How to work from home like a boss: A guide for newbies

It’s a new day on planet Crazyville for all of God’s creatures, and for the traditional working world, every hour seems to present a brand new challenge. As COVID-19 continues to make historical strides worldwide, it’s not just the technologically advanced or the millenial-infused corporate cool kids who will be working remotely. 

Soon (like, TODAY y’all) any and every small business and nonprofit and office of more than…well…ONE in America that possibly can, are encouraged to move to some form of temporary teleworking model. Whether that terrifies or excites you I can promise two things if you’re new to this type of gig – it’s not as great as it sounds, and it’s not as bad either.

While we all adjust to the change and uncertainty of it all, here are a few tips to help you wrap your head around the art of working from home without losing your mind…or your job.

Get crystal-clear on expectations. If you and/or your supervisor are new to an out-of-office working model, it’s absolutely imperative that you both understand the rules up front. Nobody knows the rules? Make some up together! Talk through things like when you’re expected to be available by phone and email. Should you be “at work” from 9-5 with an hour for lunch, or should you track your time and work whenever as long as you meet your deadlines?

Talk through other things too like: whether or not you’ll use your personal cell phone for business calls, which uses are appropriate for your business laptop, whether or not you should be on social media during office hours, how your teammates prefer to communicate, and how often you’ll be expected to check in. Believe, the more you tackle up front, the less awkward things will be later. Save the oops-I-didn’t-know’s for something more important. 

Find a space that works for work. If this is truly a temporary mandate for you, I’m not suggesting you transform your spare bedroom into a full-blown office space (though I do love a creative workspace away from work). At minimum, you will need a place to go that’s conducive to productivity. Before you decide where that should be, let me tell you where it’s NOT:

On the couch. You’re not fooling anybody if you’re “working” from the comfort of the same place you nap/Netflix/chill. I don’t claim to know a thing about science, but people, it’s science. I’ve propped my laptop on a fluffy pillow in my lap countless times thinking I was about to make strides only to find myself drooling on the keyboard and dreaming of vacation. Get comfortable, but not that kind of comfortable. Bonus reason not to choose the couch- it’s hell on your back!

In the bedroom. Unless you’re hiding from your roommate/partner/kids for an hour or unless you have a neat little desk beside your bed, this one is just like the couch. You might be able to knock out a short conference call behind the closed door sitting criss-cross-applesauce where you sleep, but you’re setting yourself up for more of…well, less, if you attempt to clock in here.

Near the tv. If your job requires less than 1% concentration, you’re totally fine here. Go for it. But if you (or your boss) expect true productivity, turn off the tube and know that working-while-watching-Ellen makes you as ineffective as that Facebook tab you hide every time your coworker walks by. Just because you won’t get caught doesn’t mean you should do it.

I’ve found that if you don’t have a desk, but you do have a dining room table, breakfast nook, or bar, a good-enough space can be born. I prefer a room with windows – just don’t choose the seat right next to it if you don’t want to battle a glare on your screen and lose your mojo. Wherever you are, give yourself room to spread out, and if you can, leave it there – don’t pack it up and make yourself have to pull it out again. When you’re home, you should still feel home, but when you’re in THAT spot friend, you’re at work. Welcome to your zone.

Limit distractions. Think you’re easily distracted at the office? [Bwah HA-HA!] Wait until you try to distinguish your home to-do’s from your work-from-home to-do’s. It can be tricky figuring out how to block the focus-stealing culprits, but if you pay attention on the first day, you’ll know exactly what they are.

Put your phone facedown. You’ll likely need your phone close by if you’re working remotely, but if you’re like most of us these days, you’ll also need to create some boundaries to keep you from picking it up out of habit. Whatever your vice – Instagram, TikTok, or texting – it will be easier to drift into a screen time abyss in the comfort of your own home. No one is there to hold you accountable for your time, and a text about dinner can lead to a quick recipe search on Pinterest, which can lead you halfway through your online grocery order in the Food Lion To Go app, which leads to you suddenly using 15 minutes of your workday ineffectively. DO all those things for sure, but at a designated time like a lunch or mid-afternoon break.

