it has happened. i will be joining the wfh culture for the next few weeks. to be completely honest, i wasn’t as jazzed as someone who just got told they can have their dog for an assistant, even if he is the goodest good boy. i love my office, my coworkers, and just getting out of the house. don’t get me wrong; i love being home and there are the days that i work from home and crank through projects, but overall the idea of heading downstairs to my office is going to take some getting used to. in light of that, i’m sharing some tips + tricks for working from home with you today.
maintain regular hours
i’m trying to figure out what that looks like right now. i’m lucky enough that my kids are still in daycare, but who knows how that will change in the coming weeks. i’m also working alongside others who have children at home, so we are working very flexible hours [which i think i’m actually really going to like]. that being said, once i have a few days under my belt, i want to get really crisp on my ‘working’ hours and my ‘away’ hours.
make sure your tech is good to go
i have two sets of headphones, two chargers, and [i think] access to everything i need. i was thoughtful about what i needed before i left my office, including making sure i had all the files i needed [digitally and paper copies]. make sure all applications you might need are downloaded and passwords are up to date.
dedicate a work space for yourself
i’m incredibly lucky that i have a large cloffice [closet + office] at my house, but often it’s kind of a mess and a catch-all. i create pieces for shopgolden30.com in there, content for the blog, work when i wfh, and have all of my clothes in there. i am working on cleaning it up so it really is a dedicated work space and i can feel productive while working in there.
eat good meals
i know it’s different for everyone, but when i’m at target’s hq in downtown minneapolis, i have access to great salads and healthy food on the regular. i will need to continue to make sure i’m eating on a regular basis and eating good for me foods. this should be a great time to really get back to the #fab4smoothie that i love so much.
get outside
it’s still cold in minnesota, but you can still get outside while socially distancing yourself. i might implement this by taking walks on my lunch break or working from the deck once it’s nice enough out.
communicate
this one is actually going to be a lot harder for me than i think i realize. i am a verbal communicator by nature, and thrive being around my coworkers. checking in digitally will be something i need to continue to improve on as we go work through this ambiguous time.
overall, i’m thankful for so many things, including the ability to be able to work from home and continue in my career. this will be a new muscle i flex for myself, and i’m excited about that piece of it. if you work from home often or are a solo-preneur, i would love you to share what tips + tricks you have for being productive on your own! you can comment below or on my latest instagram post. bring on the tips + tricks for working from home!