Tips For Working From Home During COVID

If COVID-19 turned your world upside down and you now find yourself working from your PJs, you aren’t alone. A lot of people have had to adapt to work-from-home life with little to no warning, but that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed from the couch! Here are some of our top tips when working from home. 

Always Make A List Before You Start Your Day 

Whether you’re a list person or more of a task management software user, you know how important it is to look at your to-dos from a bird’s eye view. What do you need to accomplish today? How long do you anticipate your tasks taking you? Make a brain dump list at night before bed … it will help you prepare for the next day AND get a great night’s sleep! Start plugging your list in first thing the following morning. As a rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea to do the hardest thing first. This will help free up your mental capacity and overall attitude towards the remainder of the day … putting off the hardest task to last tends to place a dark cloud of anxiety over my day. I highly recommend doing the thing you are LEAST excited about when you sit down at your desk.

Try Time Blocking 

Also known as time batching, this is a technique people use to stay on track during the workweek. After you figure out what you need to get done each day, organize your tasks by the hour. Here’s an example:

• 9AM: Plan and organize over team meeting
• 10AM to 11 AM: Email clients back 
• 11 AM to 12 PM: Edit photos 
• 12 PM to 1 PM: Eat lunch and run errands
• 1 PM to 2 PM: Shoot and upload images
• 3PM: Break and welcome kids from school

And so on. We also recommend giving yourself some flexibility in case something comes up or a task takes longer than you expected. Pro TIP: Schedule daily down time. Studies show a little reprieve BOOSTS productivity. Check out more below ….

Put Your Phone On Do Not Disturb 

If you find yourself getting in the habit of scrolling when you shouldn’t be, don’t feel guilty – we’ve all been there. We find that putting our phone on Do Not Disturb mode can be the most effective when it comes to productivity. That way, you aren’t picking it up every time you receive a notification or text message. You could also take it a step further by keeping it on the charger away from your workspace. 

Take Breaks Often 

No human being is meant to work for 9 hours straight. That’s not healthy for your mind or soul. We recommend taking breaks every hour or so to at least stand up and stretch your legs. Or, you could switch up your work environment by working outside for a few hours or moving to the couch. Whatever you do, make sure you’re giving yourself much-deserved brain breaks. 

Make a Designated Work Area

As a mom of three, one of the greatest struggles of this season has been managing work time and “mom” time. By creating a space in our home for my work, I am mentally ready to tackle my day AND my littles know mom is on duty when in her “office.” If you’re like me, I get incredibly inspired or distracted by my surroundings. Taking time to prep a work area really allows me to make the most of my time.

Sleep & Eat Well 

You may think it’s a myth, but getting at least 8 hours of sleep and eating healthy food can really play a role in your productivity. Good sleep is essential for functioning at your highest potential. Good eating, on the other hand, can totally make or break your energy level and ability to focus. We recommend keeping healthy snacks in the house so that when you do want to munch, you aren’t eating something that’s going to put you in a food coma.

Use these tips to make the most of your work-from-home environment and have an awesome week!