5 Tips for Working from Home

2020 has been a wild ride for everyone! For those who are lucky enough to work from home, or have schooling at home, there has been an adjustment period where we learn how to be productive, in a place where we are normally casual/lazy. In my case from my previous occupation, just a place to sleep. With the year winding down quickly, I’d like to share the top 5 tidbits of information I’ve learned from working/schooling from home:

1. Get a comfortable chair, or find a way to stand. Finding a decent chair is the number one priority. I went through a few chair iterations before finding a solid choice myself. I started with a barstool working from my kitchen table. Not bad, not ideal, and after awhile I needed my kitchen table back. After buying a small desk, I thought I could just use one of my balcony chairs. A step up for sure since my feet can finally touch the ground, but still no armrests or wheels. I’ve finally settled on “borrowing” an office chair from the conference room of the lobby in my apartment. What I’ve learned is, there is no substitute for a decent office chair designed for hours of work. It just isn’t worth the back pain and frustration. Alternatively, I’ve found standing to be a great substitute! Sure, the first week or so may be miserable, but after awhile, it will be second nature. In hindsight, the best combination I found was a bar height table with a barstool, that allows for working from a standing position.
2. Stay away from the kitchen. Now I’m not going to say I didn’t ever snack at a normal office environment, but this year has definitely tested my resolve. For me, I snack when I’m frustrated or need to think through a problem, which is often in a working day. At first, it was a welcome distraction to be able to walk to the kitchen and grab a snack; it gives me time away from my uncomfortable chair and desk to think. Soon I found that I subconsciously started to use snacking as a way to avoid work. I have since banned interaction with the kitchen outside of lunch during the day, and productivity is back to normal. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to covert runs to grab a snack still, but overall I’ve found it best to pretend the kitchen doesn’t exist.
3. Treat pets like coworkers. If you know, you know. Our beloved pets were excited as can be this year when they started to catch on that we were going to spend more time with them. Maybe you were just as excited too! I would compare my experience with my dog similarly to my experience with a needy coworker that never contributes to the task at hand. With that coworker, it would make sense for you to budget time in the day to get ahead of any potential questions or issues they may bring up later in the day, as to not interrupt your groove. It’s much harder with a cute pup that doesn’t know any better, but it is just as necessary! Walks are scheduled, and absolutely no play time until after 6!
4. Find a spot where you are not tempted to have a tv on. This probably goes without saying. Everyone thinks they can work with a movie on in the background. Head’s up, not possible! There is no possible way to be completely focused if you have Die Hard playing in the background. don’t do it!
5. Find a spot not facing the sun. Seems obvious, but in the room where I work, there is a large window in front of my work desk. Every day approximately 1 hour before sunset, the sun is positioned perfectly to shine through the window at my face and wash my computer screen. The simple answer is to set up blinds to block the sun. The better answer is to set up your desk where you don’t have to. For me, my preference is to be able to look out the window during the day while I work, but it comes at the cost of having to rig up a low-cost blind system to shield my face from the rays of death.