Well, the world’s shutting down but we gotta keep it up and running! There are now THOUSANDS of folks who are working from home who have never done so before! Ugh! Aside from staying healthy, here are our favorite tips for working from home and how we made the transition from office life to work-from-your-pajamas life (it’s not glamorous, but it’s my favorite thing in the WORLD once I got the hang of it!)

TIP #1: HAVE A ROUTINE TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

Routine and consistency allow all the parts of your brain to predict what’s next. Let’s put it this way– If you’re dropped off in a field, you’re going to run around the field like “oh shiny, THERE’S A SQUIRREL” and have no organization to do something next. If you’re dropped off on a road, you can just run the road, encountering each obstacle as you go. Yeah?

The number one way to get to successful working from home is discipline — how do you build discipline? Consistency and routine.

Routine can be big and small. If it’s just a small 3-step routine to get settled versus an all-day routine to keep the momentum going, both can help. Start small and go large. When you settle into working, do something small that tells your body and mind it’s time to work and be productiveeeeeeee.

TIP #2: THROW THE PAJAMAS OUT AND WEAR THAT POWER OUTFIT

When you DRESS FOR SUCCESS your body and mind treats yourself like you deserve success and it’s attainable. You’re going to GET IT wearing that power outfit from the comfort of your home.

Yeah, pajamas are great, but how do they make you feel? Are you going to take over the world in pajamas? I doubt it. But in that bomb outfit from Gucci, get it!

(Lol, I’m definitely a culprit of the pajama life, don’t get me wrong. But every once in a while I take a day and get all glammed… and then sit at my desk all day and feel like a queen. Haha!)

TIP #3: TIME BLOCKING…

Time-blocking is EVERYTHING– what the heck is timeblocking? It’s when you create a calendar, blocking out the time that you’re going to spend doing any specific item. Now, in the beginning, get real specific and block out every 15 minutes. Once you get used to and train yourself to be on task, you can get more vague, like “5-9AM WORK ON BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION”.

Instead of taking 1 step down 10 different paths every day, take 10 steps down ONE path! You’ll feel a lot more organized. Trust me.

TIP #4: REWARD YOURSELF TO STAY MOTIVATED

It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so reward yourself on the way. That’s what all that cheering is for at all the checkpoints — it’s fodder for your motivation. Give yourself some motivation in between projects whether it be gratitude journaling, affirmations or ice cream. All of the ice cream for me, thanks.

TIP #5: YOUR ENVIRONMENT

So, look at that desk. How does it make you feel? Is it a bit messy? Do the kids have easy access to it? Is the dog running around in the background like a maniac?

Here are a few things to do with your environment:

— Clear the space at night versus in the morning. It’s a ritual that helps you start the day fresh and lets go of the prior days craziness and chaos.

— Create boundaries around your space. If you’re a Facebook addict set the boundary that in this office from 9-5 or whatever time you’re going to work Facebook is not welcome. Create actual physical boundaries with folks that may interrupt you or pull you out of your work day, you can leave notes on the door, or chunk up your day (timeblocking) in order to let folks get some face time with you that they’re looking for without it creating chaos in your day. You can also learn how block certain websites during a certain time period over here oooooh!  

TIP #6: GET UP EARLY

Get up before the crowd. If you start your workday at 5AM, it’s halfway over by 9AM. Our body’s peak work time is typically in the early mornings, which makes a ton of sense. We’re typically clear-headed, and ready to go. Plus having the rest of your day ahead of you makes life pretty easy!

Now if you’re someone who thrives on that 9-5 life, looking at your environment and how you can create some boundaries. (aka read tip #5 again).

So those are our top 6 tips for working from home — go get motivated and rock that work day. Whether it’s in your PJs or your Gucci belt. YOU GOT DISSSSS!!!

-Ashley