What Works for Me While Working From Home

I debated on writing any kind of post like this especially at the beginning of the shelter-in-place orders that started in mid-march. It felt like there were just an abundance of these types of posts. But recently I was asked by a couple of tips for working from home and how not to get burnt out and/or anxious.

A lot of work I’ve done and still do is freelance and working from home. So I wanted to share some things that I thought might be helpful because I know working from home can be a hard transition for some and especially if that’s just not in your personality to be at home and away from the social aspect of going into work.

So first I would say, if you can, change up where in your house/apartment you do work. Since I live with my parents, I usually stick to my room at my desk. But when I start to feel like that’s not helping me be productive, I’ll move to the dining room table, the kitchen counter, the living room coffee table, etc. Just to kind of mix it up and have something different to look at for the day.

Lighting candles, diffusing oils helps make it a little more cozy and for me, just gets me in a better mood.

Make sure you’re drinking water! Get up and walk around the house. Give yourself some breaks! Even if it’s just to walk to your kitchen and grab a snack or take 5-10 minutes to pet your dog or watch a youtube video or listen to a podcast, scroll on instagram.

Don’t feel like you have to be solidly working 9-5 or whatever you work hours are, especially with everything going on right now, give your brain a few breaks here and there! i know there are some apps that help with timing like working for an hour and then a 10 minute break that could help!

Even going outside to check the mail is a good break, call/text a friend or family member.

Sometimes my work break is doing like a 15 minute yoga session, or changing the sheets on my bed, or picking up clothes off my floor. That way if I feel like I’m not getting any actual work done, at least my breaks can still feel productive.

Always take a lunch break away from your computer!

Another thing that works for me so i don’t feel like i’m trying to accomplish too much in one day unrealistically, at the start of the week, I write the things down I want to work on in my planner. mark off what you completed as I go. For me that helps visualize what I’ve finished. Even if it was just doing research for an article, scratching just one thing off my list really helps. Or if you feel like that would add to your stress by not having “enough” scratched off, at the end of the day write down what you worked on and/or completed. 

The key is very much don’t beat yourself up over feeling like you’re not being productive. I remember when I did my internship, I was only working five hours a day, but I had a mix of doing a bunch of work, then taking like a minute to scroll through instagram to kind of let myself out of a funk of feeling a lack of creativity.

Sometimes your brain just needs that break to reset and it can be so easy when you’re working from home to feel like every little break is unearned. 

Hopefully this was helpful to someone!