What can I do to set myself up for success in a work from home job?
July 19, 2016 1:11 PM Subscribe
I recently accepted a new job that will be completely remote. I'll be staring in about a week. What can I do now and in the first few weeks of the new job to create good habits and organization?
I've worked from home several days a week in previous jobs, but I've always also had an office available to me. As such, I never really had a dedicated space for working here. I also want to make sure I don't turn into an unwashed social recluse. Work will be providing me with all the necessary hardware and software, but I will need to get a desk and chair and any desktop organizational stuff.
If you work from home, how have you set things up to be balanced and happy and effective? Advice of any kind--financial, interior design, organizational, etc is welcome! If you have any other general "I wish I'd known" tips for starting a new job, I'd love to hear them too! Thanks MeFites!
I've worked from home several days a week in previous jobs, but I've always also had an office available to me. As such, I never really had a dedicated space for working here. I also want to make sure I don't turn into an unwashed social recluse. Work will be providing me with all the necessary hardware and software, but I will need to get a desk and chair and any desktop organizational stuff.
If you work from home, how have you set things up to be balanced and happy and effective? Advice of any kind--financial, interior design, organizational, etc is welcome! If you have any other general "I wish I'd known" tips for starting a new job, I'd love to hear them too! Thanks MeFites!
I've been working remotely for almost 5 years now, at 2 different companies. How it goes depends on your preferred style of work, communication, socialization and your specific organization very much.
If you need people around you, get a coworking space for at least one or two days a week. I've seen coworkers really burn out feeling isolated (even in remote-first organizations).
I personally prefer the flexibility to mix my work and life hours (hike in the middle of the day, work in the middle of the night if I feel like, etc.) but many people don't. In that case it helps to keep to a strict schedule and distinct space for your work time.
posted by so fucking future at 1:25 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you need people around you, get a coworking space for at least one or two days a week. I've seen coworkers really burn out feeling isolated (even in remote-first organizations).
I personally prefer the flexibility to mix my work and life hours (hike in the middle of the day, work in the middle of the night if I feel like, etc.) but many people don't. In that case it helps to keep to a strict schedule and distinct space for your work time.
posted by so fucking future at 1:25 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a similar situation at the moment. What works for me:
1. I've never been a morning person, but I wake up "early" for me (around 8:30-9:30am). This prevents me from feeling sluggish/gross.
2. Shower and get dressed, albeit in comfortable, casual clothes, every day.
3. After shower and getting dressed, I walk to a local bakery for fresh bread (which I eat as part of breakfast and with dinner, so this is both a fake "commute" and a special thing I can do for myself thanks to the flexibility of working from home).
4. Eat breakfast, then go sit at desk to begin the workday.
I also like to do errands/chores during my breaks, because I feel like I'm really taking advantage of being at home (since I'm trading off for other things, like no personal contact or work space), and my evening will be wide open. Prepping dinner is a popular one for me. Helps me to do something monotonous while I think on a break, sometimes. Also gives me a nice, holistic feeling, like each day has a plan and a set of tasks and I have a work/life balance. YMMV, some people prefer a total separation of home and work tasks.
posted by stoneandstar at 1:30 PM on July 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
1. I've never been a morning person, but I wake up "early" for me (around 8:30-9:30am). This prevents me from feeling sluggish/gross.
2. Shower and get dressed, albeit in comfortable, casual clothes, every day.
3. After shower and getting dressed, I walk to a local bakery for fresh bread (which I eat as part of breakfast and with dinner, so this is both a fake "commute" and a special thing I can do for myself thanks to the flexibility of working from home).
4. Eat breakfast, then go sit at desk to begin the workday.
I also like to do errands/chores during my breaks, because I feel like I'm really taking advantage of being at home (since I'm trading off for other things, like no personal contact or work space), and my evening will be wide open. Prepping dinner is a popular one for me. Helps me to do something monotonous while I think on a break, sometimes. Also gives me a nice, holistic feeling, like each day has a plan and a set of tasks and I have a work/life balance. YMMV, some people prefer a total separation of home and work tasks.
posted by stoneandstar at 1:30 PM on July 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
I work from home full time. I roll out of bed exactly 5 minutes before I'm supposed to be live on slack, making sure to comb my hair and wash my face before any video chat meetings. It works really well for me, but ymmv.
