I wouldn’t call myself an expert at many things, but I have been working from home for 20 years and that puts me right up there with the big dogs. I thought I would share some helpful tips and company policies that have helped me adjust to life at home.

1. Create a dedicated work space. Keep it free from personal things and distractions. I have an office up stairs, so I can shut the door when I’m “closed”. It is also good to teach your “co-workers” that when you are in your work space, you need to focus and have few to no interruptions.
2. Start your morning just like you would if you were headed somewhere else to work.  Get up at the same time every day, do your morning workout, shower, get dressed and make your bed. This might sound silly since you are working from home and you are not allowed to have any visitors. However, keeping a schedule and getting all dolled up makes you feel good about yourself and starts your day off on a positive note. (and when you come home from work, it is always comforting to get into a made up bed.
   

   

   

   3. One of my distractions is house work. So, I have found, that if I do about 30 minutes of house work every morning before I go to my office, I won’t be thinking about it all day. This also includes deciding what is for dinner and either taking it out of the freezer or putting something in the crock pot.

   

   

   

   4. One VERY hard thing to learn is that you only eat at regular scheduled meals.  When I go upstairs to my office, I take a glass (with a lid) of water with me. I don’t snack before lunch, so if I’m hungry early, I just go down and eat lunch early. After lunch, I ALWAYS need a snack. And by snack I mean CHOCOLATE. But, I don’t take it upstairs with me after lunch.  I make myself walk back down the stairs to get it. That is just  something I do to “justify” eating my chocolate… I at least took an extra trip down the stairs for it.

5. Focus, I try not to do personal stuff during work time. Now, on days when my                   brain is tired, or it is REALLY  beautiful outside, I will finish work early and take                 some personal time. The last picture is me learning the tictok dance up the stairs.

I hope this helps. I know working from home is a big adjustment. But, be grateful that you have that opportunity. The alternative is probably to be laid off and that would be worse. (I’m actually somewhere in the middle). My business is considered non-essential so I’m not allowed to leave the house to photograph, but I can still work. (which doesn’t bring in any income) If I can help you with anything else about working from home, just let me know.