5 TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME

*NOTE: Things have changed a bit since I’ve written this blog post. I am now self employed so things look a little different, but I feel like the info I gave is super helpful for people who may be in the situation I was in! So i’ll keep it as I wrote it!

Whenever I tell someone that I work from home their response is usually either “wow, that’s awesome!” or “I could never work from home, I’d never get anything done!” And while some days are a lot harder to stay focused or there are more distractions, now that I’ve been working from home for a couple years, most of the time I feel pretty productive and have found some things that truly help me stay motivated and productive while working from home, so I thought I would share! :)

Create a designated workspace. This is huge because that’s what truly will help you from being distracted by your surroundings like dirty dishes in the sink or laundry on the bed. If you’re in an office or a separate spot in your home where you aren’t able to see those distractions, it will be so much easier to spend that time fully devoted to working! On the same note, having a separate workspace helps immensely at the end of the day, being able to shut the door or leave your workspace, so that you aren’t constantly being reminded of work or looking at your computer and are able to hopefully shut off your “work brain.”

Establish a schedule that works for you. Now for my job, I still work typical office hours since I work for a hospital, so my days pretty much always look the same, but since Bryana is an entrepreneur, she is able to set her own schedule, which sometimes can make it easier to procrastinate, so she finds that making a game plan at the beginning of each workday helps her to be the most productive.

Make time for some physical activity. Because I’m home all day and not really walking around much, I naturally get a lot fewer steps in than when I’m in the office. So something that I’ve realized the past few years working from home is that, if you do something to get your body moving whether that’s working out or doing yoga in the morning, walking on your lunch break, or whatever it is that gives your brain a break, but puts your body to work, I guarantee you’ll get back to your desk feeling so refreshed, energized, and ready to get stuff done!

Wear what you feel good in. Some people need to get dressed and ready for the day in order to feel productive and sometimes I wish I was that person, but most days, I’m just the most comfortable when I work in joggers or leggings, t-shirts, and no makeup, but in the past, I noticed on the days that I would work in my pajamas all day, I just felt kind of cruddy about myself at the end of work day when 4 pm would come around and I was still in pajamas, so wear what you feel good in and you’d be surprised how much it can make a difference in your focus and work output.

Background noise. Somedays I get more done when it’s completely silent and other days listening to music, a podcast, or a sermon truly helps me stay focused on my tasks at hand. Everyone is different and everyday is different, so try both and see what works best for you!

Both Bryana and I truly love working from home and feel so grateful to be able to, but we know it’s not for everyone! So whether you’re hoping to find a job that allows you to work from home, just starting out, or are years into working from home, I hope this was helpful and of course, we'd love to hear any of your tips!!