Ever wanted to create a work from home routine you can stick to? By now you probably realized that working from home isn’t easy, in fact it can be a blessing or a curse depending on your situation at home or nature of work.
Sure, you no longer need to waste time on traffic (finally!) but now you’re struggling to get yourself to actually work and beg everyone in the house to please be quiet during your video calls (I won’t add your cat or dog who loves to cuddle during these time, you know that already).
For some people who love the office ambiance, free coffee, snacks and ofcourse talking to real humans who get your thinking, I’m pretty sure you find this remote work setup very frustrating…
And to my lovely introverts, I’m sure you rejoice to the sound of silence but then it can be too isolating for you as well, don’t worry – I’m here to help!
Here’s how you can create an effective work from home routine
1. Write down your daily tasks in the order of: A) Self, B) Work and C) Home.
Having a healthy work from home routine means you get to divide your time and energy to do the most important tasks. To get you started, here are some examples:
A. Self: 5-minute meditation, 10-minute exercise
B. Work: Follow up emails, attend meetings, in progress on task #5
C. Home: Prepare food, budget, laundry, wash dishes, pay bills
Your list of tasks will differ depending on your lifestyle and if you live with your partner/spouse or have kids or family members. I want to highlight the importance of self care, you have to move your body get some sunlight and try to quiet your mind through meditation. Your mental health should be your top priority at all times.
2. Schedule your tasks on a calendar
Do you ever felt like there’s literally no time left to do all the tasks you listed above? Well, here’s the game changer (by the way – this requires discipline!)
To make this easier for you, I suggest using an app based calendar such as Google Calendar that is easily accessible and automatically sync with your office meeting invites, family member’s shared calendar and public holidays.
Be specific as much as possible. Write down the duration (start and end) also make sure to use the “repeat” feature for recurring tasks like laundry, grocery shop, daily scrum meetings, weekly/monthly office updates and self care activities.
Here’s mine to give you some idea:
A. Self: 6:00 am – 8:00 am (meditation, exercise, bath, breakfast)
B. Work: 8:00 am – 11:00 am (meetings, tasks, emails)
–11:00 am to 12:00 noon (lunch break)
–resume work 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
C. Home: 7:00 pm — 8:00 pm dinner, call with husband
–8:00 pm – 9:00 pm – clean up house, prepare next day meal
–9:30 pm – 10:00 pm – settle down in my bed, writing next day priorities
If you want to use other “task list” apps, feel free to use them as you please.
3. Prepare your “home office” setup
This is crucial – you need a space where you can work with minimal distractions. Thinking of that empty room that used to be a stock room? Yes! Or maybe you can sneak in a table and chair into your bedroom? Sure! Run out of options? Use the kitchen counter! We won’t judge.
Some people go crazy with this and put so much stuff, don’t make the same mistake! Strive a minimal look for your home office setup because you want to focus on your work and not get distracted.
Depending on the nature of your work, you might need: a whiteboard, sticky notes, markers, pens, pencils, notebook, planner, lampshade, comfortable office chair, laptop cooler, bluetooth headset, water/tea/coffee mug.
What’s on your home office desk? Tell me in the comments!
4. Establish boundaries – at work and at home
When your family learned that you work from home, it seems not a big deal. Suddenly, your spouse will knock on your home office (or grab you) and tell you that your favorite movie is playing (so ofcourse you need to watch!) or if you have little kids, they think mommy/daddy is at home ready to play (no, you’re not!).
To prevent this from happening (again), establish boundaries and explain politely (and lovingly) to your family that you are working from home and is expected to deliver your best work and perform.
“Can you take another task? Besides, you don’t need to travel” does this sound all too familiar? Ofcourse! We’ve all been there!
In these difficult times, it’s understandable that you want to keep your job, but that doesn’t mean you will stretch yourself too thin. You can be a team player without being taken advantage of by your lazy workmates – this is tricky, make sure you deal with this as a professional.
5. Turn off the distractions
The most challenging thing about working from home is getting yourself to focus on “the work” and not fall into the trappings of technology.
There’s an easy fix for this – turn off all the notifications from your phone (aside from the ones you need for work), if you can put your phone on airplane mode or silent during your work hours.
For neat freaks like me, you’re probably starring on that laundry bag full of dirty clothes, the dishes that needs to be washed and all the “mess” in your home. I understand your struggle – I feel it too, but trust me, resist the urge to do these things until you’re done with your work, please!
Final thoughts
Creating an effective work from home routine you can stick to is critical to your professional success during these trying times.
There are benefits of working from home and some challenges as well, we believe you can handle this like a pro if you implement the tips above.
If you find these tips helpful, could you share this to your family and friends? Also, feel free to comment below on your work from home routine, we’d love to know!
Looking for more tips? Checkout this bundle!
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