9 tips for working from home

I’ve been a freelancer working from home for the last 7 years and I’ve definitely had some learning over that time as to how best to manage a work-from-home routine. As more and more people move to quarantine and working from home, I thought I would share my top tips for managing this transition.

1. Remember your working hours
This seems obvious, but really it is important to remember how many hours you are contracted to work per day. There can be a temptation, (especially if things are busy) to use your previous commute time to “just get a head start” with work and use your former commute home time to just continue with “that extra thing that needs doing”. Of course there is going to be a time of transition where you may need to dedicate a bit of extra time in setting things up – but working before you are scheduled to and long after you are set to is not a good long term strategy for managing this transition. Don’t be mistaken in thinking that working from home contributes to your home life. You need to find balance for your home-life too. 

I remember in my early freelance days where I would stay up until midnight and beyond, just getting “that last thing done” (there is ALWAYS another last thing to be done – esp as a freelancer). This messes with your sleep cycles, your work/life balance and general well-being. I used to use Warren arriving home as my signal to “stop work” but now that he is no longer “coming home” I have to set an upper limit on the time that I am going to finish work, (set my alarm if need be!) and I stick to it.

2. Stick with your usual routine.
If you used to workout before you went to work – then DO THAT. If you used to take a lunch break to hit the gym – then take an hour in the middle of your day to follow a workout video or join a live stream yoga class. 

In many ways, I feel very fortunate that I’ve been a freelancer for so long now, because my daily schedule has remained relatively the same even though I am no longer seeing private clients, driving to studios or teaching publicly. I have built this routine (wake up, meditate, move my body) into my life and it feels like an anchor now in the midst of everything.

(If you’re looking for a way to move your body well – I have a free month offer on movebreathecreate.com for you during this time – use the code “homeyoga” at sign up.)

3. Create an intentional ritual that “opens” and “closes” your working day.
When I’m in my office I start my work day by lighting some incense near the window – it’s such a simple act, but the smell and the ritual of it says to my brain, “Ok, I’m ready to start working now”. It doesn’t need to be a big thing – now that I’m not in my office near the incense window – I have simply been sitting sit down in front of my iPad, and closing my eyes for 2 minutes meditation visualising myself having a productive, purposeful day. It could be as simple as three conscious deep breaths before you start.

When you repeat that simple act over and over it has a very routine element of “starting” your work day. Perhaps it is brewing your cup of coffee or using a vibrant essential oil on your wrists, or placing a crystal in your palm for a few moments. Closing your day might look like writing down 3 things that you’re grateful you’ve worked through today, completely clearing your work space, taking a shower or changing your clothes.

4. Change out of your PJs
Surely you don’t need me to explain this one to you? 

Ok, fine, I will just give you a quick breakdown (from personal experience) of how this looks on Day 1 compared to Day 17… 


Corona working from home

Don’t let yourself get to Day 17- by avoiding it from the start. 

If you truly have to stay in your PJs all day – do it on the weekends. (#nojudgement)  

5. Designate specific areas for your work
Depending on your set up this may be more challenging for some than others – but I can really offer you to delineate spaces that are your “working zones” and do NOT mix them with your “non-working” zones. I made this mistake early on in my freelancing journey to be all lush and take my laptop and coffee with me and “work from my bed!” This is SO great in theory – “look at me I’m so lush working in my pjs with my laptop!” But I can promise you over time, the lines between where is “work” and where is relaxation start to become blurry. 

My sleep was massively affected by this and within a short time, my body could no longer fall asleep in bed because I had conditioned it to be alert and working in that environment and then suddenly my entire system is confused as I get into bed (my “work zone”) and then expect it to fall asleep!

If you are limited in space and you have to work from your bedroom or kitchen, then try as much as possible to have your working zone in the same place every day and take special note of point 6.

6. Create a change in atmosphere to transition between “work time” and “home time”.
Without having a physical transition to “come home” it is so useful to have a mental transition. You can create this mental transition through using one of your rituals as mentioned above or by altering something to create a new atmosphere.

With Warren working in my office and me working in the lounge, it has been vital to me that when I finish my work, I pack my iPad away completely, put all my books and hard drives back in the bag and out of sight (ritual) and then change the atmosphere by dimming the lights completely, lighting candles, putting on the diffuser and turning on some chilled music. This helps signal to my system that “work” is now over and “home” is now beginning. Having this change in atmosphere also helps to break up the day which can feel super long if you don’t compartmentalise these two different times. 

7. Use the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is the tomato-timer technique that I OFTEN use when I am working at home. The premise is that the brain can only hold solid attention for chunks at a time – so break your day up into 20 – 40min chunks. (Depending on what you are working on and how focused you are!) Set your timer for 20 minutes and then commit to working solidly on that thing until the timer goes off. Then, take a 2- 5 min break – stretch, stand, do a few squats and reset your timer for the next 20 minute block.

In an office environment you are naturally ‘interrupted’ throughout the day with colleagues, conversations, requests etc. These interruptions can actually help you be more productive in the time that you are focusing ie: “I better get this done asap as I know Lucy is going to come and ask me to go to lunch with her in 15 mins!” Having a timer to work to is a really great way to maintain focus and attention and also a good way to make sure you are getting some movement (stand, squat, press up every 40 mins!)

8. Use coffitivity or a soundscape on Spotify
If you are used to working in a busy work environment- the busy-productivity sounds may be lacking at home! 

I often use this Spotify playlist to simulate a busy cafe when I’m working from home or sometimes I log into Coffitivity – which is a great place to get other social media and app blocking devices to keep your focus! You can also set limits on apps on your phone to keep a running tab of how much you are checking your phone (my personal working-from-home nemesis!).

9. Give yourself a break
Yes, take breaks in your working day obviously – to keep your focus, energy and attention up, but also GIVE YOURSELF a break. 

For me, it really does feel like the whole world is on an energetic reset and I think it is intuitive to move WITH this flow of the world right now. What is absolutely essential for maintaining your job, your business, your life and what can you let go of a little bit? If we take a few breaths, it does feel like there is suddenly a lot less pressure with this slower, more insular way of life and it is really transformative. I truly believe this time is a wonderful opportunity for self-reflection and tuning inwards to what really is important to us and our lives. This time is a rare gift. Use it wisely! 

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