Watch your trips to the kitchen. (And all the work-from-home veterans just nodded in unison.) In the real office, you might grab a coffee first thing, a yogurt mid-morning, and heat up your lunch while you chat with a coworker. At home if you’re not careful, you’ll EITHER eat a sleeve of Oreo’s before breakfast, last night’s pizza during your webinar, then a shame-snack around 2 p.m., OR drink three cups of coffee and work yourself into a hunger headache because there’s no one there to remind you to fuel up and hydrate. Plan for good eating habits as if you were going somewhere for the day. Don’t just rely on your whims, or M&M’s.

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Create a visual work plan. Unless you’re a master agent of organization, a random stack of papers won’t get you through this one. At home, that stack can sit for days. Who even knows what’s in it? Take some time in the first week (and every week) to dig through your STUFF and find a prominent place to list your priorities. If calendar alerts work for you, put it all in there. Make yourself appointments to complete important tasks and don’t do ANYTHING but THAT during the time you chose. If you’re a list-maker instead, put your list in a place that you can’t miss, and don’t forget to add deadlines!

Take a shower. People, this is a big one. One of the greatest perks of working from home is that some days, you can very easily go from one set of pajamas to the next without judgement. We’ve all done it, and folks, it can be so awesome. Email + messy bun, report + sweatpants, even video conference + a little mascara and a nice button-up on top of your “Mama needs wine” nightgown – it’s all a little invigorating. Do it now and then, no one cares!

The trick here is not to let it become a habit. If you can be 100% productive in your pj’s, more power to you, but go too many days without fresh clothes and clean hair and you’ll start to lose your luster in more ways than one. Go ahead, enjoy your at-home comfy coffee while you plan your day first thing, but get yourself together (before lunch!) if you want to bring the heat to the home work.

Enjoy the perks. Speaking of perks, there can be SO many perks! My favorite thing about working from home is the ability to multitask the simple stuff. Do a load of laundry and take back the part of your Saturday you usually spend rewashing the towels you forgot on Wednesday night. Pick a tiny project that you’d never get to on the regular (junk drawer, medicine cabinet, freezer, etc.) and tackle it during your webinar. Start dinner or exercise during lunch and get to ENJOY a little more of your evening. Sure, you’re at work when you’re in your zone, but taking back your travel time alone can lend itself to a little more balance later. Use it!

More favorite things to add to your work-alone-zone: music, your favorite candle, snacks, and anything else that helps you focus but annoys the crap out of your co-workers. 

Communicate what this means to your people. THIS. THIS is the real ticket. If you’re new to working from home, then most certainly, your family members or housemates are too. Remember those boundaries you set with your boss? They’ll be a nightmare to follow if you don’t communicate them with the people around you.

If you have a set schedule, then your husband/girlfriend/daughter/roommate/dog needs to understand what that looks like. Are you sort-of available or do you want them to pretend you’re invisible during working hours? Say it. Is it ok for them to join you at the dining room table to quietly do homework? Invite them, but set the rules. Does your mom think you’re sitting by the phone and available to chat all day now? Let her know you’re excited to catch up with her, but you’ll have more time after work. Do you need the dog to be occupied during your 10 a.m. call? Ask for help or take the call away from the crate. (And give him a treat for his patience!)

Whether you love it or not, your at-home people are now part of your work team. Remember that NO work OR home-work team is perfect, but make them feel included with all the communication up front, and hopefully, no one will get hurt…UNLESS you have to…

Figure it all out with the kids at home. I’m mostly talking to you now, Mama. (You too, Dad.) These are new, hard, crazy crazy times. I could spend a thousand more words talking about how to work from home with kids. I could talk about navigating homeschool, nap times, lunches, arguments, tears, interruptions, laughter, spilled drinks, screen time, deadlines, and ALL the other things that THIS factor brings to the remote-working world.

Instead, I’ll say this. Do the best you can. Try not to yell. Take breaks just to cuddle or tickle or laugh. Be sure your actual work team understands your reality. Ask for help when you need it. And most importantly, give yourself (and your children) some grace. This. Is. Hard. It’s new, it’s wild, it’s amazing, and really and truly, it’s all going to be ok. 

Hang in. Have fun. Do work. And say your prayers. You can sit next to me on the struggle bus. Welcome home! 🙂