How to Successfully Work Remotely at Home

Today, I wanted to take some time and talk about how to successfully work remotely at home. During unexpected situations when you may not be able to go to the office, and in general with a changing world that is moving more jobs to remote locations every day, you may find yourself being expected to work from home.

Many people think this sounds great, while many others hate the idea. You may work great independently and prefer working in a quiet space, and in that case, working from home may be your ideal situation. Alternatively, you may thrive on collaboration with team members and fellowship in the office break room. If that’s you, chances are you won’t love working from home quite as much – but there are options for you to still connect with others, I promise.

I’ve spent more of my working years working from home than I have working in an office. I enjoy both, and at times working at home does get lonely. But, I spend a lot of time networking with others and talking on the phone and in webinars with clients, which does help.

So, just get to the tips already!

Set up a proper workspace.

So often I see people working from home with their laptop in their lap on the sofa, or hunched over the laptop on a coffee table.  Don’t do this.  Posture is really important, and if you are going to spend 40+ hours a week at a computer, you better have a setup that is as comfortable as possible.

You need to have a desk and an ergonomic desk chair that are both the right height for you. If you have a laptop, I encourage you to get a large monitor or two that you can connect to it, instead of squinting at the screen. I actually use two monitors and use a laptop docking station to make everything work together. Some people even get standing desks, which is also great for your health (you can convert your existing desk to having a standup option with a converter like this.)

Sometimes I think “Oh, I’m tired of sitting at my desk, I’m just going to take my laptop in the living room so I can be more comfortable.”  And I last about 15 minutes in there and realize how unproductive that actually is. It hurts my neck and my back, there’s nowhere to put the mouse, I have to squint at the screen … you get the idea. A proper workspace, people. Get one.

Take a shower and get dressed. Every day.

This one isn’t negotiable.  I see SO MANY people who work from home basically bragging on Facebook about how they haven’t showered in four days, or they can’t remember the last time they combed their hair. I feel so strongly about this that I previously wrote a whole blog post about it.

If you want people to take you seriously, you have to take yourself seriously. Now, I’m not saying get up and get dressed in a business suit every day. But get dressed in something that you could hop on a webinar or go to the grocery store wearing.

Are you wearing pajamas to work? Knock it off.

Set a daily schedule and stick to it.

Depending on what your job is, your schedule may already be set for you. But, it may not be. Whether it is or isn’t, there are still pieces that you can control. When are you going to take that shower, when is your morning break, what time do you eat lunch, and when do you want your dog?

For me, since I have my own business, I can really do whatever I want for the most part (although my clients expect that I’m available during regular business hours.)  Back to the whole taking yourself seriously thing, I try to work as normal of a schedule as possible.  I shower before work and try to be at my desk by 8:00 a.m. I take a regular lunch break at a normal time. Sometimes I walk my dog at lunch, sometimes I do it after work, and sometimes I just need a break in the middle of the day so we go then. I’m a bit more flexible with the dog walk.

One thing you can do if you struggle with this is to time block your calendar. This can help keep you on task. I talk about this a bit more in this blog post. I have mine set up as a separate Google Calendar. At this point, it’s mostly in my head and I stick to it as best as I can throughout the day.

I always hear people who don’t work from home say, “If I worked at home I’d never get anything done.” There is a certain amount of discipline you need to have, but when it comes down to it if you don’t do your job you won’t keep your job. And if it’s your own company and you don’t do any work, you won’t have a company for long. So, you WILL get things done – you just have to get into the rhythm of it.

Set priorities for the day and work on that list in order.

If you struggle to keep on task while working at home, something that may be helpful to you is to set your top three priorities for the day, first thing in the morning. Finish those things first, and then move onto the next three things. This can prevent you from jumping around and working on random tasks that aren’t important. It can also help minimize the mindless social media scroll. You know the one. I use Trello to keep track of ALL of my things, and I highly recommend it. You can read more about why I love it and how I use it in this blog post.

