7 Practical Tips for Making Working From Home....Work

By Miranda Pink

1. Have a work day schedule & don’t ignore it. 

• I can’t throw laundry in at 6:00 AM because I am working. Pretend it’s physically impossible until you clock out.  

 2. Schedule “backup” time.  

• Recognize life will interrupt you no matter what you do (Cat starts meowing when you’re recording a Loom video, your kid wants to show you a toy he’s shown you a million times before…).  
• Always have “backup” time set in your mind to make phone calls & avoid getting unnecessarily frustrated. 

 3. Use Teams & Outlook apps during the work week to stay in-the-loop. 

• You won’t waste time when you clock in “catching up” or feeling lost. 
• Turn off notifications when the week is over! 

 4. Have a designated place for an office. 

• I gate myself in & the kids/husband out. 
• Have physical office boundaries for focus & to prevent thinking work is always integrated in your home. Work is work; home is home.  

5. Recognize your ability to easily work on weekends and after “normal” hours. 

• “Working on the weekend” sounds inconvenient, but it could be as short as a 1-hour shift before your family wakes up to finish what you wanted to during the week.  

 6. Use WFH to “be real” to clients – Do not hide your life! 

• Share your situation with a client - They will be more understanding than you think & it builds a friendlier relationship moving forward. 

(I was on a phone call and my husband dropped something upstairs – Used it to laugh with a client. “Sorry, that’s my husband breaking our house.”) 

 7. Be grateful. 

• I get to take care of my kids every day which is the job I adore most in this world. (Sorry, Stratlign).