What I’ve Learned Working From Home

As everyone on this planet is aware of, we are currently in the middle of a pandemic with COVID-19. Because of this, many companies are allowing their employees to work from home. I am fortunate enough to be working for a company that allows all employees to work from home earlier than many. I have been working from home for almost three weeks at this point, and will continue this indefinitely. Here’s as few things I have learned over the last three weeks.

Take Breaks

This is one of the MOST important things I’ve learned over the last few weeks — make sure to get up and take breaks. Have your lunch far away from the computer. Go for a walk in between meetings. If you have a chance to take a stroll around your block, or even just your house – take it. My manager suggested putting that we were ‘out of office’ on our calendar for any time we need to step away, just so no one is looking for us. If you don’t take a break, before you know it, it’ll be 5PM and you’ve been sitting in the same spot since 8AM.

Try + Get a Work Out In

Many gyms are closed right now (boo!) and with summer coming around, some people still want to get a workout in. As I just mentioned, get up and take a walk when you can. I have seen plenty of places offering free online classes, and I’ve downloaded an app that is free right now for the ‘body weight’ option. Keep yourself moving while at home and your body will thank you later!

Don’t ‘Work’ From Your Bedroom

As tempting as it may be too stay in bed and work from there, get up and get yourself a designated area to work in. Separate yourself from your bedroom so you have something to look forward to at night (aka snuggling into bed). Plus, you’ll be more productive if you get out of bed and move to a different part of your house.

Keep Regular Work Hours

This is SUPER important. Sitting around working from home, you can lose track of time. I know the first week I was working from home, I’d look up and it was closer to 6PM than I had even expected. Keeping your regular hours is key. Don’t be logging on at 10PM just because you received an email – I promise it can wait until the morning!

Overcommunicate

This is one of the big things at my job right now – over-communicating. We have “Town Halls” run the by CEO and some executives weekly, along with all the teams having their separate meetings. We are utilizing Zoom, so we can just the video chat and see each other. I am an executive assistant, and my manager has a huddle with all the EA’s every morning so we can discuss everything. Make sure you are staying in contact with your coworkers, even if you can’t see them.

WFH is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be

I am someone who always wanted to work from home, and my previous job was a pain and never let us work remotely. Now that I’ve been doing it for close to three weeks … This is not all it’s cracked up to be. I think I’d rather be in the office every day, even though spending all this time with my family is a plus 🙂

So, those are just a few things I have learned in my time working from home. I’m sure there will be a few more things I learn during this time, so keep an eye out for any updates!

Stay safe + stay home!