Depending on your job, it may be that the project management software is a different one and is already in place – that’s great.  It may also be that someone else is setting your priorities for you – that’s great too. But, if you are responsible for setting your own priorities and keeping track of them, I think you will like Trello.

Track your time.

If you work for a company, it’s likely that they may have a software system for you to use to track your time.  If they don’t, I find Clockify to be a really helpful tool. I don’t track time for everything I do in my day, but there are certain clients and projects that I do track time for. Clockify lets you set up clients, projects, easily enter details about time spent, and generate reports.

Set regular break times and stick to them.

This goes back to the time block concept, but TAKE YOUR BREAKS. When I worked from home for an employer before I had my own company, I was TERRIBLE about taking breaks. It was a really fast-paced job and it was always onto the next thing. The next phone call, the next support ticket, the next emergency. Some days I never even got to take lunch, let alone morning or afternoon breaks.

DO NOT DO THIS.  Get up from your desk. You actually should get up from your desk at least once an hour, even if it’s just to walk around the house for a minute.

My favorite part about working from home? I can go toss a load of laundry in the washing machine or dryer, I can put some dishes away, or I can clean the bathroom – during a quick break.  That is so much more productive than sitting in the break room at the office!

Find a healthy work-life balance.

Statistics show that people who work from home actually work MORE hours than people who work in an office. Think about the last office job you had (or the one you have currently.) How much time do you spend in the break room, or talking to your co-worker by the water fountain, or stopping by someone’s desk to ask a question that turns into a 15-minute conversation? These things don’t happen at home.

So, it’s important to know when it’s time to quit working. It’s so easy to come back to the computer for “one more email” or “just one more thing quick.” Try not to do this.

Also in this category, you should communicate (and be patient with) your family members and friends. Explain to them that you work from home and that this is your job. They can’t visit you during work hours, they shouldn’t call you until you are done working for the day, etc. If your spouse or children are at home, remind them when your office hours are and try to set those boundaries.

Alternatively, remember that working from home offers some freedom and flexibility. Remember to be patient with them when they do need you during work hours.

Set boundaries with your supervisor(s) and/or client(s).

This kind of goes along with work-life balance, but I think it deserves its own section. In addition to setting those limits with your family, you also may need to set limits with your supervisor(s) and/or client(s). In that fast-paced job I mentioned earlier, I was always on call and was in the habit of taking my phone to the bathroom with me. Yes, that’s right. I didn’t go to the bathroom without my phone, because someone might need me.

One day, I dropped my (work-provided) phone right into the toilet. I had to call my boss and tell her about it. Her response was, “Why did you have your phone in the bathroom?” To which I said, “So I didn’t miss a phone call.”  She gently reminded me that I should be able to go to the ladies’ room without bringing my phone. This was a good reminder for me that the pressure on me was somewhat self-induced. No one had ever told me that taking my phone to the restroom was part of my job requirements.

So, it is a good idea to set those office hours, whatever they are. Make sure people know that is when you are available. Alternatively, it’s a good idea to not send emails to clients outside of those hours. Gmail has functionality that lets you write the email and schedule it to send during business hours. If you tell them you aren’t available after hours unless it’s an emergency, but then you email them after hours – it doesn’t reinforce those boundaries.

Have an accountability partner or two.

This one is important, especially for those who need collaboration and teamwork. There are so many awesome networking Facebook groups for business owners and at-home employees online. Find some of them and join them, you can find your people there. If you work for a company, you can pick a co-worker or two instead. Whether it’s a morning to check-in, sharing of good or bad news, or to discuss something that is going on – find some people you can talk to. It will make all the difference.

Don’t be so hard on yourself.

This is an important one. As you learn the new routine and get into the swing of things, give yourself some grace to adapt. If anyone is expecting you to get more done than what you can get done, talk to them about it. Part of the beauty of working from home is that it is supposed to give you some flexibility. If it isn’t doing that, take some time to figure out what can be adjusted.