The most important thing for me is having strict rules about work hours and having regular obligations for fun outside the home. Otherwise I would work all night long in front of the TV, eat nothing but takeout, and start smelling like a shared bathroom in a co-ed dorm. So force yourself to stop once you've got your 8 hours in, and join a club or something that has regular meetings so you leave the house.
posted by dis_integration at 1:35 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
The most important thing for me is having strict rules about work hours and having regular obligations for fun outside the home. Otherwise I would work all night long in front of the TV, eat nothing but takeout, and start smelling like a shared bathroom in a co-ed dorm. So force yourself to stop once you've got your 8 hours in, and join a club or something that has regular meetings so you leave the house.
posted by dis_integration at 1:35 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
My husband telecommuted for 5 years or so. To differentiate between work and not-work he always made sure to get dressed before he started instead of wearing pajamas or a robe to start checking email, kept a strict schedule in starting and ending the day at specific times, and he only used the overhead light in his office when he was at work, turning it off and using a desk lamp after hours. He also didn't check email or answer his work phone after hours, but he had a close friend who worked for the same company in the office who he could trust to IM him or call his cell if something exploded at work and he was needed.
posted by telophase at 1:36 PM on July 19, 2016
posted by telophase at 1:36 PM on July 19, 2016
Best answer: I have been working from home for a few years now. Scheduling regular lunch/coffee/play dates in the middle of the day is crucial. You have to accept the fact that you will have to be the initiator in the vast majority of these social calls and be ok with that.
The most important thing for me is to have a dedicated work space. We just moved out of an apartment where my desk was in the corner of a room with a lot of other things in it to a house where I have a whole room as an office. If you can swing it, I highly recommend having an office with a door you can close. Alternatively, you can probably have a similar mental break with having two computers or a ritual around closing down your work things. (I realize these are both expensive investments. I've been working from home for 5 years with no plans to stop, so it works for me.)
Another thing that has gotten better in the last few months is that I now start every day by taking my kid to day care. If you can create a structure like that, it's golden. I was never able to make myself do it before having a baby, but I am much happier with the regularity.
The biggest challenge I have is remembering to eat. When I worked in an office, I ate in the middle of the day because everyone else did. Now, I will get absorbed in my work and not eat until it's 4pm and I have a headache and don't know why.
posted by ohisee at 1:46 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
The most important thing for me is to have a dedicated work space. We just moved out of an apartment where my desk was in the corner of a room with a lot of other things in it to a house where I have a whole room as an office. If you can swing it, I highly recommend having an office with a door you can close. Alternatively, you can probably have a similar mental break with having two computers or a ritual around closing down your work things. (I realize these are both expensive investments. I've been working from home for 5 years with no plans to stop, so it works for me.)
Another thing that has gotten better in the last few months is that I now start every day by taking my kid to day care. If you can create a structure like that, it's golden. I was never able to make myself do it before having a baby, but I am much happier with the regularity.
The biggest challenge I have is remembering to eat. When I worked in an office, I ate in the middle of the day because everyone else did. Now, I will get absorbed in my work and not eat until it's 4pm and I have a headache and don't know why.
posted by ohisee at 1:46 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have been working at home for 15+ years and I gotta nth this great advice: a 'schedule' and morning routine are really good.
these days I get up (always same time) brush and floss then hop on my bike for my morning "commute" ride. once home I freshen up, make coffee and hit the computer by 9am. I structure my work day to fit with my husbands 9-5 schedule so we both have the same off time to enjoy together.
the morning shower/wear real clothes thing is important. it gives you a sense of clarity & structure. get out of the pyjamas! you'll feel more awake and focused.
also get some playlists together of good working music, good background, not too distracting. it really helps me stay focused and the day goes faster.
posted by supermedusa at 1:49 PM on July 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
these days I get up (always same time) brush and floss then hop on my bike for my morning "commute" ride. once home I freshen up, make coffee and hit the computer by 9am. I structure my work day to fit with my husbands 9-5 schedule so we both have the same off time to enjoy together.
the morning shower/wear real clothes thing is important. it gives you a sense of clarity & structure. get out of the pyjamas! you'll feel more awake and focused.
also get some playlists together of good working music, good background, not too distracting. it really helps me stay focused and the day goes faster.
posted by supermedusa at 1:49 PM on July 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm a night owl and I worked remotely for a 10am - 6pm company for a while. I did all my work whenever I wanted to, which was usually at like 3am (why be on their schedule if you don't have to be?) Then I'd save everything as drafts, set an alarm for somewhere between 6-9am, and go to sleep. I'd half-wake up to hit send a few times, reply to any pressing morning emails, and then go blissfully back to sleep, thus preserving my ridiculous nocturnal schedule but looking like a real busy early bird to the clients.
