Tips on Working Remote!

1. Estabilsh a routine. 2. Start your day doing something from yourself. 3. Have a designate work space. 4. Does your company have a work from home budget? If so buy supplies: ergonomic chair, wireless mouse and key board, sit stand desk, noise canceling head phones. 5. Take your breaks...away from your work area. 6. Eat lunch aways from your desk. 7. Stick with your work hours.

Silencing notifications is a big one for productivity. I recall reading something that being interrupted from a task ends up costing 45 minutes as that is how long it takes to get back into the flow of a task.

thank u for this😭 i’ve got ADHD and im thankful for the fact that one of my jobs is remote, but sometimes i struggle. i’ll take any tips i can get

Division of workspace and personal space is HUGE. When we first started WFH in 2020, I set up my workspace on a desk that I had in my living room, just steps away from the sofa. Even when I was relaxing, the presence of my work area nagged at me. After a few months, I decided to redecorate some loft space that I was using for a rarely used guest room, and created an office space that was separate from my living space. It meant that at the end of the work day, I was able to literally walk away from my office. I was SOOOO much happier. I've since moved to a new apartment, and don't really have a separate space for my office, so I created a separate space by setting up cube bookcases as a "wall" between my living room and office. It's still close by, but the visual barrier helps to establish that separation.

Great advice. Frankly I think the division of work and other life is the most important. It really lets your brain “context switch” into and out of work mode

I get up super early and go running for an hour. It completely makes my day physically and mentally! Since I'm a writer, having a regular routine really helps! Sometimes I don't feel up for it, but still get out there and try, it is a huge boost to my mental health! I get home thrilled and energetic since I've already accomplished a goal and feel oxygenated and positive. These are incredibly important reminders to not be a slave to a computer (or the job!)....😊

Great tips! I worked from home for three years before I retired last year. You mentioned gray areas between home and work that come with WFH. I would add to that to accept those gray areas and recognize that work/home is no longer black/white. When I worked in the office, I had a lengthy commute to separate work and home - no gray. Knowing that the gray area is to be expected and is OKAY helped make the transition a little easier for me. Love your videos!

One thing I do is schedule buffer time. I’ll look at how much time outside of meetings I have to focus and then estimate what I can get done in 75 ~ 80% of the time. It’s made a huge positive difference in how I feel at the end of the day. When I filled the focus time with tasks, inevitably there would be interruptions or I’d underestimate the time it takes for some tasks. Rarely would I finish a day accomplishing everything planned. If I plan for 80% efficiency, that leaves the room for urgent tasks that pop up or misestimation. If neither of those happen, I’ll get to the end of my list with time to spare and then I can pull ahead from the tasks I didn’t expect to get to today. I went from ending nearly every day frustrated that I didn’t get everything done to ending nearly every day satisfied that I accomplished a realistic amount of work. I actually get more work done because I spend less time rescheduling and it feels great. It also means my commitments to my colleagues are much more realistic and frequently enough, I beat them. Under promise and over deliver!

I find that fresh oxygen is super important at my workspace. I also like a lofi beat playlist in the background. If I get sluggish, I do jumping jacks😂 I know it sounds funny but getting your heart pumping is so useful! When I got super low and demotivated I create a thankfulness list. I wrote 5-10 (...on a particularly bad day I push to 15!) things I'm grateful for about my job and then I read them out loud for my brain to hear them. Not every day is easy and I'm grateful that Laura started this conversation with all of us. ❤

Under Australia's new right to disconnect legislation an employee may refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact (or attempted contact) from their employer or a third party outside of their working hours, unless the refusal is unreasonable

The tip about leaving the workspace for breaks & lunch was a game changer for me! I'm so glad it's included in your video!! I do not answer work communications when I'm on my breaks/lunch. I either go outside or just sit in a different room.

As a teacher I don't generally work from home but at the height of the pandemic we were teaching remotely. I had an established routine before work. I would start by taking my dog for a walk (1/2 - 1 mile), then I would make breakfast, after that I would check through the news, and finally before logging in to teach my classes, I would spend half an hour grading work that had been turned in over night. My workday ended when I logged off my last class and left the house to give my dog and I a longer walk.

Designating my work space made a huge difference for me, especially with my ADHD and being on the spectrum. My brain recognizes "this is work" and places that are not work. Helped hugely with being able to comfortably step away from work and not focus on the many personal things I need to do. ❤

I'm a work-from-home team lead with ADHD, and I just shared this with my team. :) Thanks so much!

When Covid hit, many people went WFH and had never done it. I had a friend post on FB about his long-time WFH habits. Many you mentioned here. Thank you!

I really like your content. I’ve been officing from home for 20 years. Not tied to a desk like your talking about. Time management some people are crap at. I love your advice for work load and responses that anyone could apply. Some things you suggest will get you fired. There are other ways to negotiate work load. Maybe offer those options. Remember what is more important. Loving what you do and becoming an expert . Negotiating vs being aggressive or flippant is going to keep you employed. Xoxo❤❤ Lauren My background is 2 degrees, International Sales Director. 20 years in Beauty. Keep up the good work. Kids and dogs in background in a corp job is a no no. Be honest in interview about having a quiet space.

On making lists, one thing I do is start making my list the night before. I can set something aside better for the day if I have written down that it needs something to be done tomorrow. Really great tips on working from home. Thank you.

I often will step away from my computer and will go outside and just surround myself in the nature surrounding my property. We are out in the country, so taking in all that greenery and the fresh air is such a relief.

Super agree with most of these. Especially the ergonomic chair - I didn't do a whole chair, but I got a good quality seat cushion and lumbar support and it made a WORLD of difference. One thing I'll add... If you're allowed to set your own schedule, DO IT. I spent a couple years after going remote with my boss telling me, "Just get to meetings and I don't care about the rest. If you feel like working at 3am, go for it." And for some reason, I still made myself get up early and work "normal" hours. I think I've just been influenced by our culture celebrating early birds and denigrating night owls, so I felt like it looked bad if I wasn't online early. The thing is... I'm a night owl. Always have been. I used to joke in college that I did my best work after midnight. And I started seeing more research online that countered the notion that everyone should get up early and be productive first thing in the morning... In fact, our circadian rhythm - our "chronotype" - is built into our genes and fighting your natural cycle leads to perpetual social jet lag. No amount of forcing yourself to change will get past that. If you're a night owl, you can't make yourself enjoy mornings. So, if you don't have to... why do it? That finally clicked for me a few months ago and I now sleep in and get up at a much more comfortable hour. I no longer feel like I'm dragging myself out of bed, exhausted and grumpy and mentally foggy. I do my regular meetings (we have folks across the country, so meetings are never earlier than 10am my time), take the afternoon for myself, and do my most thought-intensive work in the evenings, often until one or two in the morning. My focus is SO MUCH BETTER, I'm producing better work, and I no longer feel so much like I'm struggling to stay awake. Obviously this won't work for everyone... like, I don't have kids, so I don't have to worry about being distracted once they get home from school. But still. You don't HAVE to do anything that isn't strictly asked of you. If your workplace is flexible, take advantage of that flexibility. Like Laura said, do set a routine, but that routine can be whatever you like. Figure out what works best for YOU and everyone involved will be happier!

I relate to so much of what you say. Silencing notifications is something I did in my private life, and it just carried over to work. I find it so obnoxious that the notifications imposes themselves onto me. I feel so much more in control when I consciously decide when it's time for mails, messages etc. Also a good chair and a desk at the proper height... didn't have that and I will do all I can to have it better next time.