Many, many people have started working from home over the past few days due to the COVID-19 situation, and it may prove a little more challenging if you’ve only done it sporadically in the past. I’ve been working as a freelance beauty journalist and translator for years (six, to be precise… although it really only feels more like two or three!), so I thought I’d share some quick tips that help me stay productive and maintain my work/life balance… while working from home.
HAVE A DESIGNATED WORKSPACE. If you have a home office or a room where you can set up a temporary one, I’d really recommend working there or someplace calm where you can settle down every day. Designating a physical location for work will help you get into a routine, and also help you disconnect mentally from your work when you’re done for the day. If you don’t have an extra room, or have to share a space with someone else who is working from home, wearing headphones can be a great way to create a calm environment that is conducive to productivity. (As Blondie is now working from home for the foreseeable future and spends all day in virtual meetings and on conference calls, my noise-cancelling earbuds have been a godsend for my concentration!)
GET DRESSED. I don’t wear the same kind of clothes I’d wear if I worked in an office, but I don’t stay in my PJs all day either. Whereas other people get dressed, maybe put on makeup, and head out for their commute, my elaborate morning skincare routine is how I get ready for work. It helps put me in the right mindset.
STEP UP YOUR SELF-CARE GAME. Self care means different things to different people, but one of the things I enjoy about working from home is that I can take care of my skin all day, every day: mists, lip balm, hand cream, sheet masks—you name it, I’ve done it while working. Taking care of myself throughout the work day helps make me feel more alert and productive, and less like a lazy kitty lounging around the house.
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE BREAKS. This is crucial. Whereas some people struggle to be productive, for others, it’s hard to stop working when you’re doing it from home. A break can come in the form of going into the kitchen to refill your glass of water (or aluminum tumbler, in my case) and stretching a bit, rewarding yourself for completing a task with a quick game of Tetris, taking a full hour to eat lunch, working out for 30 minutes, or whatever else it takes to get your mind off work and reset it. And when the day is finished, turn off your computer and leave it in another room until the next morning!
SET BOUNDARIES. These can be physical, but also mental. One of the best things I did shortly after I started working for myself was to deactivate push notifications for my work email account on my phone and other devices. When you’re working from home, it’s easy to get into the habit of always being available and in work mode, and because of that, I find it even more important to be able to disconnect than when I worked in an office. Setting boundaries and avoiding always being “on” is a big part of that.
Have you recently started working from home? Have you been doing it for a while? Don’t hesitate to share more tips in the comments!