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Working from home certainly has many advantages, but, like working in an office, it also comes with some challenges. And although the specific complications you experience will differ depending on your line of work, some broad pain points seem pervasive. I’ve been working remotely for the better part of a decade, and I’ve learned a lot about how to make the best out of this lifestyle. Below are my top eight tips you can use to improve your work-from-home experience.
1. Create a Routine
A routine can be more powerful than a clock in helping you start each day. For example, I start my days with a shower and a strong Americano before settling into my chair and turning on my monitor. What in your morning routine indicates you're ready to begin work? Look for an existing habit to act as your signal. That way, you can tack on the new habit of kicking off your workday.
It’s also essential to set some ground rules with everyone you live with, whether that’s children, a partner, or roommates. Allocate time during the day for uninterrupted work or meetings, but make sure to leave some time for when it’s OK for someone to bother you.
Lastly, don’t let your routine become your whole life. At home, it’s easy to work longer hours than you might otherwise at the office. There’s nothing wrong with being a hard worker, but don’t overdo it, especially if you have set working hours.
2. Take Breaks
If you work for an organization with a predefined break policy, make sure to take your breaks (and in their entirety) when the time comes. It’s also important to stand up and move around at least once per hour. Periodic breaks to give your eyes a rest from staring at a screen all day are good for your health, too.
If your company doesn't have a policy, let your breaks coincide not only with the above but also with any tasks you might need to do. You should, of course, take a break for lunch, but I use breaks to toss loads of clothes into the laundry, polish off some dishes piling up in the sink, or retrieve packages. Accomplishing small goals helps to both motivate and remind you to take breaks from working.
3. Leave Home
If you are working remotely, you don’t necessarily have to stay at home. To the extent possible, get out of the house and move your body. Your body needs blood circulation, but the fresh air and natural light will do you good as well. Ideally, step outside for at least a short while before, during, and after your working hours.
If your circumstances allow, you might also visit cafes, co-working spaces, or libraries to break the monotony of being at home. I don’t always love crowded public spaces, so I also sometimes get some work done at a family member’s place or step out on the porch for a while.
4. Maintain a Dedicated Space, and Get What You Need
In an ideal world, remote employees would have not only a dedicated office but also two computers, one for work and one for personal use. But not everyone has a spare room to use as an office in their home, and keeping two machines isn't always realistic. Instead, dedicate a desk or table space—or even a particular seat at the kitchen table—that you'll use only for work.
If your company or organization supports employees' work-from-home setups, request the equipment you need as soon as you start working from home or within a few days of realizing you need something new. These items might include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, chair, desk, printer, and so on. Aside from physical stuff, a litany of software exists to help you stay productive.
Once you finish working, even if it’s in a space you use for other things, I recommend ceremoniously closing your laptop or simply collecting your work-related items and putting them out of sight. When you’re off the clock, you don’t want reminders of all the things you still need to do.
5. Use a VPN
Use a VPN whenever you connect to a network that you don't control. That includes Wi-Fi at airports, cafes, co-working spaces, hotels, libraries, and so forth. Organizations often have VPNs that off-site employees need to access certain servers or websites that store information meant only for internal use. In those cases, you'll also need to use a VPN at home. Remember that when you connect to an organization's network, your employer can see everything you do.
6. Socialize
Loneliness, disconnection, and isolation are common problems in remote work environments, especially for extroverts. Building relationships with colleagues remotely takes effort, but companies with a remote work culture usually offer ways to socialize. For example, they might have channels in a collaboration app for talking about common interests or organizing meetups for people in the same region. While these apps are excellent venues for socializing, they can be distracting. Check out these tips to make Slack less overwhelming.
Even if your workplace isn’t conducive to meaningful socialization, I recommend making a dedicated effort to chat with someone every day, whether that means calling a family member, grabbing dinner with a friend, or hopping into a Discord with gaming buddies. Working from home means you don’t get much social contact organically throughout the day, so you need to go out of your way to make up for that somehow.
7. Take Sick Days
When you're not well, take time off. If sick days are part of your compensation package, take the time off that you need. Not taking it is like throwing away money! If you have flexible or unlimited personal time off (PTO), the same logic applies. Even though you’re at home, it’s better to focus on getting better than to suffer through a workday if you can’t give 100%.
As a longtime freelancer, it was always tempting to just power through illnesses and keep working, but a day or two off the clock is easy to make up. If you push yourself too hard and an ailment worsens, recovery time can be much longer. When you’re distracted by not feeling well, you usually don’t do your best work anyway.
8. Don’t Forget the Benefits of Working Remotely
If you work at an office, you might get access to an on-site gym or catered lunches, but working from home has a major advantage: flexibility. If you need to run a quick errand, go for it. Or if you really need a little extra sleep one morning, and you don’t have strict working hours, feel free to work an hour later that day instead. Working remotely comes with unique perks, but if you don’t take advantage of them, home is just a lonelier office.
Flexibility is more than just the ability to run errands or sleep in, too. Since working remotely usually means being at home, I cook healthy meals for myself throughout the day, leave videos on in the background, or simply enjoy the quiet time that lets me focus on projects without distractions.
Make It Personal
Above all else, figure out what works best for you. Sometimes, the answer is apparent; other times, you might need inspiration from other remote workers in the same boat. A supportive community is out there, whether you find it in your organization's Slack channel or on the wider web. Consider, too, that you might need to shake up your routine once in a while, lest it get too...routine.
Jill Duffy contributed to this article.