10 simple work-from-home tips for those transitioning to working from home

The Coronavirus has shut down schools throughout the state of Minnesota and across the country as well. With that move, many places of business are also closing their doors publicly encouraging their employees to work remotely at home in an effort to further push social distancing and stop the rapid spreading nature of COVID-19.

For some of you, that may seem like a dream! No more commute, no more bothersome coworkers popping into your office and all the freedom and comforts of your home at your disposal. On the other hand, there are some of you quaking in your boots at the thoughts of working from home. Distraction from the kids, cooped up inside and no such thing as mental breaks for "getting out of the house".

It's true, there are pros and cons to working from home. But there are also those who have paved the way before you and have learned lessons that hopefully you won't have to. Below we've highlighted TEN of the most important tips and tricks that will help you adapt to working from home as you create social distance...

(1) Maintain Regular "Business Hours"...

You've got no more boss, clearly that doesn't mean that you have no more boundaries. The rest of the world still functions on regular 9am-5pm business hours, make sure that you're "open for business" answering phone calls and emails during regular business hours as well to maximize productivity. Also, don't short your employer, that's the fastest way to get your work from home privileges taken away and put your employment in jeopardy. Track your work time using an app if you need to.

(2) Create a start of the day routine...

As mentioned in the prior bullet, find a certain time to sit down and "begin" your work activities. But your day should actually begin before you sit down at your desk and open the laptop. You'll have some new found freedom, but don't just wing it. Wake up at the same time everyday, grab your coffee, eat some breakfast, maybe go on a walk with the dog. And maybe most importantly...

(3) Get dressed for your day...

This is all about mindset here. For me, if I'm sloppy and wearing my "comfies" around the house, that's the sort of laid back mindset that I have as well. Getting showered, getting dressed and THEN starting my workday makes me start my day feeling like I've accomplished something. In theory, sweatpants all day sounds great but even that comes with side effects if you're not careful.

(4) Schedule breaks...

In a new environment it'd be easy to sit down and grind, grind, grind. It's also a new opportunity to carve out your schedule for your day. If you used to walk down to the corner store and grab a coffee at 11:00am, do that here too. If you're used to taking lunch at high noon, make sure to give yourself time for that at home as well. Communicate your "break times" with your boss so they don't think you've gone AWOL, but prioritize mental and physical breaks.

(5) Leave home...

Maybe comes in the form of working from a coffee shop, maybe it's working from the park, maybe it's just running out to grab lunch, change your environment periodically to stimulate your mind. You don't realize it but working at the office you start your day changing your environment, working from home you don't have that built in. You can and should couple this with your break time too. Walk the dog, sit on the deck, tend the garden.

(6) Dedicate a separate office space...

Not all houses have fancy work spaces and offices built into them, mine doesn't. But finding a space to dedicate to your work environment is important. Set up a table, find a comfortable chair, grab your notepad, your laptop and obviously your coffee mug and dedicate a space to be your work space. Sitting on the couch with your computer on your lap feels like your veg time at night, get yourself in the right mindset and even from home building your environment is important. Also, it's unlikely that you were able to choose your work space at the office, it was likely assigned to you. This is your opportunity to choose a corner office, give yourself a window and be comfortable! Don't let that slide by.

(7) Socialize with coworkers...

Connect with your peers, shoot the breeze, stay up to date on your friends lives. Not a phone talker by nature? Install a chat window on your machine to connect with your team. Especially under the current circumstances of our world, this is likely a temporary situation, stay in touch with your peeps.

(8) Be sure to over-communicate...

This might be the most important tip that anyone can offer, over-communicate with your peers and your superiors. Tell everyone who needs to know where you are and when you are. Let your team know when you are working on something and when you've finished so that progress can at least be mentally noted and people don't think you're in the middle of a siesta at home.

(9) Make sure you have your technology in order...

Do you have a laptop that is up to the standards necessary for your job requirements at home? Is your internet fast enough? Do you have VPN? Call-forwarding on your phone? Make sure that you work with your company and your IT department to properly set up your home workspace with the proper tools to accomplish the same things you would in the office.

(10) End your day with a routine...

The whole begin your day with a routine and end your day with a routine idea should probably be something you employ whether you're working from home or not. Creating habits trigger your brain to start the wind down process. Start tying up loose ends, check off your to-do list, listen to a podcast, whatever it is that might help your mind wind down and result in closing the computer is essential to separating your work day from your personal life when working out of the house.

These are interesting times in our world to be sure, make the best of them. Keep yourself productive, keep yourself safe and do everything you can to successfully adapt to a productive and comfortable work-from-home environement.