DUE TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD, MANY OF US ARE NOW FINDING OURSELVES WORKING FROM HOME. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BUT WORKING FROM HOME CAN BE MORE CHALLENGING THAN PEOPLE THINK. IT CAN BE HARD TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF WHEN YOUR LIVING ROOM, OR BEDROOM, IS ALSO YOUR OFFICE, AND WHEN YOUR PAJAMAS IS ALSO YOUR WORK ATTIRE. ALSO, MAYBE YOUR SPACE JUST ISN’T INSPIRING AT ALL, OR MAYBE IT’S HARD TO FEEL MOTIVATED WHEN YOU’RE WORKING ALONE? WE, AT BAG-ALL, HAPPEN TO BE WORK-FROM-HOME PROS, SINCE WE DO IT ALL YEAR ROUND. BELOW, WE’VE GATHERED OUR BEST WORK FROM HOME TIPS. ENJOY!
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MORNING ROUTINES
To some, working in your pajamas works, but for most of us, it’s important to make the brain understand that we’re now officially switching from chill mood to work mood. A way of doing this is to get up at a reasonable time in the morning and to have strict morning routines, even though your schedule is flexible. It’s good to get up early enough to still have time for some “me-time” in the morning. Personally, I like to get up at 7 - 7.30. That leaves me enough time to do some morning yoga on the roof, have some coffee on the couch, and to shower and get ready, all before 9 AM when it’s time to start working.
It can also help to change into regular clothes in the morning, versus working in sweatpants or lounge wear. This may sound silly, but when working from home in lounge wear and messy hair, it kind of feels like being 13 again, and home from school on a sick day. And on sick days, you’re allowed to chill and relax, right? So in order to feel super productive and on my toes, I put on work clothes, brush my hair, spray some perfume, and put on some lip balm.
SWITCH IT UP! WORK FROM DIFFERENT ROOMS – IF YOU CAN
We know this can be hard, especially if you live in a small New York apartment. If you’re able to, it can be good to move around and work from different rooms. For example, maybe you spend the morning working from your bedroom and the afternoon working from the living room. If you only have one room, try move around in this space. For example, start off on the couch, and later, move over to the kitchen table. A change of scenery can spike inspiration big time. It’s actually proven that a change of scenery can trick our brains into new behaviors. Also, when you spend your whole day in one place, it can feel tiring, closed in and claustrophobic.
INVEST IN GOOD COFFEE, YOUR FAVORITE SNACKS, AND REMEMBER TO TAKE BREAKS!
Offices usually have great coffee and good snack options, so why shouldn’t your home office offer the same? Stock up your fridge with yummy snacks and your favorite coffee, and remember to take snack breaks! You’re not gonna be too productive on an empty stomach. If you’re working from home permanently, we recommend investing in a great coffee maker. Not into coffee? Maybe you go for an impressive tea assortment instead, or your favorite hot chocolate.
In Sweden, we have something called 3 PM fika, which means that around 3 PM, offices sit down together for a couple of minutes while enjoying some coffee, and maybe, if they’re lucky, pastries. This is good for bonding with your coworkers and for resetting your brain. If you work from home alone, give someone a call during your coffee break - whether it’s a coworker or a friend or family member. When working from home, it’s easy to forget about breaks, but breaks are important. Every two hours or so, get up, walk around for a couple of minutes, or step outside for some fresh air.
CONNECT WITH YOUR COWORKERS
We know it can be lonely at home, but don’t forget that you can hang out with your coworkers online. It’s important to give each other calls here and there, and not just do everything over email. This will create a feeling of togetherness, and make you feel like you’re in it together. You’re a team, and you’re working together, but from different locations.
Also, both Zoom and Google Hangouts are great platforms for video calls and meetings. On Friday afternoons, why not do a happy hour zoom call? It’s important to bond with your coworkers, both for team building and to establish relationships.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
Sometimes, what we need to feel inspired are some inspiring decor and supplies. Things like a good planner, a cool screen saver, a nice coffee cup, a comfortable chair, a nice pen and a good notebook will truly spike that work motivation. Also, it can totally be worth it to invest in some nice scented candles and fresh flowers or plants. Small details like this will make spaces more enjoyable in general, and it’s important that your work space feels enjoyable.
AT THE END OF YOUR SHIFT, CLEAN UP YOUR WORK MESS AND SHUT DOWN YOUR HOME OFFICE.
Again, I think that one of the key things when working from home is tricking your brain into thinking it’s in either work mood or chill mood. At the end of the day, I like to clean up my work station and pack it up, so that my brain knows that the office is gone, and now we’re in the living room, where we chill. For example, I move my laptop, portable keyboard and notebook back into the bedroom, where I place it in a drawer. For me, that is a way of marking that the work day is over. Otherwise, if the laptop stays out, it’s easy to keep working and to look over every time an email comes in.
SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
Speaking of cleaning, I, personally, have a hard time focusing if the space around me is messy. Therefore, I do a quick apartment clean at night and in the morning. And by a quick clean, I don’t mean vacuuming for hours or changing the sheets on my bed. It’s more about picking clothes up from the floor, making the bed, and putting dirty dishes away. Personally, I find it hard to focus when there are distractions around me, so I do what I can to eliminate distractions, whatever they may be.
At the end of the day, I think working from home is an amazing opportunity that allows flexibility and freedom, and personally, I love it. However, it’s not for everyone, and it requires focus, dedication and willpower. In times like this when we’re all pretty much forced to work from home, I think it’s important to do what we need to do, in order to be productive. Meaning, if you need fresh air breaks more often to stay focused, take them, if you need more coffee than usual to stay motivated, do it, and if you snack more than usual, then so be it! If working from home is not your thing, do what you must to get by in times of need. You can do it! And for the rest of you work from homers who are loving it more than you thought you would – welcome to a new world, full of opportunities, freedom and flexibility :)
