can be very isolating. I mean you can talk to your pets, but do they ever really respond? (If they do, let's talk because you have something BIG).

Unless you are an entrepreneur and working completely alone, it is important that you are still connected to your co-workers. This can take the form of being on weekly meetings via video or phone conferences, sending messages and email updates, and simply checking in.

If you are an entrepreneur, starting or established and running your business solo... find a group of like-minded and engaged entrepreneurs like yourself. This could be a mastermind group, a weekly zoom conference with a mentor or a simple email exchange with a friend.

Leave your "office"

Wait, what? This is counterintuitive to the whole idea of working when working from home, I know. But just as it is important for you to take a break while in an office (for most of us our Apple Watches are great at reminding us when we have sat too long), the same applies when working from home.

Sitting in front of your computer, or in your office isolated from the world for hours on end, day after day will drive your motivation, excitement, and commitment to work from home down...and fast. Take a brief walk, take some time for a 30-minute workout (there are tons of apps out there for this very thing), or simply get up and stretch.

Once a week or so, I claim my stake at one of the local coffee shops, order a simple drink and plugin until my laptop is dead. There are also various workshare opportunities and offices in numerous cities. If you can, once a month or so, take advantage of simply being around other people. You will be amazed at how much you miss the energy of others simply being around.

While all of these tips are what has helped me survive my first 90 days of working from home, it is just the beginning. The most important thing about working from home is to stay diligent with separating work life from home life. Turn off all distractions, treat your days like you were going into an office, take breaks and connect with colleagues.

BONUS TIP for All you Stay At Home Working Mammas: 

Send your kids to playdates, daycare or a friend's house for at least a couple hours a week (especially during the summertime)

I know the thought of that may scare you, be crazy or simply not feasible all of the time, but trust me...it will save your sanity. You need time to focus, completely distraction-free. More importantly, you deserve it. 

There are so many amazing organizations that will watch children for 1-2 or more at a time or co-op where you can work while your children play. For us, we have opted for daycare 3-5 times a week (be on the lookout for a blog post all about why soon). 

If those do not work, try to taking everyone out to a coffee shop or local park where you can keep a close eye on them, get work done while everyone enjoys themselves! 

Much Love!

Sheena

If you have any other tips, tricks or ideas that we should include in either this or another blog, leave us a comment or feel free to email us! [email protected]