How I learned to work from home – 5 tips that saved my sanity

I never considered myself to be a “work at home” type, probably because the opportunity never really presented itself. Every work day I had my routine; get up, make my bed, chat with my hubby, shower, get dressed, get my daughter up and ready for school, pack my bag and off to work and school we would go.  That all changed with the arrival of COVID-19.  With new social distancing requirements in place and stay at home orders a new norm, life as we know it changed – and dramatically.  Now with a son suddenly home from college and a daughter in high school both in virtual learning mode and two parents juggling working between home and offices it was only a matter of time before chaos began.  Even the walls of our home are longing for the days of peace & quiet again.  It is not used to having us all home at once and for so long.    First and foremost I am thankful for my health, my family’s health and that I still have job in which I can work from home.  That being said it took a bit to adjust and I will admit I had some struggles along the way but I think I have found my groove.   After a bit of trial and error here are five tips that worked for me.

Tip #1: Have a routine and stick to it. 

I needed a new routine.  My first day home I was out of rhythm and all over the place and so was my family.  We slept in a little later than normal, did not rush to even shower or get dressed – I mean why not?  It’s not like our commute was very far and nobody was coming to visit.  It felt different and exciting to work from my pajamas.  But as the day progressed I felt behind for some reason, disorganized, and scattered.  Aside from a mid-morning break to put in a load of laundry and my lunch time shower as that was when I decided to get dressed I was glued to my computer the rest of the day re-acting to things instead of being pro-active with a specific agenda.  So day two I decided to establish a new routine starting in the morning that would set the tone for my day.  I created a list of goals I needed to accomplish that day. It included both work and family tasks so I was not aimless. The structure created some semblance of order and prevented me from losing focus.

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