I’ve spent several years of my professional career working from home, both in a corporate job and now working for myself. While there are definitely perks to working from home, there are plenty of challenges that go along with it. With the COVID outbreak many more people are now working remotely, and whether you’re new to working from home or not, here are my top 10 tips to stay productive and maintain balance.

1.Get dressed & ready for the day 

As tempting as it may be to stay in pajamas all day,  getting up and getting dressed is a great way to get into the mindset that it’s time for work, not lounge. I’m not saying that you need to dress up (let’s be real) but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to fall into the habit of rolling out of bed and immediately jumping into work. At least take the time to change out of pajamas and into some athleisure!

2.Start and end the work day with a routine 

Having a morning routine helps set the tone for the entire day! There are tons of benefits to having an established morning routine – reduced stress and increased focus and productivity, to name a couple I have noticed. I look forward to my morning routine each day because I know I am starting the day on the right foot – I could probably write a full blog post about this, but a few things I do each and every morning are: make the bed, morning skincare routine/jade rolling, make a healthy breakfast, and put on makeup before I sit down at my desk. It’s also important to end the day with a routine – this will help signal to your brain that the work day is over. I’ll either take my dog for a walk or throw the ball with him in the backyard!

3.Have a designated work area 

Even if you don’t have a full home office, create a designated work space. If you have a spare bedroom or someplace where you can close the door and leave when you’re not working, that would be ideal! If not, designate a chair at your dining room table to be your work area. As nice as it sounds to sit on the couch all day, it’s important to maintain a balance when work and home are the same place. Also if you have family members or a roommate who are also home, make sure to have separate work spaces (if possible,)  especially if you’re on the phone a lot! My husband works from home occasionally and our offices are on opposite sides of the house. If you do have a home office, make it a space that you enjoy working in! Get a comfortable chair, hang some pictures, etc!

4.Schedule breaks

Especially a lunch break! Taking breaks throughout the day will help increase productivity, focus, and creativity – not to mention, you need to eat to fuel your brain! Back when I worked my corporate job remotely I was afraid to take breaks for the longest time, because what if I missed a call or an IM? I was so worried that people would think that I wasn’t working, so I stayed glued to my desk for the entire work day. By the end of the day I was so mentally exhausted I could barely focus on the computer screen and my stress levels were through the roof. Learn from my mistake, and take your designated breaks!

5.Socialize with colleagues 

The biggest challenge I have found with working from home is that you very quickly begin to feel isolated. It’s important to stay in communication with coworkers and colleagues throughout the work day to help maintain that feeling of social interaction. When you’re working in an office, you spend time chatting with coworkers whether it’s in the break room, or walking to a meeting, etc. Don’t cut off that communication when you’re working from home! Whether it’s a quick IM or a phone call instead of an email, go out of your way to stay social!

6.Get out of the house 

When you work and live in the same place, you’ll get cabin fever if you don’t get out of the house. Make it a point to meet up with friends for lunch or happy hour every so often, but try to leave the house at least once a day! Even if it’s just to walk around the block, getting some fresh air will help keep you from feeling cooped up. *With the coronavirus in effect, just be mindful of where you go if you do choose to go out!

7.Video call when possible

If your company has the ability to do video calls, I highly recommend using this feature as much as possible! It not only helps with communication when you can see the person you are speaking to, but it also helps to build relationships with coworkers, customers, etc. when you can put a face to a name.

8.Have background noise

This tip won’t be for everyone, but I find that having some sort of background noise helps me to concentrate. When I’m editing I like to listen to podcasts, and when I’m writing I’ll play some music. I don’t have a TV in my office, but every now and then I’ll turn on the living room TV so I can listen to the news while I work. If you prefer to work in silence, invest in some noise cancelling headphones!

9.Overcommunicate

My old boss used to love the phrase “If people can’t see what you’re doing, they think you’re doing nothing.” And it’s true! It’s extremely important to communicate with your boss, your team, your client, whoever you are working with – especially if you aren’t around them in person. If you’ve finished a task, make it known. If you’ve run into a road block with a project, communicate that as well. Check in frequently and make sure everyone is on the same page.

10.Shut down at a certain time 

Working from home it can be tempting to never shut off, especially with your computer just a few feet away – this is also why I recommend having a designated work area that you can walk away from. Not only does having a set schedule provide consistency to those you work with,  it’s very important in keeping a good work/life balance. Having that balance is essential in maintaining mental health, productivity, and overall happiness – you’ll be much better off by setting those boundaries!

Hopefully this was helpful! 🙂 And anyone else who works from home (or has in the past) – what are your biggest pieces of advice? Feel free to leave a comment below!