10 Tips for Working From Home

With the recent developments of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) sweeping the entire world, I wanted to write something meaningful on my blog today to tackle ways to cope. During times like these, I feel a little odd about ignoring something that continues to affect millions of people. Yes, I want to continue writing blog posts covering fashion and beauty, but I also want to provide my readers with more knowledgable posts. A lot of people are leaving their offices behind and working from home for the next few weeks because of coronavirus.

With this in mind, I am sharing my top 10 tips to stay productive and motivated while working from home.

1. Set An Alarm

One of the easiest things to do when working from home is sleeping in late. I do it from time to time myself, but there’s something to sticking to a routine that helps keep me motivated as I wake up. Choose a soothing sound from your phone as your alarm to get you up and moving. Pick a time that seems fair to wake up and start your morning. For some people, this looks like 6:30 am while for others its closer to 9:00 am. Whichever time suits your schedule, stick to it! Consistency will become a great tool for working from home with ease and less stress.

2. Do Some Stretches

The few precious moments after I wake up from my buzzing phone alarm include plenty of arm and leg stretches. Stretching your muscles and limbs from a night of sleep feels amazing.

As someone who frequently spends the night tossing and turning (that’s just how I sleep) let me tell you that I look forward to my morning stretches so much! Take these next few minutes to focus on stretching out your body in different directions to feel more limber.

Of course, if you have a gym membership, it’s also smart to head out for a 30-min or hour-long workout as soon as you wake up. I know a lot of people who enjoy getting out of bed and heading out to the gym. Normally I would suggest heading out to the gym except for right now with the coronavirus outbreak. Stay inside and do some stretches instead to stay safe and out of the public until some normalcy returns to the US.

3. Eat Something Healthy for Breakfast

In the morning, I personally drink a cup of iced coffee made from my new Nespresso Verturo Espresso & Coffee Machine (*thanks, QVC!) and eat a protein bar from The Perfect Bar. Starting off the morning with a tasty cup of coffee gets me in the best mood to focus on work at hand. Instead of making myself a bowl of cereal, I am typically munching down a Perfect Bar these days. My favorite flavors are the Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter!

4. Create a Work Zone and Work-Free Zone

Carefully choose where you want to get work done in your home. Designate specific areas of your home as work zones and work-free zones to create boundaries. Preserve some spaces in your home where you won’t allow yourself to do work. Use those work-free places to relax, such as your living room or family room.

5. Check-in With Your Colleagues

Another smart move? Checking in with your colleagues makes you feel less alone while you work from home. If the office keeps a Slack group chat going, be sure to check up with your colleagues from time to time during the day. Video conferencing, Skype calls, and FaceTime are also a great means of communication when the office transitions to working from home.

6. Take Frequent Breaks

Sitting down for hours at a time doesn’t sound particularly productive now, does it? From taking time out of your day to break for food, I highly recommend taking breaks away from your laptop and phone to cut out the online noise for an hour or so.

Take a walk outside if you live in an area that isn’t overpopulated. Make it a point to walk your dog or play with him or her in your backyard for an hour. Some fresh air also feels incredible if you’ve been cooped up inside for long periods of time.

7. Get Dressed for the Day (Not in PJs!)

Of course, who wouldn’t want to work from home in their cozy pajamas?! Well, it might disrupt your workflow if you stay in your PJs. I know that I accomplish LESS when I keep my PJs on during the workday.

As soon as I change my outfit into something more appropriate then I am able to get into work mode at my desk. Dressing up for your workday at home seems like a dumb idea at first. You might be thinking, “Nobody is going to see me, what’s the point in dressing up at all?” to which I want to suggest that dressing up sets the tone for the day ahead. Pretend as if you were getting ready for the office while choosing your at-home get up.

8. Batch Your Errands

Another bit of advice — batch your errands so you can knock off all of your chores at once. Typically, I will do some computer work in the morning and then save my errands for the afternoon or evening.

Batching your errands helps you focus on one thing at a time. If you were to be at your desk and then get up and leave for an hour, that one hour might turn into another hour! At least in my case, I am notorious for getting easily distracted in stores. I can spend a long time running errands which is another reason why I reserve my errands for the end of my day.

When I need to go out and make returns at stores I will also make sure to save time right after lunch to gather my receipts, shopping bags, and items to return to be organized while out running errands. With the coronavirus, I am not taking chances and saving my returns for next month. I believe a lot of stores may be more lenient with their return policies because of the virus, but this is something I’ll need to wait and hear back on to confirm.

If you can help it, don’t run out and make too many errands during peak hours of the day. I try to get out around 2:00 pm if I can to stop by Publix for a late lunch and some groceries if I am feeling up to it.

My Work From Home Essentials:

9. Have Lunch Away From Your Desk

When finding lunch to eat, either make something yummy at home or order something from a restaurant. Sometimes I like taking a break away from my desk and drive somewhere else for a quick lunch. If I am meeting up with a friend, I will also coordinate a lunch date during the week. **During the coronavirus outbreak, I am NOT planning any lunch dates at the moment. A couple of my go-to lunch spots here in St. Pete? I recommend checking out:

• Bodega on Central 
• Fresh Kitchen
• Craft Kafe
• Publix 
• Panera Bread
• Chick-Fil-A

10. Keep Your Work Zone Clean

One final piece of advice for successful workdays from home? Keeping your work zone CLEAN. I can’t imagine working in an area that has piles of paper stacking up or leftover lunch laying around. Use an all-purpose cleaner (I prefer ones from Everspring, a Target brand) to clean up your desk at the end of your workday. I am fully stocked with Lavender & Bergamot All Purpose Cleaner from Everspring™ in my home!

My Work Zone Cleaning Essentials:

Take a couple of their multi-surface cleaning wipes and wipe down your desk, your chair, your laptop, your phone, and anything else that needs a good scrub down.