It's also good to drop by the office occasionally, just to show you're still alive. Dress up, be in a great mood, and bring treats.
Make sure your home work area has good natural light- face a window if you can, go to a coffee shop if you can't. Sun is good for humans.
I liked having work dates, too- I'd sometimes sit in a coffee shop or living room with another friend who worked from home, and we'd work side by side with some social time. Very companionable.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 2:07 PM on July 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
It's also good to drop by the office occasionally, just to show you're still alive. Dress up, be in a great mood, and bring treats.
Make sure your home work area has good natural light- face a window if you can, go to a coffee shop if you can't. Sun is good for humans.
I liked having work dates, too- I'd sometimes sit in a coffee shop or living room with another friend who worked from home, and we'd work side by side with some social time. Very companionable.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 2:07 PM on July 19, 2016 [4 favorites]
A door you can close is crucial.
Agree on standard morning routine including clothes you could leave the house in, even if you won't be leaving the house.
I wound up snacking on junky treats way too much. If I had to do it again, I would stock Work Snacks (realistic ones, but also at least some healthy stuff) and only eat those during the working day. I'd plan my lunches.
If at all possible, do something every day to start the work day - sun salutes, a stretch regimen, whatever - and, even more crucially, to end it. A short walk would do. Every day, even if you are tired. The more worn out or cranky you are from working, the more important it is to create a boundary between work and home time so you can transition.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:14 PM on July 19, 2016
Agree on standard morning routine including clothes you could leave the house in, even if you won't be leaving the house.
I wound up snacking on junky treats way too much. If I had to do it again, I would stock Work Snacks (realistic ones, but also at least some healthy stuff) and only eat those during the working day. I'd plan my lunches.
If at all possible, do something every day to start the work day - sun salutes, a stretch regimen, whatever - and, even more crucially, to end it. A short walk would do. Every day, even if you are tired. The more worn out or cranky you are from working, the more important it is to create a boundary between work and home time so you can transition.
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:14 PM on July 19, 2016
If you're going to deduct the cost of working from home (assuming you're in the US), it may be worth hiring an accountant to deal with it. There are some theoretically strict rules about what you have to do in order to deduct the cost of the space, and getting audited because you tried to save a few bucks may not be worth the cost in time.
Consider whether you need a secondary data connection in case your primary ISP has problems.
If you're providing your own phone, try to get the best quality possible, both connection and handset. If you're interacting with coworkers on the phone and you have really cheap VoIP, it can be hard to deal with.
posted by Candleman at 2:15 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Consider whether you need a secondary data connection in case your primary ISP has problems.
If you're providing your own phone, try to get the best quality possible, both connection and handset. If you're interacting with coworkers on the phone and you have really cheap VoIP, it can be hard to deal with.
posted by Candleman at 2:15 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh! Get a headset with a mic. That's paramount.
posted by so fucking future at 2:23 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by so fucking future at 2:23 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
also get some playlists together of good working music, good background, not too distracting. it really helps me stay focused and the day goes faster
Yes, definitely take advantage of the fact that you can play your own music on your own stereo system all day long, without needing to wear headphones! I listen to electronic music in my headphones when I need to zone in, otherwise it's jazz on the speakers in the background.
posted by stoneandstar at 2:28 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yes, definitely take advantage of the fact that you can play your own music on your own stereo system all day long, without needing to wear headphones! I listen to electronic music in my headphones when I need to zone in, otherwise it's jazz on the speakers in the background.
posted by stoneandstar at 2:28 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Lay down the law immediately with friends and family that even though you're home all day you are working. Let them know that unexpected visits, endless text conversations, requests for you to do one quick favor across town, and the like during business hours is off limits. You'll find that many people think working from home means you sit on the couch all day in sweats while watching reruns of Friends and occasionally poking at your laptop keyboard, so set them straight right away. Tactfully, of course.
posted by _Mona_ at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by _Mona_ at 2:29 PM on July 19, 2016 [11 favorites]
The only thing I'd add is to make sure that everyone knows that you're actually working. I sometimes had problems with people stopping by socially or asking me to run errands for them because not being in an office building, to them, meant that I wasn't really at work.
posted by ernielundquist at 2:30 PM on July 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ernielundquist at 2:30 PM on July 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Worked as a contractor from 2007-2015.
