How to make working from home work for you.
There is a saying that in order “for passion to thrive, it needs structure” (Simon Sinek). I love this concept, and it’s so true for me! Working from home and on my own means that I need to create some structure so that my passions can thrive. I am a former Executive Functions coach and special education teacher… so I not only understand the benefits of structure but I have also implemented systems for lot of different kids in a variety of different settings. I wanted to share some reflections, tips and strategies on how I have translated that over for me now that I work from homeI
Home Base
Being in the physical space where my family and I reside means that I need to create some boundaries around housework expectations and around the general business of everything that needs to get done at home. If you have children and you work from home, you may also likely become the default parent for pick up, change of plans in childcare or days off from school, or for any household appointments or repairs that need to be done.
All of this cuts into productivity, it cuts into work hours and causes extra shifts and transitions in activity throughout the day. This needs to be a consideration in your planning and also in the expectations of your success, results, and deadlines. Anticipating these factors and accommodating or planning for them may be helpful! I know it has been for me… reminding myself that I do take on these additional roles, but also that I have the power to set boundaries around them by blocking my work schedule into my family calendar and being really disciplined during that time.
Theme Days
Theme days are something that I am exploring - meaning a day of the week that is dedicated to certain things outside of work activity. Example: I will designate 1-2 days a week when I will tidy up the house, with the understanding that I am going to put on my blinders to the mess the other days. These could also be bi-weekly or monthly like a financial check-in. There could also be a day for appointments and a day for planning or grocery shopping. Of course we cannot always anticipate all of these things… but if you can mentally and functionally chunk as much as possible, it helps.
Mindset Shadows
When you don’t have coworkers or a boss filling your brain, you may end up hearing some limiting beliefs or stories pop up. Maybe they’re about your productivity. Maybe they are about your ability to focus. Maybe they are being too hard on you, maybe they’re being too easy on you… as much as you can remain objective about whatever messaging you are hearing from inside, do it. Try to set up some time to journal about your thoughts and your work habits. If everyone has always told you that you are easily distracted, or you never finish things on time… you may have started to believe that somewhere along the way. There is always the opportunity to rewrite that story! Perhaps this opportunity of working on your own has opened the door to that personal transformation.
Set Priorities
When you work for yourself, there is a level of ownership that is required to excel in your execution. You need to be great in the moment. Because of all of the reasons above, it can be easy to get distracted. It can be easy to be available for your friends, coworkers, your team at a moment’s notice. But what are the essential activities? The true priorities of the day. Self-monitoring is important here because we all know that there are certain tasks that feel easier than others, and without priorities that are directly connected to our goals and outcomes, it’s easy to slide into that comfier task, especially when you’re wearing your comfy slippers. My advice here is to set 3 non-negotiable priorities every single day… I actually like to set them the evening beforehand so I don’t have to spend any time thinking about it once I get my work day started. I have this area in my planner (https://savorlifeplanner.com/) for “Pull Weeds” and “Plant Seeds” lists and that helps me delineate tasks into categories. Pull Weeds is the crap we're putting off, or the stuff that’s going to make the garden of our goals grow better — and Plant Seeds are those decisive interactions, bold moments, follow-up conversations that lead to more growth in the longer-term.
Built-In Breaks
At home, you may not have the typical markers of the day…the transition times between meetings or even the commute (for better or worse)... which means that it can feel like all work all the time. That’s not realistic, and it will lead to burnout! I am someone who will just get so into my work, I need reminders to take breaks. Hydration, a healthy lunch, afternoon supplements… these are all a part of bringing my best self to work. If you can chunk your work into sessions and make sure to get outside, shift your workspace, refill that water bottle, or fit in a walk or a quick workout.
Embrace Flexibility
Working from home means greater flexibility in where you work and how you work. I think a dedicated workspace is really benefits for organizing any materials, and to have a quiet place to go for calls, writing, etc. But you can change it up, so change it up! Sometimes it is great for me to set up my laptop out on the deck, or to cozy up on the living room couch and put on a record while I write. Awesome, as long as I resist the urge to reorganize the kids’ toys instead of doing a non-preferred work task.
I can also schedule my time differently, I can work in spurts, I can figure out the times when I work best, when am I most in my flow with writing, what time of day is best for certain tasks.
For example, in the hour or so I have between preschool pickup and elementary school pick-up, I know that is a chunk of time where I can do packages / mailings with my son (he likes to help with those) in my office, or if he needs a nap, I can snuggle up with him and my journal on the couch… or I put my planner and book in the car in case he falls asleep on the drive home and I can just work quietly in the car in the driveway. I anticipate how I may need to be flexible, and I am prepared to roll with the punches.
Having clear tasks and priorities certainly helps with flexibility… and will you fall apart if things don’t go as planned? NO! Because you get to flow with life and enjoy the moment and roll with it and because when you can stick to your plan 80% of the time, you’ll succeed.
It’s Not A “Done” List…
Do you know… the to-do list is never really really supposed to be done, or else it would be called a “done” list? Real words from my coach. But seriously… my last point is about when to call it good. When is the workday done? I know that I push myself extremely hard and I also need to be very diligent and remind myself to take breaks and to turn off from work. I love my job and I am very passionate about it… I love writing and getting to create new things from my perspective… And I love working for myself. In order for all that passion to thrive, these are some parts of the structure that I have put in place that work for me!
Does this resonate with you? What other working-from-home tips do you find useful and would include here?