My best "work at home" habits for newbies
I’ve been working as a home-based Graphic Designer for over 4 years now. I know it can be hard being alone some days, but it has definitely improved my productivity and focus on my work.
Here are some of my tips in case you are still trying to figure this home-office time out…
Have a routine and stick with it. I usually do an early online yoga class, then a quick breakfast and then I start my day. I stick to the 8 hours unless it is a slow or heavy load time.
Get dressed as if you are going out. I just can’t work in my pjs, I don’t take myself seriously unless I’m wearing real clothes and my hair looks descent enough to show in a conference call or do a quick Soapbox video.
Have all your communications tools installed and working. Being always available for your colleagues or clients is fundamental. Some people like to use Teams, other Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, it’s always good to show that you are available all the time in any platform.
Create to-do lists organized by priority. I use ClickUp to organize my projects and business related things. It really helps my peace of mind.
Take a break! Lunch or coffee/tea break always helps me to refresh ideas and keep my productivity high.
Have a defined working station. It is important to have your working area separated from your living space. It makes the whole working-from-home experience a lot more professional.
Work with natural light if possible.
Play some tunes or listen to podcasts (specially if you are used to a loud office environment). Depending on the project I’m working on I sometimes listen to classical music or something more up beat, a TED talk or simply the news. Here are my fav playlists.