As others have said, have a routine and stick with it so your coworkers have a good idea of when you'll be around.
If your position involves making phone calls, either get a dedicated phone number or a Skype-In number so people can reach you.
Beware snacks in the house. You may find that things you thought of as occasional treats when you had an office to go to may be a bit too easy to munch on all day.
Coworking spaces are fantastic, I moved out of the home at about the midpoint of my consulting career and never looked back. It's great to be around other adults -- and ones who have nothing at all invested in your company can be kinda nice too as you can kvetch with impunity :-).
Talk to your accountant about how to account for your work expenses. It's possible to take a home office deduction, but only if you are really, really religious about having a completely separate work area that you don't also use for, say, paying the bills or goofing off. I never felt comfortable with that one but YMMV.
It's very easy to be cheap when you're responsible for everything. I regret not springing for a high quality office chair...
posted by rouftop at 3:12 PM on July 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
- Make sure your tech is good enough for remote work. I know you're getting some from work, but I'd make sure that you check these boxes:
- a laptop
- a docking station with dedicated, quality monitor(s), keyboard, mouse
- a fast, high quality, reliable internet connection
- A plan for when said connection dies. Know your neighborhood coffee shops. You could also tether a cell phone connection in an emergency, but only if you know what it'll do to your data cap
- A high quality, reliable headset
- a backup, junky, WIRED headset when your reliable headset turns out not to be as reliable as you thought
posted by rouftop at 3:12 PM on July 19, 2016 [3 favorites]
Pants.
posted by the_blizz at 5:28 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by the_blizz at 5:28 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a counterpoint, I work from home for long stretches, and I like to drink coffee at my desk in pyjamas, and I don't shower and dress until I've done several hours of work.
Important: I have an office / guestro on with a door that closes
I take breaks in other rooms, or go for a walk
I have a non work laptop for playing games and messing around the Internet
I have a regular schedule. Even in pjs followed by yoga pants.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 6:53 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Important: I have an office / guestro on with a door that closes
I take breaks in other rooms, or go for a walk
I have a non work laptop for playing games and messing around the Internet
I have a regular schedule. Even in pjs followed by yoga pants.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 6:53 PM on July 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you can't swing a whole room in your home as a dedicated office, choose a secretary or an armoire for your desk and, ideally, use it only for your job. (If you can position this piece of furniture to create an office nook, it's really useful to have a clearly-delineated office space you can enter and leave.) Physically closing the desk's doors will help with the end-of-the-workday transition, and job-related piles of paper, task calendars, or other items won't catch your eye when you're off the clock.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:04 PM on July 19, 2016
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:04 PM on July 19, 2016
+1 to everything said above, plus:
- does the office do Taco Tuesday lunches, or 'Come wish Terry a Happy Birthday - cake in the conference room at 3pm today' stuff? Stay on that email list, and show up when you can, to prevent out of sight out of mind syndrome by seeing and being seen in person.
- if I hadn't already been wearing a fitness/activity tracker before during and after the transition, I wouldn't have known that I was actually putting in a mile or more of 'steps' every day in the office just by getting up and going to the copier, walking down the street to get lunch, stopping by Chris's office down the hall to see if the new TPS report coversheets were in, etc. Simply take a break every X hours to do a lap or two around the block, walk the dog, something. (That's on top of whatever exercise you're going to do before and after 'work hours' to transition.) The whole 'sitting is the new smoking' actually kinda has some truth to it, especially in cases where 5 days a week is practically bed to desk to couch to bed.
- it's good that the job is issuing you a work computer, separate from your personal machine. Maintain STRICT discipline in keeping them separate 'spaces': never check in with work from your personal computer, and never do anything but job-related activity on the work computer. Even if you used to check in on personal sites from time to time at your desktop PC back in the office and it was fine, quit that. Treat the tiniest peek at non-work stuff on the work PC as if screen shots were being directly emailed to your boss.
(YMMV, but in my case I happened to be Mac/Linux at Home and Windows for Work; I personally found the two different OS environments just as helpful in establishing boundaries, if not moreso, as changing into work clothes vs play clothes.)
