Hi Friends!

Whether you work from home on a daily basis, a few days a week, or a few days a month, these are some helpful tips you will benefit from implementing.

I have been in an entirely remote role at an entirely remote company for the past 2 years, so I have learned a thing or two about how to be successful in a remote environment. These are my top 5 helpful tips for successful remote working.

1. Dedicated work space. At the beginning, I worked from a desk set up in my bedroom. I would sleep and then wake up and work all day in my bedroom. I was spending what felt like 90% of my life in a 100 square foot room. This was not ideal. I moved my desk to a second bedroom we had set up as a guest room. We have guests *maybe* 6 nights per year, so having a guest room ready to go at all times is not necessary for us.

• Side note: Having a dedicated work space, doesn’t mean you can’t go sit on your couch and work for a while, as long as you can stay focused there. If you are finding when you go sit on your couch you end up watching a tv show or wanting to curl up and take a nap, the couch is probably not the place for you. But maybe you work well from the dining table for short stints!

2. Working hours. If you don’t have to work strict hours, find out what time of day you work best. Not everyone works best within the timeframes of 8-4 or 9-5. If you have to do creative work - writing/designing/etc - it is common that you have a time of day that you are in your creative zone the most. Find out what that is and use that to your advantage. There is nothing more painful than trying to be creative at 8am if that isn’t your sweet spot.

3. Schedule in breaks. I cannot stress how important it is to get away from your computer. I don’t know how many times I would wake up, grab my coffee, and sit down at my computer until 1pm. That’s not good for your eyes, health, or your brain. Which brings us to point 4.

4. Move your body. It took me over a year and a half years to realize how important moving your body is. Listen, I’m not saying you have to join a crossfit gym, but do go for a walk over lunch or in the afternoon. It will really help clear up some space in your brain, and it’s also good for you!

5. Apps & notifications. If you can manage it, don’t have any apps on your phone for email or messaging (like slack). I personally have less anxiety with having the apps on my phone, but I have all notifications off. So I’m not getting a push notification when someone sends me a message and I also don’t have the red bubble next to the icon saying I have 20 new emails.

Bonus. Get a companion (dog or cat) or two if you are working from home on a daily basis. Lol but seriously. I have two dogs and when I take them to daycare every once in a while I remember how much I hate being at home by myself all day (even as an introvert). I talk to my dogs probably more than is socially acceptable. If you have a dog, it also gives you a great excuse to get out of the house and go for a walk.