Friday, March 20, 2020

5 Tips to Make Working at Home a Succcess

We don’t all, under usual circumstances, have the luxury of working from home.  So here are a few things that as a work from home guy for the past 20 years have found to be useful!

1)      Set your alarm, get out of bed, and get dressed for work.
a.       Yes, set your alarm! You are going to work and its important to get into that mindset
b.       Don’t stray from your normal routine.  If you get up make coffee and jump in the shower before hopping in the car to drive to the office, then do it.  The steps are still the same, you’re just heading into a new office
c.       Get dressed.  It super easy to sit around in pajamas all day when you don’t have to go meet someone.  But You are WAY less productive.  Dress for success, even when no one is watching, it will help your mind switch into work mode!
2)      Create a designated Office Space
a.       Not all of us have 2500 square foot homes with 2 extra bedrooms, am I right? (If you need to buy or sell one, I can help!). But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to go into an office.  Find a space, any space! Something that you can say (to those furry kids too) I’m at work, go away! 😊
b.       If you have an extra room, a shed, a basement, anything.  Even if you must partition off just part of your kitchen table or island, do it! You must have space to work, preferably uninterrupted (for 90 mins at a time, but we’ll get to that).
c.       Try to make sure this a space you can come back to every day.  Building a habit is helpful
3)      Work in 90 min increments
a.       When you work, work! And work hard, but everyone needs a break.  Research has shown (Check out the book  “The Power of Full Engagement” for more on this) that if you can put your head down and focus on the task at hand for 90 mins you can get a lot more done.
b.       Take 15 min breaks every 90 mins. This is the old work hard, play hard mantra.  But its true.  If you put in 90 mins of solid work, step away.  Go take a 10 min nap, do a meditation, check that the kids haven’t burned down the kitchen or the dog hasn’t eaten up your stash of coveted toilet paper, but completely step away, just 15 mins!
4)      Walk out the door!
a.       Yep, that’s right! Believe me just do it!  Walk out the door, get in your car, put your hands on the steering wheel, then get out!! Now go back inside and go straight to your space and get to work!
b.       I know it seems strange, but this is a mindset thing. Tell yourself, you’re going to work. It helps!
c.       When you’re done for the day repeat leave again and come back!
5)      Practice, Practice, Practice
a.       As with anything in life, this is not going to be perfect the first time through.  Give yourself a little grace.
b.       There will be interruptions. Best to deal with them and move on! Over time, you can become great at getting things done from the comfort of your own home.