If you’ve suddenly found yourself working from home or you simply want to create a more productive and organized home office, this podcast is packed with practical, real-life tips to help make the transition easier. In my very first podcast appearance, I share simple strategies to help you create a functional workspace, reduce distractions, stay productive and establish healthy boundaries between work and home life. Whether you’re working from the kitchen table, a spare bedroom or a corner of the basement, these organizing tips will help you improve focus and make working from home feel far less overwhelming. Plus, we talk routines, productivity, paper clutter and yes…why you should absolutely wear pants with buttons and a zipper while working from home.
Fri-YAY! with Jill Fleming
We are living in an historic time. Many people are now having to work from home for the first time. And while it won’t necessarily be business as usual, it is do-able. I want to share some tips to help you navigate the transition from an “away office” to a home office…and set you up for success.
QUESTION 1: How do we create a space at home that translates into an efficient workspace?
Pick the best location in your home that will meet both your needs and those of your family. For instance, if you are on the phone for a majority of the day, the kitchen table is probably not the best choice. People in and out preparing lunch, snacks or using the sink will be distracting and can also be loud. Whether it’s a spare room, a corner in the basement or the dining table, it’s important to have a dedicated space for your “office.” This gives you a “place” to go to in the morning and leave at the end of the day.
If you can’t dedicate a non-shared space, keep it simple and portable. If your dining room table is your office by day, it needs to function as your dining table at night. If so, keeping things simple and sparse supply-wise will make it easier for you to move it when you shut things down for your work day.
Make sure you have what you need. Outlets, stable Wi-Fi, office supplies. Don’t go crazy on this one – just have on hand what you need to work efficiently. One thing we’re all learning is that we can get by with less.
QUESTION 2: How do I juggle being at home and being at work, when they are the same place?
Create a Schedule. Be consistent. Routines and structure actually help reduce anxiety. So have a schedule and keep the location of your new at-home office consistent. Keep to a morning routine. Set regular hours. Just like you would at the office, take a lunch break. And take a few minutes every half hour or hour to stretch and walk around a bit. Working from home allows for more flexibility but you want to make sure you’re being productive and meeting your deadlines. Creating a workday schedule will vary depending on your circumstances. If you suddenly have 3 kids at home instead of in school, you may have to play around until you figure out what works best for you.
QUESTION 3: How do I avoid all the distractions of being at home?
Distractions can disrupt your productivity. Your spouse yells out a question from another room, kids keep popping in to see what you’re doing. All of this will cause you to lose your train of thought. Unless you live alone, it will be important to set ground rules. Let the other people in your home know that when you are “at work,” you are not available (unless there’s an emergency, of course). Everyone will quickly adjust to this new normal and learn to pretend that you’re away at the office.
QUESTION 4: How do I draw my own line between work and home?
Being in the right frame of mind is a big part of successfully making the transition to working from home. We are social animals and our workmates are often our friends. But you don’t have to miss out on those one-on-one interactions.
Don’t rely strictly on email. Pick up the phone and call or set up a video chat if you have questions about a project. None of us enjoy those endless email threads and “reply all” threads. You can often resolve things more quickly with a quick chat, much like you would do if you were at the office – you’d pop your head into the next cubicle or your boss’ office, right?
Just as you establish a routine to “get to work” in the morning, establish an end of day routine. If you’re hunkered down at the dining room table, gather everything and put it away. This signals the end of your work day. If you’re in another room, leave and shut the door.
Oh…and wear pants! 😊 While it’s easy to throw on sweatpants or stay in your PJs for the day, I’ve found that actually wearing pants with buttons and a zipper help me stay in work mode. LOL