Hey friends! Many of you know that as a full-time blogger, I work from home, which used to be extremely difficult for me, but with time, I feel like I’ve got it down! I know many people now work from home, so today, I’m sharing…

30 Tips for Working from Home

These are my tried and true tips that have allowed me to maximize my productivity at home!

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1) Wash your face the moment you wake up.

Trust me on this one, it’ll wake you up and put you on the right track for the rest of the day.

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2) Routine is key.

Routine = Productivity.  Find a routine that works for you and STICK to it. A little trial and error will get you there.

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3) Enjoy your morning routine without jumping straight into work first.

I’m sometimes bad at this.  I wake up and something is on my mind and I want to rush to the computer and get it done.  When in reality, that’s freaking stressful and shouldn’t be done.  Chill in the mornings.  Wash your face.  Enjoy your coffee. Make some breakfast and watch the news. Then, when the work day starts, you’re mentally ready to go.

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4) Chug water 3 times during the work day, one including right when you wake up.

Staying hydrated is important (in general), but it also allows you to feel refreshed.

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5) Read your goals every morning.

This relates to #21, but I like to read my goals every morning to know what I want to get done for the day.  These should be feasible goals that were written the day before! Don’t expect to conquer the world in one day.

6) Schedule ’email time’.

This might be the most important one of them all…and J would agree with me on this one! Our emails get WILD. If we immediately answered every email that came in, we would get nothing done. Schedule time to answer your emails. Depending on your email traffic, maybe that’s a couple times a day or maybe it’s once a day.

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7) Take breaks.

Stating the obvious here, but breaks are good for getting your mind back on track.  Take a breath of fresh air and regroup.

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8) Turn breaks into goals.

I always tell myself ‘Okay, if I get *this* done, then I can take Jeter for a 10 minute walk’. It’s kind of like treating yourself to the break. I would also recommend trying to stay off social media until you have a ‘scheduled’ break or else your productivity is out the window.

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9) Establish your space and set up shop.

I work from home everyday, so I have my desk + computer, etc. However, when J works from home, he has to physically ‘set up shop’ somewhere in the house.  It might be the couch/coffee table, or the bedroom, or a desk in the guest room, or even the kitchen table.  Regardless, he chooses it for the day as his ‘space’ and will work there — sometimes, he chooses a coffee shop as his ‘space’ for the day too!

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10) Change your clothes — do NOT work in pajamas.

This is a tough one that took me awhile to get used to.  It’s easy to work in pajamas with no bra when you’re seeing no one for the day, but you’ve got to trust me on this: CHANGE out of your pajamas.  Okay, fine, you don’t need to wear a bra, but change into athleisure or loungewear.  You can still be cozy, but the key is to just wear something different so that you can differentiate between personal time and work time.

11) Practice discipline.

If there’s one thing you learn from working from home, it’s discipline. Discipline to work diligently and get your tasks done, discipline to properly schedule your time, and discipline to not get into the pantry every 5 minutes for snacks.

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12) Speaking of snacks: Schedule snack breaks and a designated lunch hour.

Or else you’ll be eating all day, if you’re a snacker like me.  Do you know how hard it is to work next door to our cupboard that has heaps of snacks?! If that ain’t discipline, I don’t know what is. I like to schedule snack breaks, which plays on #7, and schedule an actual lunch hour.

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13) Get outside.

Fresh air can do WONDERS! Even if it’s just for five minutes.

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14) Make a reasonable To-Do list.

No one likes a To-Do list that can never be completed — that will leave you feeling unaccomplished and anxious.  Create a To-Do list that’s attainable!

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15) Exercise.

My FITwithASD side is coming out, but exercise is crucial for your sanity.  It doesn’t have to be a heavy weightlifting session if you’re not into that, but even just going on a 30 minute brisk walk will do the trick.

16) Have wholesome meals ready.

Or else you’ll wander around and eat everything in the fridge.  Meal prepping is key to my productivity and for my health.

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17) Track your time.

I actually picked up this habit from J, since he’s a lawyer and we all know how lawyers are about billing time.  I started tracking my own time to track my productivity and it really has opened my eyes.  Use Toggl, which is a free time tracking software, to track your time. This is also great if you have other members on your team.

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18) Time blocking.

Crucial, you guys, crucial.  Block your time for specific goals!

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19) Leave household chores to certain ‘blocks’ of the day.

Household chores are important and can’t be overlooked, but sometimes, it can feel like you’re wasting your time, when you’re running around doing chores all day.  I found myself constantly cleaning and organizing, and then an hour would go by and I’m like WAIT NO! So, I’ve learned to schedule household chores into my time blocks.

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20) Daily Task Batching

Each day (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays… and so on) focus on an overall larger goal. Batch your days to focus on a large goal that needs to be completed, i.e. for me, a few would be: content creation, post draft writing, recipe creation, etc.

21) Organize files & prepare everything for the following day, including writing tomorrow’s goals.

This allows you to sit down the next morning in a good spot and know exactly what needs to be done (see #5).

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22) Communicate with co-workers and friends.

This keeps you up to date, allowing you to have contact with the outside world. I sometimes go a full day without speaking to anyone, except our mail lady.  True story.  So, it’s important to schedule some communication time.

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23) Hide your Group Text alerts.

Key rule!! Our family group chat and my friend group chat can get time consuming (especially when the bachelor is being talked about).  Reward yourself on breaks by getting caught up on the group chat.

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24) If your spouse/partner/roommate is working from home, separate office spaces.

This goes back to #9 about setting up shop for the day. Try to separate your office spaces, and if you talk too frequently with each other, then potentially have your office spaces in separate rooms.

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25) Don’t work with the TV on.

I know it’s tempting, but it’ll hinder your productivity.  You can use TV as a reward for knocking out a goal.

26) Create a financial plan for the week.

It’s easy to spend $ when you’re working from home and getting distracted online (hey, Amazon, I’m looking at you). Creating a financial plan is a great way to stay on track!

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27) Write down notes.

Yeah, I’m talking about those random ideas that pop into your head when you stare off into the distance or maybe those random ideas you get in the shower.  I like to keep them in a running list on my computer note pad! You never know when one of those has relevance.

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28) Do NOT multitask.

You lose SO much of your time by adding a task to your To-Do list. Multitasking *may* seem efficient, but it’s not, ESPECIALLY when you’re working from home.  Focus on one task at a time.

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29) Decide when your work day is over.

Honestly? I’m terrible at this, but I’m trying to get better.  Working from home means you always feel the need to be working or doing something, because yeah, there’s always something to be done.  The work never stops.  However, by setting goals and tasks for the day (and time blocking), you can better assess when the work is done.  Once your work is done, leave it for the next day. Cut off your day for your own sanity (allowing you to be more present with your family).

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30) Ultimately, be flexible.

Working from home means certain things may come up and you need to rearrange your tasks, and that’s OK! Maybe your kiddo got sick, maybe you’ve got certain errands to run, maybe there’s a household crisis like a plumbing issue, being flexible is a good way to ‘go with the flow’ on those days where it seems like nothing is going your way.

Photography by Erin Trimble

Did y’all find these tips helpful? What are some of your tips for working from home?