Many folks who come through Tucson coworking spaces have done the work-from-home, or remote work thing. It seems great at first, right? Wake up, stay in the pjs, open the laptop, and endless opportunities for snacking. But the honeymoon phase doesn’t last too long, which is why many professionals turn to coworking spaces to connect with their community, be more productive, network, grow their business, and more.
Right now, we’re being encouraged to stay home to help flatten the curve, taking precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. We’re in this together, so we at La Suprema Works have some tips for surviving working from home over the next few weeks.
Calendar = Truth
Plan out your day and add it into your calendar. Stick to your plan, and schedule breaks throughout the day. Budget enough time to complete each task and really hold yourself to that amount of time. Put your phone on the other side of the room to prevent distraction, and you’ll be thanking yourself! Remember, there’s always the Pomodoro Technique—focus for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break. Keep this going! It’s also important to set boundaries—do your best to focus on work during the normal work hours, and determine a time to wrap up your day. A tip for this is saying goodbye to your coworkers via Slack or Skype for the day, so they know you’ve finished and they’ll expect you back the next morning.
Find Your Work Style
Where do you work best? Outside on the patio? Kitchen table? Do you have a desk or home office? Your favorite comfy chair? It’s fine to mix it up, just find the best place for you to get in the flow. My disclaimer? DO NOT work from your bed. Your bed is where you rest, and we’re hustlin on through this. I personally like to change my work location a few times throughout the day. I have a desk at home with a second monitor, and this is great for conference calls and project work, but it’s nice to sit outside to write a blog post, make individual phones, etc. And I love to sit in a comfy chair or floor poof throughout the day too.
Zoom Like a Pro
Zoom is here to save the day, and these tips are here to make you look like a Zoom Pro. While we’re on this topic, it’s always a good idea to get dressed in the morning, and when you have a conference call? At least get your top half ready for the day.
Keep the Water Cooler Banter
I worked remotely for four years, and worked alongside some of the best people. We stayed in touch via Slack and Skype. I really recommend Slack for teams, because you can create themed channels, send GIFS, like messages, video conferences, and more. It’s really important to keep up with what’s going on outside of work, or learn about the various projects coworkers are excited about. Keeping up with the water cooler banter can inspire new ideas, motivate you to show up for work everyday, and give you that break from cranking away on your computer all day.
Stay Healthy
Woo, y’all this one is an adjustment, let me tell ya! From my experience, I would find excuses to snack throughout the day, and admittedly I turned to Cheezits, chocolate, and sourdough toast (random, right?). Over the years I learned some tips to guarantee I would have healthier days:
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, and treat yourself to some Bubbly, La Croix, or juice, in addition to your morning coffee or tea.
Stretch. Set an alarm on your phone to stretch every 30-60 minutes—you’ll be grateful you gave yourself that space to clear your head and get moving.
Prep healthy snacks. I recommend cucumbers (I can eat these like chips, haha), carrots, peppers—all great with hummus. Have fresh fruit on hand, green apples are great healthy options, as well as clementines (we are always stocked with clementines at Anexo and La Suprema)
Workout breaks. I loveeee an afternoon workout. It gets me pumped for the rest of my day and gives me the boost I need to power through and focus.
What are your best practices for working from home? Leave them in the comments below.
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