How to Make #WFH Life Work for You
This time of social distancing has resulted in more companies working remotely than ever before — including all of us at PRESS. The team is currently on our second week of #WFHLife, discovering we can be surprisingly productive apart even when we’d rather be together (Note: We really look forward to our weekly Zoom meetings). Ironically, back in February, we experienced our first taste of remote work when we were transitioning office space. Basically, we consider ourselves experts at this point so — to help our fellow office-goers — we asked each of our team members how they manage to make working from home work for them.
1. REWORK YOUR SPACE
In order to increase my productivity at home, I actually rearranged my guest room (AKA my makeshift office) to promote productivity. I set up my desk in a way that felt comfortable, added additional lighting and brought my record player into my workspace. I also made sure that the room was neat and tidy. Another tip: Never underestimate the power of a door. As someone who has a partner with a flexible schedule and a puppy I can’t stop petting, having a physical door to my workspace can be a lifesaver to both mentally and physically separate yourself from your home life. — Krystin, Director
2. CREATE A ROUTINE
What I’ve found really helpful is creating a morning routine. Mine consists of waking up at least an hour early to create a mental checklist of daily tasks and tidying up my workspace to eliminate all possible distractions—especially devices that aren’t work-related. Since I don’t have a desk or an office in my apartment, I’ve been working from my coffee table or kitchen bar. To avoid any discomfort or back pain that can come from sitting for hours at a time, working from home allows me to schedule short breaks to knock out a quick at-home workout—Crunch Live offers some great ones. — Vanessa, Sr. Account Executive
3. GET ORGANIZED
Having a school-aged child at this time has made working from home really interesting. With the added responsibility of online schooling, it is crucial that we remain extra organized. As a family, we have been waking up at our regular time, cooking a hearty breakfast and reviewing our work and school tasks for the day. We thrive on routine around here and that’s keeping us sane. It’s giving us a feeling of normalcy, which we all really need right about now. We have even agreed to do our son’s school-assigned PE workout together as a family. It’s a great way to keep him on track while also getting our own blood pumping and defeating that feeling of stagnation. — Holly, CEO
4. MAINTAIN A SCHEDULE
Maintaining my regular schedule has been crucial to my workday sanity. Diligently waking up early and changing out of my pajamas has really helped me start the day on a productive note. It’s sounds silly but create a routine that actually has you look forward to your morning alarm clock. For me, it’s walking my dogs, making my daily cold brew coffee with Monin coconut syrup and filling out my Five Minute Journal. It’s important to practice a few moments of self-care before diving into client work.
Although I’m no longer attending meetings or events, I still actively schedule tasks on Google calendar and Asana for both client work and personal time to round out my days. Client calls, internal meetings and brainstorm sessions are still aplenty at our agency and penciling them into my calendar helps me feel even more productive and organized. — Justine, Account Manager
5. TIDY UP
This tip is for anyone who has trouble focusing in a cluttered environment. If there’s a mess in my apartment, I can’t give my full attention to any task at hand. Especially now, it’s extremely important to keep your workspace clean and hygienic. Each morning, I give myself an extra 30 minutes to an hour to tidy up, including washing the dishes or folding a load of laundry — I’ve even given my dog a bath. A clean space equals a clean mind… or something like that! — Monica, Account Coordinator
6. TAKE BREAKS
When working from home, I’ve found myself taking three to four quick mental breaks to reboot my brain throughout the day and maintain focus. In between conference calls, tasks, projects, you name it, I’ll take my little bulldog for a walk, do one of Tone It Up‘s daily workouts that take roughly 10-15 minutes, make a cup of peppermint tea or sit down for a deep-concentration meditation using the Calm app. Working these self-care moments into my workday helps me avoid mental fatigue or the feeling of being cooped up for hours.
Starting a group chat with my coworkers to bounce around ideas or ask a quick question has also been helpful in working remotely. There are several collaboration platforms that companies can implement, but I’ve found Slack and Zoom to be my personal favorites. — Bailey, Account Manager
7. STRUCTURE IS KEY
My number one asset while working from home is my calendar. I live by it. Everything goes on it; not just work stuff. Meetings, creative time, lunch, exercise, whatever — I put it on there. This gives my entire day a structure to keep me on track. Hours in our industry are notoriously chaotic (the understatement of all understatements) and being out of the standard office environment can be extremely distracting, but the calendar is my shield against that. Structure is key. Your time and schedule are subject to the axiom of, “If you don’t define it, it will define itself.” Use the schedule; stick to it. You’ll be all good. — Kit, Creative Director
