When you hear “working from home” you might picture someone who just rolled out of bed and didn’t bother changing out of their pajamas. At least that’s what I imagined before I became a freelancer. In reality, working from home requires a lot of willpower and time management to maintain healthy work habits. As we all know, more people than ever are working remote (thanks to the coronavirus.) Though this an all-around sucky situation I wanted to share some healthy habits that changed my working from home experience.
Keep in mind that I work for myself doing freelance marketing, but everyone is going to have a different experience depending on what they do for a living. These seven work habits have been super helpful for me, so I hope they make your work from home transition easier.
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1. Learn to use time-blocking
Time management is incredibly difficult as a freelancer. Many of us, me included, chose this career path thinking our schedule will be super flexible. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a flexible schedule but only if you establish a routine. Then, and only then, will you be able to enjoy both a successful career and the many perks of a flexible schedule.
But how do you establish a successful work routine? That’s where time-blocking comes in. I use my Mishmash planner to “block” parts of my day for certain tasks. For example:
- Tailwind Pinterest planning – 30min | 9:30am-10:00am
- Client consultation call – 45min | 10:15am-11:00am
- Lunch meeting – 1hr | 11:30-12:30pm
Time-blocking has limited procrastination and saved me so much time. I used to get three tasks (like the ones above) done in an 8-hour workday, but now those tasks only take me three hours! That leaves more time to do things I enjoy like reading, climbing, and spending time with friends. This leads me to my next tip, focus on being productive instead of busy.
2. Focus on being productive instead of busy
Have you heard of the quote by Tim Ferris “focus on being productive instead of busy.” This is one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned while working from home. A couple of years ago I worked a 9-5 desk job. And like many other employees, I thought working an eight hour day was normal. When I became a freelancer that all changed. I learned to manage my time and would sometimes get everything done for the day in four hours. Yet I felt guilty if I didn’t work a full eight hours. It took me a while to realize that I shouldn’t feel guilty about being productive instead of busy.
3. Stick to an end time
I hate to admit it, but as a freelancer, I’m always in work mode. There really isn’t a time when I’m not responding to emails or checking things off my to-do list. When your home becomes your office, it can easily feel like you should be doing more. There is no differentiation between work mode and home mode unless you create one.
That’s why you should set an end time. Whether it’s 3 pm, 5 pm, or 8 pm. You should set work aside, and be present for a couple of hours every day. This is something I’m working on, per my boyfriend’s request. He made me realize how unhealthy my work habits are. Relationships can suffer from things like this. So do yourself a favor and stick to an end time!
4. Move your body
This is so important. I make it a priority to move my body and get outside at least once a day when working from home. My favorite things to do are…
- Climb at a local rock gym
- Take a class at a yoga studio, Corepower yoga is my favorite
- Stretch it out on my home yoga mat
- Go on a walk, and listen to an audiobook
- Rollerskate around my neighborhood
5. Remove distractions
Ahhh, another thing I’m constantly trying to improve on. Everyone knows that social media is a soul-crusher for productivity. It’s way to easy to get sucked into scrolling on Instagram for thirty minutes.
Productivity = out the window.
Make it easy on yourself and eliminate the potential for this happening. Leave your phone in another room. Or if you need it nearby, flip it to airplane mode, and leave it somewhere out of sight. Not sure what qualifies as a distraction, here are some examples:
- Social media
- Deleting old emails
- Texts
- Phone calls
- Unwashed dishes
- A cluttered desk
- Anything and everything that isn’t your work
6. Mix it up
I know this article is all about working from home, but I want to take a second to highlight the importance of “not working from home.” Wait, what? You read that correctly. I think it is super important to mix up where you work. Especially for us extroverts. I make it a habit to work outside of my home office at least twice a week. Where do I go?
- A local coffee shop
- Whole Foods (or whatever grocery store you prefer)
- The library
- A brewery
- My rock gym
- Coworking space
Let’s face the facts. Working from home can get lonely. I used to take social interaction for granted when I worked in an office. Nowadays my “coworkers” are my boyfriend, fellow coffee shop visitors, and whoever else I’m around for the day.
7. Develop a morning routine
As much as I would love to stay in my P.J.s all-day I’ve found that when I do, I end up feeling lazy and sluggish. The best way to start my day is by following a morning routine. Otherwise, I have a tendency to want to jump right into work; But thanks to this routine I get a little “me time.” My morning routine starts when I wake up around 8:30 am. The first thing I do is…
- Make my bed
- Take a morning yoga class at my yoga studio
- Make breakfast + drink tea
- Shower + do my skincare routine
- Get dressed
By then it’s 11 am and I’m ready to work! I’ve found that six-hour workdays are best for me. Especially because I do social media work which means I’m always responding to comments or posting at random hours of the day.
Here are some things I’m working on adding to my morning routine.
- Drink 32oz of water by 11 am
- Do NOT check my emails until “work” officially starts
- Sit on my balcony in the sun while eating my breakfast
Let me know if you have any ideas to add to my work routine. Leave them in the comments, let’s chat.