3 great tips for working from home

1. Work in a clean space
   Working from home is tough when you are sharing your space with roommates, your spouse, family members, and/or kids. Dodging messes and dishes can be distracting and may take away from your work. Allow yourself a designated amount of time each morning before sitting down to work to tidy up a bit. It will cleanse your mind (and your house so you don’t have to do it later), and give you the clarity you need to be efficient and effective working from home. Some people enjoy sitting in the same place every day at home in a designated space for work. Others enjoy moving around. Try new things and see what makes you the most productive and then create a routine out of it.
2. Put everything on your calendar
   Working from home can be overwhelming sometimes as you mix business and personal errands each day. This is the beauty of working from home, right? Right, but you have to organize your time effectively. Sometimes you have doctors appointments during the day, a meeting with a client immediately after, a conference call with a potential client, a networking event and a dentist appointment for the kids.  Don’t rely on your memory for these things because you are bound to forget something. Put every event in your calendar and feel at ease that you have everything under control. And remember to always check your calendar the night before in case you have an early meeting the next day.
3. Balance: Take breaks and know when to stop
   It is very easy to get caught up with work and forget to eat breakfast, lunch, or your coffee sits on the counter and gets cold without you ever taking more than a sip. Set your alarm and take short breaks every two hours. Take the dog for a walk, grab a snack or a cup of tea. This really helps to rejuvenate and clear your head so you will be more effective in the rest of your day. The same goes for at the end of the day.  It is very easy when working from home to keep the laptop open at the kitchen table during dinner, or open it back up when you’re done. Put your work away. Be present. If there isn’t something that needs your attention immediately then it can wait until tomorrow. Balance is super important and although you are working from home which is flexible and great, it does expose you to your work at all times and can be tempting to never put it down.  

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