- watch the snacking, and NO TV (Netflix on the personal laptop alongside the work PC screen included) during work hours.
All depending on your own level of discipline, of course. But since it's a slippery slope when no one's watching, mind everyone's recommendations and you'll avoid being 10 lbs heavier, in your bathrobe at 2:30pm, halfway through season 17 of Survivor, with Oreo crumbs all over your chest from 'breakfast', pretending to work from the couch. (Ask me how I know!)
posted by bartleby at 7:16 PM on July 19, 2016
- does the office do Taco Tuesday lunches, or 'Come wish Terry a Happy Birthday - cake in the conference room at 3pm today' stuff? Stay on that email list, and show up when you can, to prevent out of sight out of mind syndrome by seeing and being seen in person.
- if I hadn't already been wearing a fitness/activity tracker before during and after the transition, I wouldn't have known that I was actually putting in a mile or more of 'steps' every day in the office just by getting up and going to the copier, walking down the street to get lunch, stopping by Chris's office down the hall to see if the new TPS report coversheets were in, etc. Simply take a break every X hours to do a lap or two around the block, walk the dog, something. (That's on top of whatever exercise you're going to do before and after 'work hours' to transition.) The whole 'sitting is the new smoking' actually kinda has some truth to it, especially in cases where 5 days a week is practically bed to desk to couch to bed.
- it's good that the job is issuing you a work computer, separate from your personal machine. Maintain STRICT discipline in keeping them separate 'spaces': never check in with work from your personal computer, and never do anything but job-related activity on the work computer. Even if you used to check in on personal sites from time to time at your desktop PC back in the office and it was fine, quit that. Treat the tiniest peek at non-work stuff on the work PC as if screen shots were being directly emailed to your boss.
(YMMV, but in my case I happened to be Mac/Linux at Home and Windows for Work; I personally found the two different OS environments just as helpful in establishing boundaries, if not moreso, as changing into work clothes vs play clothes.)
- watch the snacking, and NO TV (Netflix on the personal laptop alongside the work PC screen included) during work hours.
All depending on your own level of discipline, of course. But since it's a slippery slope when no one's watching, mind everyone's recommendations and you'll avoid being 10 lbs heavier, in your bathrobe at 2:30pm, halfway through season 17 of Survivor, with Oreo crumbs all over your chest from 'breakfast', pretending to work from the couch. (Ask me how I know!)
posted by bartleby at 7:16 PM on July 19, 2016
I've been working from home for the last three years. Like everyone else is saying, having a dedicated work space is important. I have a desk I only sit at when I'm working, and I have my personal laptop set up in another room. When I'm at my work desk, I only do work things. I can walk over to my personal laptop and take breaks as often as I want to, but the breaks don't happen at my work desk so that I am constantly reinforcing to myself that the work desk is a work-only space.
I shut my work computer all the way down at the end of the day. When I first started working from home I was worried I would slack off too much, but it turns out I will actually keep popping on to do "one more thing" in the evenings or on weekends if my work computer is too accessible.
I use an exercise ball as my office chair, and at the end of the day I stick the ball underneath the desk so that I no longer have the option of sitting at my work desk unless I extract the ball from under the desk. This is another reinforcement that after I'm done working, there's no reason to spend any more time at my work desk.
I don't have a choice about my work hours (most of my coworkers are based in the same physical office so I'm online during the same hours they are in the office, which is 8-4 for me) but I do make sure to sign on promptly at 8. I wake up at least an hour before that to give myself some personal time before switching over to work time.
Make sure you have a plan for what you'll do if your internet goes down. I have my high-speed cable connection that I use by default, a cheap DSL connection that I can switch to for backup, and a pay-as-you-go wifi device in case of true emergency. Your backup plan might be different - maybe you have a neighbor who would let you use their wifi in an emergency (make sure it's a different provider from yours or they'll probably be down the same time you are) or maybe there's a nearby cafe you know you could set up at for hours without problem. But definitely know what your emergency plan is if your internet goes down.
posted by jessypie at 7:31 PM on July 19, 2016
I shut my work computer all the way down at the end of the day. When I first started working from home I was worried I would slack off too much, but it turns out I will actually keep popping on to do "one more thing" in the evenings or on weekends if my work computer is too accessible.
