Working from Home: How to Stay Productive and Relaxed

As we deal with COVID-19 together, we’re faced with having to work from home full time. For many, this is a new situation which can be stressful. If the kids are home from school, that’s an added pressure and complication to an already-stressful situation.

I’ve had the freedom to opt to work from home for a few years now, and always love being able to get up a bit later, wear whatever I want, make myself a really good breakfast which I can take my time doing, and sit down to my work area when I’m ready. Now that its a requirement, I’m well aware that I need to get on a schedule and lay down some guidelines not only for myself but for my family.

Here are a few tips on how to stay focused, calm and productive in the hopes that you’ll actually begin to appreciate what working from home can offer you.

FIRST: DEFINE YOUR WORK HOURS.

This is an unusual situation, yes. There are added stresses and unknowns, yes. But, just because you’re home doesn’t mean you should or need to be checking emails all times of the day, no matter the day. Define your work days and hours in advance, and check in with your management as such. Moreso than ever, keeping a comfortable schedule is so essential.

It’s Monday morning. You’ve gotten up and taken your shower, and instead of business casual you’re rocking some comfy sweats, your fox slippers, a top bun and some amazing-smelling Estee Lauder cucumber facial moisturizer. After some yogurt and a banana, you’re ready to take your coffee cup over to your work station (we’ll talk about this next).

Check in with your boss via email, Skype, whatever works… and say, “Good Morning! It’s 8am and I’m here if you need me. I’ll be working straight until 6pm. I have a phone conference at 2pm and a bunch of projects to get through today. Chat later.” Define your time as best as you can and stick with it. Don’t forget to take a lunch!

SECOND: CREATE A DREAMY WORK SPACE

Choose an area in your house that you can define as “work space” - somewhere you can walk away from and turn the light off to signal that work is over. This could be a room, a desk, an end of a dining room table… Gather items that you love and you think are beautiful, and surround yourself with them. You can turn on some music or the TV without distracting your coworkers - go for it! Take advantage of this new freedom in a positive way.

I get my nicest teacup and teapot out, and bring it over to my work area on a wooden tray I’ve had for perfumes. Its a pretty pop of color, a dash of calming elegance that I can look at when I feel a bit lost with everything going on.

If the kids are home, yes this adds some complications, but it’s even more important for you to define your workspace. Let the kids know this is where you’re working and set some rules everyone is comfortable with. Use the Alarm Feature on your phone to remind you to break away and spend some time with them often!! The same breaks you took at work - getting up for a bathroom, water or coffee break - you should do now, and do it with your family.

THIRD: ORGANIZATION AND GOALS

There’s nothing worse than going through the day feeling like you’re not getting anything done. After a while, it gets old and especially now that your environment is not changing for a few weeks, this is a dangerous thing for your psyche.

A planner is a great tool to keep you organized. If you have yet to find one that fits your needs, get a Post-It pad and start making your daily To-Do list. List out FIVE THINGS you need to accomplish in your work day so you can cross them off as you complete it. The act of crossing off a to-do item is very therapeutic thing. Do your best to complete them. If not, carry the one or two you missed over to Day 2.

FOURTH: CONNECTING IS KEY

Make sure you connect with your co-workers, your team members, your management. Connect via Video Chat if you can. Remind them you’re there for them and we’re in this together. Having a visual connection with your co-workers is a good, healthy thing - use the online tools we’ve all come to know and love and use them for staying connected. Try to encourage video meetings with your team if possible.

Make sure to connect with your kids and significant other if they’re home too. Offer comfort, give hugs, keep the positivity going. Make this a beautiful time-sharing experience. This is a challenging and frustrating time especially when boredom sets in with young children. With a bit of advanced planning, you can lay out their week which will give you some peace of mind to be able to conquer your own schedule. Make sure you take charge with this.

FIFTH: OFFICIALLY END YOUR DAY

When the time comes for you to close the computer, close it. Stay away from email. You just spent almost ten hours with a screen in your face. It’s time to disconnect and do some things for yourself. I know it’s a stressful time - we’re all wondering how long we’ll have this job… can we maintain for another few weeks? Months? Understand that you’re not alone: Instead of panicking because there’s chaos, relax because there’s chaos. There’s nothing we can do about it now; We’re home, we’re healthy, we have power, we have water, we have food, we have clothing. End your day being thankful and find something to do for yourself.

Here’s a list of things you can do for yourself: Learn to bake some bread, paint your nails while listening to some of your favorite music, make some popcorn and put on a movie YOU want to watch, do some relaxing and simple yoga moves, get your kids involved!, go take a nice-hot-long shower at your own pace, start a Pinterest board for vacation spots for next year…. I can go on and on.

KIDS: This is a wonderful article discussing ideas on how to cope with kids during a quarantine situation. Additional ideas: Create a dream school learning teepee setup with an old sheet (some materials might be needed from a hardware store), do some baking together, create a beautiful art area with a fold-out table, let them tour museums online.

We’ll try to post new ideas often on our INSTAGRAM account. Follow and share!

-WLL