Lucky blog post #13! Today we are excited to get real with you about one of our love/hate relationships – working remotely (either from home or another off-site destination). Since starting our company, we have both worked remotely full time, and sometimes it is not easy. However, we have learned a lot about how to stay organized and motivated while working from home – here are a few of our tips!

Working remotely does not have to mean working from home all of the time. Granted we love spending some days working in pajamas and slippers, we sometimes feel an urge to get out of the house. Changing your scenery can promote creativity while keeping you motivated. This can be at a local coffee shop, library, or co-working space. Leaving your house can also double as a great networking opportunity. You would be surprised at how many others are working remotely at your local coffee shop. Striking up a conversation with another remote worker can help you get new ideas and give you a nice break from your work, it also makes up for not going to an office for social interaction. The best part, they may become a client or customer!

@rawpixel

As mentioned above, we love working in our pjs on rainy days (happens too often here in Washington), but it is important to still make an effort to get ready each day. They do say “look good feel good”, and it is true. We like to think of it like this: pretend like you are getting ready to go to an actual office for work. Starting your day off on a positive note and taking the time to take care of yourself will help you feel less sluggish throughout the day and it will get you into “work mode”. And this may be surprising to some but it will help you sound more confident on the phone too.

@alexagorn

Coming from someone who is claustrophobic, I love to spread out in large spaces. However, it is imperative that you pick a space for work in your home and stick to it. This might just be a desk in your living room, or a corner of your dining room table, wherever it is, find your space. This will ensure that when you are sitting in this space it is work and when you are on your couch it’s for relaxing. Of course, you might need to move throughout the day and we completely encourage getting up from your desk to take breaks or to get your creativity flowing. Keeping your work area limited to one area will also be easier on other people living in this space as well. Whether that is your family or roommates, I am sure they will appreciate your workspace not taking over the entire house.

@elsanoblet

We LOVE organization! Planners make us excited, and clean white desks are our obsession! When you work from home it can be difficult to keep your area clean. You wouldn’t keep a messy desk in an office (at least we hope not) so don’t do it at home. Keeping your desk clean will keep you motivated and will keep your work flowing without having to stop to look for your notepad or that one post-it note.

Organization also applies to your daily schedule. Keep a detailed planner so you know what you need to complete each day. Whether this is something you keep on your computer like Asana or a physical agenda, pick one and update it regularly. Working from home can be distracting, an agenda can help keep you on schedule, which leads me to the next tip….

@emmamatthews

There are endless ways you can distract yourself while working from home. Whether it’s laundry or your bookshelf that needs to be re-organized, there will always be something to do that is not your work. As hard as it is, you cannot let tasks around the house distract you from your work. Allot yourself “working hours” and only do things around the house before or after that time (see above for using an agenda to help with this).

@kellybrito

You will hear many people say in hindsight “I should have made more time for my family/friends/hobbies” and the list goes on and on. The hardest part about setting boundaries is the feeling that you could be working and getting ahead, especially when your desk is in your living room and is so accessible. This does not mean you can’t work late or on the weekend, but it is a balance. We have spent countless late nights and weekends doing work that had to get done. However, we make it a point to remain on a normal as possible work schedule. With that, we have met people who work remotely who have thrived taking mornings off and working late into the night and vice versa. Find what works for you and make it work (no pun intended)!

@brookelark

In a world where technology makes it possible to work from wherever, whenever, it is important to think through how you are going to make the most of your workday. We are always working on being efficient and productive while working remotely. If you have any advice or would like to discuss this blog post further feel free to contact us or comment below!