10 Tips For Working From Home Without Going Crazy

[Ed. Note: This was originally published on March 16, but with many more of us working from home, we’re bumping it back to the top.]

Many of you are working from home today as businesses across the country adapt their practices to the coronavirus outbreak. While working in your PJs may seem like a dream, reality sets in fast. As someone who has worked from home for almost eight years, here are some tips on being productive while also maintaining your sanity. Coffee lovers have two options regular or specialty. What is different in specialty coffee that regular one does not have and why do people care? The journey of a coffee bean is a long and complicated one. The coffee bean goes through a number of stages during which it is ruined our tuned into a flavorful coffee. If you’re trying to find a more budget-friendly approach to satisfy your craving and be useful for parties, this urn appliance fulfills just that role. All the while making it even as tasty and fresh, you’ll avoid the effort of re-filling the kettle whenever you’ve got variety of individuals over. For best coffee maker product, you can click on Coffee Urn: Best Uses and Product Reviews.

1. Establish your space

Setting up shop on the couch with your laptop sounds nice, but offices were invented for a reason. If you can, find a spot in your house that is quiet, has a desk or table, a decent chair (your back will thank you!), and, if possible, a door. Not only will this allow you to concentrate, it allows the other people in your house to live their lives without feeling like they’re disturbing you. Work/life boundaries are crucial!

…Also, if you’re able, bring in a second monitor. I can’t work without one.

2. Routine is key

The hardest thing about working from home is discipline. Temptations are everywhere, from TV shows on the DVR to chores, pets, and all of the internet. Set a time to be at your work station every day and a time to leave it. Maintaining normal work hours is really important when you’re only just a few steps away from your computer. Working from home doesn’t mean working all of the time (Confession: this one is tough for me).

3. Change out of the PJs

For me, this is really important practice, but I know others, including my husband, who disagree. I refuse to work in my pajamas. Even though I’m switching from one pair of comfy pants/shirt to another, that’s a big distinction, and makes me feel less like a total slob. Athleisure is huge right now, and not just because people are going to the gym more. (Shoutout to Athleta and Marine Layer for my work wardrobe.)

Reserve your nice pair of sweats and tee/cardigan for work hours. Even just changing clothes helps me “clock” in and out. And, for the sake of everyone around you, shower.

4. Make yourself take breaks

Coffee breaks are a norm at the office, but now that you’re working from home, you may feel obligated to stay at your desk the entire day. Don’t. Allow yourself the same number of breaks you would take in a normal day at the office, if not more. In my old corporate job, that was mid-morning, lunch, and mid-afternoon. In fact, my old boss required each employee to take a one-hour lunch to get away from the desk; I use my one-hour breaks for exercise, but I think that’s still so important.

My friend Nicole swears by the Pomodoro Technique if that’s helpful for some:

5. Turn those breaks into goals

Dangle those temptations around the house like a carrot in front of you.

• “If I get this much done, I can watch an episode of Schitt’s Creek“
• “Let me do this now so I can listen to some KSR”
• “The faster I finish this, the sooner I can do that.”

Or, sometimes, your brain is just fried, which is the perfect time to…

6. Get out of the house (and, for now, maintain social distance)

A quick poll of my KSR colleagues shows that getting out of the house is the No. 1 key to working from home. Unfortunately, due to the current environment, that’s not what it once was, but it’s still safe to get some fresh air, do stuff in the yard, or even make a quick trip to the grocery store. It’s no wonder I’m so close to the Turnip Truck staff.

That being said…

7. Yes, you are going to get cabin fever

It doesn’t matter the number of breaks I take, every week around Wednesday and Friday evenings, I have to get out of the house. Again, unfortunately, that’s going to have to change a little bit while we attempt to flatten the curve, but cabin fever is a reality of working from home that you cannot escape. Going out to eat may not be the answer for now, but change up your routine in some way a few nights during the week so you don’t end up like this:

8. Communicate with your coworkers and friends

A hard thing for a lot of people transitioning from offices to home offices is not being able to see their coworkers. Even just stopping by someone’s cube or office on your way to get coffee is a nice mental break. It’s not the same, but stay in touch with your coworkers and friends via text/GChat/Slack/etc. With coronavirus robbing us of normal social lives, this is especially important. Pets are also great listeners, especially when there’s no one around to judge you.

Is your group text too distracting? Mute it until you can catch up (during a break!), or just leave it altogether. People can deal with it.

9. If your spouse/partner/roommate is also working from home…

Good luck.

My husband’s company is asking its employees to work from home for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, we have separate home office spaces, but I can’t imagine if we didn’t, especially since he does a lot of conference calls. Again, establishing your own space is key, as is lots and lots of patience. These are not normal times, so try to have some peace, love, and understanding.

10. If your children are home because school is canceled…

God bless.

Other tips from the KSR crew

Drew Franklin: “I try to make a grocery trip or some kind of errand just to force me out for human interaction.”

Jack Pilgrim: “Change your scenery every few hours. Work in the office chair, at the kitchen table, couch, outside if it feels good, etc. I go stir crazy if I’m sitting in one spot for too long.”

Nick Roush: “I go to the coffee shop down the block. Probably won’t even work from there for much longer, but just getting out is good enough for me.”

Leave your own tips in the comments.