1. Have a separate workspace. Don’t create an office in your bedroom, because that will look bad on video calls. Don’t set up a space in the kitchen, because that’s for eating. If you really want to successfully work from home (not to mention, take advantage of some tax benefits), then you need to create a dedicated, separate place of business. Maybe you have a basement? A closet that potentially can be converted? Or at least a part of your apartment that can be designated as work only?
2. Put in a door. And shut it. If you’re living with other people, you need to be able to shut them out of your professional life. You’ll be on calls or you’ll want to focus on your work and, if you’re in a situation where people can just walk in and out of your workspace and distract you with their silly stories and other dopey nonsense, then, hey…you might as well be working in an office!
3. Bathe. Yeah, you heard me. I don’t want to hear that you care about the environment and you’re conserving water. Just take a shower. Every day. Same time. It really does have a psychological impact. I bathe. You’re welcome.
4. Do not keep files. If you want to pave a quick road toward divorce, then be sure to have lots of papers, files, and folders lying around. That’ll do it. But now in the age of Dropbox and other online storage services, scanning, clicking, and storing images in the cloud are ways to clear up your space. Have a no clutter policy, no paper policy and you’ll be more productive.
5. Do other stuff while talking on the phone. If I’m talking to you from my home office, there’s a good chance I’m not even in my home office. I’m probably folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, sweeping a floor, changing the cat’s litter box, or even taking out the garbage. You don’t know this because I’m careful to mute my phone if there are background noises. And what do you care anyway? Me, I’m getting stuff done while also getting stuff done!
6. Invest in lighting. Sounds strange, but whenever people ask me the most important tech investment I’ve made for my home office, it’s never what you think. Sure, all the cloud-based-remote-connectivity-collaboration-communication tools are essential. But it was the lighting that had the biggest effect on me. I set the mood with lighting depending on the time of day, the weather…even the season. And it works. Cozy really does equal productivity.
7. Never, ever turn on the TV. If you’ve ever made the mistake of just “checking in” on The View, The Talk, Dr. Phil, The Wendy Williams Show, or even that channel that replays old episodes of M*A*S*H, you’ll know what I mean. It’s a killer. And, like a car wreck, you just can’t look away.
8. Do your work in blocks. This productivity tip applies whether you’re in an office or at home. Think chunks. Carve out an hour and say to yourself, “I don’t care if we’ve been invaded by aliens, this is my time to respond to emails.” Block out certain times of the day when you follow up on activities, write proposals, talk to customers, or work on that new project. Don’t let anything interfere. One of the greatest advantages of working from home is that you can be very selfish with your time.
9. Nap. Go ahead. Nap. You earned it. No one’s going to know. And how many more studies do you need telling you that 20-30 minutes of shut-eye is great for your health and productivity? I do it. Right at my desk. But ask me face to face and I’ll deny it, of course.
10. Finally: Never, ever complain. Sometimes I run into people who actually complain about working from home. Complain! Like, what is their problem? You’re at HOME all day. You’ve got your dog nearby. You can sneak out, work totally odd hours, nap. You don’t have to worry about the commute or that guy eating a tuna sandwich at your shared, open workspace desk. Enjoy!