Guest blogger and digital nomad Savannah Flowers offers some tips for working at home

joys and challenges of working from home

Three years ago, I left my full-time job in an office to begin working from home. I wanted to be able to travel and have more flexibility in my day to day life. My husband works from home occasionally and sometimes on-site, so we also had the opportunity to spend much more time together during lunch breaks. Without a doubt, working from home has brought many positive changes, but there are also some challenges that accompany this great opportunity.

In this age of coronavirus, many people are experiencing the joys and challenges which accompany working from home. However, the challenges posed during this coronavirus shut down are far more than your typical work-from-home (WFH) situation. People are trying to navigate working under the stress of a global pandemic, dealing with an entire family working and learning in the same home, and many are grieving the loss of loved ones.

Still, some people may realize that WFH is the perfect option for them. It has more flexibility, no commute, and you may find that your productivity is improved. If you are someone looking for a WFH option, the pandemic may have an upside for you.

Companies around the world are realizing the viability of WFH jobs as they are forced to send their employees home. According to Forbes, the number of remote work openings has been increasing in the past few years and are continuing to increase. And there’s another upside for people who have been working at home for the last two months: You now have WFH experience to reference in an interview for future WFH positions.

If all of this WFH experience still feels difficult, or if you find yourself struggling with working from home, I’ve compiled a list of the best advice I was given and have given in the past three years of working from home.

Find a routine. When I first started working from home, my sleep schedule went completely bananas. I would work until I felt like I was going to fall asleep at my desk, hop in bed and sleep until I woke up. After about a month of this, I realized it was becoming impossible to plan for my week because I didn’t know when I’d be awake or asleep. Now, I wake up at the same time and work during the same hours.
This advice doesn’t just apply to your sleep schedule. WFH jobs which follow normal business hours will help. If your WFH is more flexible, coming up with a set work time will get you in the routine of knowing when you work, and when you relax. WFH can easily lead to overworking as well as not working enough.
Change Clothes in the Morning. I’ve amended this advice from advice given to me. I was told to put on work clothes in the morning. Full dress clothes. The idea is that the dress clothes will change your mentality and put you in a working mood. If you are doing multiple Zoom meetings, you may at least want to follow this for your shirt.
However, I have found that one of my favorite parts of WFH is the lax dress code. Still, staying in your pajamas does make the call of the bed much stronger. I recommend changing clothes in the morning into some comfortable clothes. Get a morning routine that includes doing your hair and changing out of your pjs to indicate to yourself that it’s time for work.
Take Breaks. As part of your routine, make sure to plan for breaks. Working non stop for hours can lead to exhaustion, burn out and mistakes. Take a break in the middle of your work day. It’s also important for nutrition. My addition to this advice is this: If you decide to watch a TV show during this time: don’t pick a “binge-worthy” show. You need to be able to turn off the TV.
Move Around! Sitting at your desk all day is bad for your health! If you were at the office, you’d get up to talk to others, check the printer, or go to the bathroom. Make sure you’re getting up at least every other hour to stretch, walk around the house, or refill your coffee or water.
Have a Dedicated Work Space. Working from the couch may sound like the ideal work situation, but it’s actually going to get really uncomfortable very quickly. Working from the kitchen table may be convenient until you realize you have to put away and reset every morning. Finding a space that you can dedicate to work is vital for WFH. I recommend a place with a window and some natural light, away from the busy areas of your home, and far, far away from your bed!
It also helps to invest in some ergonomic equipment to increase your productivity and reduce your neck strain. A good quality chair and a large monitor positioned properly are well worth the dollars spent.
Have a dedicated cleaning time. This is for all you procrastinators out there. Have a dedicated time to clean before you work. I clean up on Mondays and in the evenings so that I can’t use cleaning as a distraction. If you are someone who has a hard time working with clutter, make sure you have a set time to clean it so that it doesn’t distract you from work!
You Can’t Keep Pets Off Your Keyboard. Here’s the secret: It’s impossible to completely eliminate distractions and mistakes. Be prepared to send some emails with strange sign offs as your cats hit the send button. Your child will interrupt a conference call. You’ll find out that a lot more people than you realized show up at your house during the day to make deliveries or ask you how you are voting. You’ll learn that your house or apartment makes weird noises. There is a squeak in my floor which led to a full day of investigations and missed work until I just shrugged and accepted it.
Your home will need more upkeep as your spend more time there. It’s okay. Be flexible and roll with the punches. Having a strange cat sign off is a small price to pay for cat cuddles while working!

Savannah Flowers lives full time in an RV and works from home as a writer. She has a Masters in Social Work and is trying to balance her love of creative writing with her passion for mental health. She shares her RV space with two cats, a dog, and a husband. When not writing with a cat between herself and her computer, she is usually grilling, knitting, listening to podcasts, or doing all three at once! Contact her at flowerswriting@gmail.com

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