With the Coronavirus looming many of us may soon have the opportunity to work from home.  At the marketing company, I work for we all work from home and I want to share some of my tips on working from home.

1. Have a dedicated workspace that’s quiet.

Preferably not a bedroom or the kitchen.  Working in the bedroom could make you feel sleepy and will make it hard to work.  The kitchen is okay as a workspace if that’s all you have because it usually already has a table to work with, but if you’re watching your waistline, having all of that food insight will encourage some serious snacking.  Which brings us to step 2. 

2. Sit (or stand, if you’re into that) at a desk or table.

Don’t sit on your bed!  That is the worst place to get work done.  Your productivity will instantly plummet!  The couch is also a terrible place to work from.  You can’t sit up properly and you’re used to just chilling out on the couch.  It’s not conducive to getting any real work done.  A desk is the best place because it’s probably what you’ve already been doing at work and it will help you to focus.

3. Make your workspace comfortable.

Don’t try to work on a cluttered kitchen table.  That won’t make you want to stay there all day.  If you must work at the kitchen table, clean it off and give yourself plenty of space to work.  Find a comfortable, but not too comfortable chair to work from.  If you can, find an extra folding table or desk that you’ve been using for something else, clean it off and turn it into your temporary desk.

4. Have all of your work essentials handy.

Do you usually have a phone close by?  How about a notebook, pens, a phone charger, even something as simple as a stapler?  You should have everything you need nearby so that you won’t have to interrupt your workflow to go and get it.

5. Have dedicated working hours.

If you get to set your own work hours, pick some and stick to them.  Work during work hours and don’t work during your not work hours.  It helps your brain to stay focused on the task at hand.

6. Keep in contact with your team.

If you are used to being able to quickly ask the person next to you or behind, you for something there will be a little bit of an adjustment when you are working from home.  However, there are plenty of free tools out there for you to use.  You could use something as simple as a text message to keep in contact with your team, or you could get something a little more sophisticated.

Our team uses Slack to keep track of our chats.  Slack can also share files and will keep a record of your conversations.  You can even have multiple conversations with different team members in each so that you don’t get confused when someone quickly changes the topic without telling you.  We also use Zoom for group meetings.  You can sign up with just an email address.  You can have one 40 minute meeting with several people for free each day.  You can pay for upgrades if you need to, but we always say that if it can’t be done in 40 minutes, it probably can’t be done.

7. Dress for work.

I know this is one of the perks of working from home.  You don’t have to follow a strict office dress code.  I’m not saying that you should, however working in your pajamas will not help you to be productive.  It’s kind of like working from your bed.  It makes you feel sleepy and unmotivated.  So, get up, shower every day, put on something that you are comfortable in, jeans and a t-shirt anyone?  Ladies do your hair and makeup.  It will make you feel better and that way you’ll be prepared for any of those video chats that may come up during the day.  You won’t have to be embarrassed or miss a meeting because you’re still in your pajamas.