20 tips to make working remotely more manageable

No matter how big your home is, set up a dedicated workspace. It could be an entire office or just a desk and a chair in the corner, but use that space to complete your work so it doesn’t feel like you’re blurring the lines between home and work. 

For many people, morning and evening commutes are good times to prepare for the day and decompress. If you miss that aspect of working outside the home, create your own commute of sorts. It could be taking a quick walk while listening to a podcast, driving a bit to a coffee shop, or running an errand. 

We take breaks when we work outside our homes, so we should do the same thing when working from home. Whether it’s an hour lunch break or a couple of 10-minute breaks in the morning and afternoon, take them and don’t feel bad about it. 

Routines help us to be successful, so find a WFH routine that works for you and stick to it. Your routine can include commutes, breaks, lunch, and other parts of the workday that are typically seen as office-only activities, like checking in with co-workers. 

One drawback of working remotely is that it naturally limits the movement you get in a day. Make up for it by prioritizing exercise so you don’t feel stiff throughout the day and see your overall health decline. It can be as intense as attending a cross-fit class each morning or as simple as taking a walk in the afternoon. 

Most people who work remotely still have co-workers. Get to know them so you have a little bit of social interaction during the day and connect with others who have the same struggles. Attend virtual happy hours, send texts and emails, join Slack chats — do whatever it takes to get to know your co-workers better. 

Socialization is vital to overall health, especially when you spend lots of time working alone. Getting to know your co-workers is valuable, but so is socializing with people you don’t work with. Schedule dinner with a friend or volunteer with a group so you get real face time with people who don’t share your boss. 

If you worked outside your home, you would have set working hours. The same should be true if you’re working remotely. Set working hours that accommodate your schedule, and don’t complete work tasks or check emails outside of those times.  

If you’re working from home, it can be easy for others to see you as completely accessible. Let them know that you’re unavailable during certain hours and when you’re at your dedicated workspace to limit distractions. 

If you work remotely, you probably love staying home. And while home is great, it’s also important to leave sometimes. Find reasons to make yourself leave, like going for a walk or working from a coffee shop for the afternoon. 

You don’t need to put on scrubs or a dress to work from home, but getting out of your pajamas will help you get into a productive mindset. Your uniform can be sweatpants, but make a point to change into them. 

If you would write a to-do list at an office, write a to-do list at home. Seeing what needs to be done helps you organize your day, and it feels good to check tasks off your list. 

A huge part of staying productive when working from home is treating it like working outside your home. If you worked outside your home, you wouldn’t take time in the middle of the day to cook elaborate meals, so don’t do that during your remote work day either. Meal prep so you stay on schedule and don’t have to clean a huge kitchen mess during your lunch break. 

Social media is a massive time suck. Avoid it during the work day, so you stay on schedule and don’t reduce productivity. If necessary, put time blockers on certain apps so you can’t access them during work hours. 

If the TV is a distraction, don’t turn it on. Wait until the workday is done to watch it. Opt for music or a white noise machine if you want some noise. If you really want to watch something, only allow yourself to turn on the TV during lunch. 

Time batching is a great productivity tool no matter where you work, but it’s especially helpful when working from home, particularly if you are able to set your own schedule and prefer to do household tasks during the day. Spend a certain amount of time only working on one task and then move to the next to stay hyper-focused on what’s at hand. 

We should all be giving ourselves a hand for completing tasks more often, especially when we’re working from home. Motivate yourself to finish a particularly difficult task with a reward.

It’s easy to stay sedentary when working from home, but it can make you very lethargic. Make sure you’re standing up at least once every hour to get your blood flowing and stay energized. A body in motion stays in motion. 

Sleeping is important no matter where you work, but it’s easy to get into a poor sleep schedule when you don’t have to be up at a certain time and can sleep in if you’re tired. Stick to a sleep schedule that keeps you rested without spending too much time in bed. 

Not every tip will work for every person. Find what works best for you, whether that means working at a desk or getting dressed up for work every day, and stick to it. There will likely be a bit of an adjustment period when you begin working from home, but once you figure out what works for you, it’ll become much more manageable.