I use an exercise ball as my office chair, and at the end of the day I stick the ball underneath the desk so that I no longer have the option of sitting at my work desk unless I extract the ball from under the desk. This is another reinforcement that after I'm done working, there's no reason to spend any more time at my work desk.
I don't have a choice about my work hours (most of my coworkers are based in the same physical office so I'm online during the same hours they are in the office, which is 8-4 for me) but I do make sure to sign on promptly at 8. I wake up at least an hour before that to give myself some personal time before switching over to work time.
Make sure you have a plan for what you'll do if your internet goes down. I have my high-speed cable connection that I use by default, a cheap DSL connection that I can switch to for backup, and a pay-as-you-go wifi device in case of true emergency. Your backup plan might be different - maybe you have a neighbor who would let you use their wifi in an emergency (make sure it's a different provider from yours or they'll probably be down the same time you are) or maybe there's a nearby cafe you know you could set up at for hours without problem. But definitely know what your emergency plan is if your internet goes down.
posted by jessypie at 7:31 PM on July 19, 2016
I work from home about half the time, and I scoff at all these pants wearing people!! scoff!! I will do my work at 3 am wearing a flowing satin nightgown if I bloody well feel like it. That is part of the joy of working from home. I really think that the amount of care you need to take to set aside work time from regular time totally depends on your own work style. Getting into "work clothes" and starting at a particular time would stress me out and interfere with getting stuff done. Figure out what works best for you. One thing I will suggest is to set up your desk so that everything you can see while you sit there looks tidy, attractive, and calming - if you can see a messy house while you are trying to work it will be a distraction. It's particularly good to have a window nearby, or a bunch of plants. Greenery is good.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:04 PM on July 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 10:04 PM on July 19, 2016 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you, MeFites! I typed this unshowered while eating my breakfast in my pajamas at 2pm, so obviously I will need to take your wise advice to heart.
posted by chatongriffes at 8:20 AM on July 20, 2016
posted by chatongriffes at 8:20 AM on July 20, 2016
When I worked from home, I was really excited to turn my space into somewhere I actually wanted to be, instead of a soulless cubicle. If your environment matters, get onto Pinterest and make it somewhere good to work. Whether it's a nice desk, chair, vase of flowers or pin board or all of the above.
After that, figure out how you work best. Do comfy clothes make a big difference? Then rock your activewear. If you get into work mode faster when you dress the part, make sure you put those on instead so you have the right frame of mind.
I am one of those rare people that actually work better at home and alone, to the point that I would power through, forgetting to have lunch or breaks. So I would set an alarm, then go for a walk along the harbour near my house and enjoy the fact that I actually could do it, or put on a load of washing or prep dinner. (And yes, I realise it's not glamorous but being able to do this now and not at the end of the day is a major advantage to working from home.)
The one thing about myself that was annoying was that I used to use cleaning the house as a procrastinating tool so if you do that, like me, make sure you have a room where you can shut the door so you can ignore it and get into the work zone.
posted by Jubey at 10:47 PM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
After that, figure out how you work best. Do comfy clothes make a big difference? Then rock your activewear. If you get into work mode faster when you dress the part, make sure you put those on instead so you have the right frame of mind.
I am one of those rare people that actually work better at home and alone, to the point that I would power through, forgetting to have lunch or breaks. So I would set an alarm, then go for a walk along the harbour near my house and enjoy the fact that I actually could do it, or put on a load of washing or prep dinner. (And yes, I realise it's not glamorous but being able to do this now and not at the end of the day is a major advantage to working from home.)
The one thing about myself that was annoying was that I used to use cleaning the house as a procrastinating tool so if you do that, like me, make sure you have a room where you can shut the door so you can ignore it and get into the work zone.
posted by Jubey at 10:47 PM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Every morning, wake up and shower and get dressed like you're going to work, because you're going to work.
Come up with some kind of morning routine to substitute for lack of a commute, to function as a transition between "home" and "work." Examples: A serious workout; cooking a proper breakfast, making a fancy french-pressed coffee, walking the dog.
When you're done work for the day, have a "commute home" to help decompress and prevent work from just meandering into your evening. I intentionally used a whole different mouse, keyboard, etc than my personal machine so I'd end up with a minor ritual of swapping out tech components at my desk. A friend of mine would always slam his laptop lid shut and immediately walk over to his fridge to get a beer. YMMV.
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:21 PM on July 19, 2016 [11 favorites]