7 Best Working From Home Tips
At Rock Solid, we’re just a little bit ahead of the game when it comes to working-from-home success and I’m really excited to share some tips that we’ve learned along the way! Whether working from home is your normal routine or this is something new for you, I think we can all agree that this season has presented more than its fair share of challenges! However, I truly believe that we can still grow, chase our dreams, and reach our goals even when everything around us looks, acts, and feels different! We just need to pivot a little bit, shift a few things into place, and continue using the gifts and talents we have to bring value to the world!
Working from home today might look quite different than what you’ve been used to -- even if you’ve been doing it forever! Perhaps your spouse is also working in your space now. Maybe you’ve got kids at home every day whose lives have also suffered some big changes. Let’s look at seven of our best working-from-home tips for those of you who are adjusting to this new reality.
1. Find your Space
This first one is my personal favorite and a huge necessity for me! We just moved to a new state and we are in a rental right now. While it’s very beautiful, it’s not exactly my space. Yep, I’m one of those! --someone who needs a defined space for work that is seperate from my home space. So, I have carved a corner out of one of the bedrooms. When it’s time for me to “go to work”, you’ll find me there in the corner and it will be as close to absolute silence as possible. This is where I can truly focus and really work productively and efficiently.
Some people already have a dedicated office space. Some create a desk space in their bedroom where they can retreat to get into a “work-mode” mindset. Maybe you have some space in your basement that is quiet and just waiting for your touches to make it your own. Prioritize making some space that is dedicated to work and if possible, set apart from the busyness of your family life. Not only will this help increase your productivity, but it will also give the other people in your home boundaries and help them to understand you are working and need minimal distractions while you’re in that specific space.
2. Utilize Time Blocking & Routine
Time blocking and creating a routine is essential when working from home. I am not working from sunup to sundown and I’m not scattering my time all throughout the day - an hour here and an hour or two there... I am working very intentionally to keep those hours neat and tidy, within a certain time frame, each day. It really helps me stay focused. Holding to stricter time management also allows us time as a family to regroup and refocus because let’s be honest, there’s a lot going on and we need to remember our people and stick close together now more than ever!
Not everyone has to have their space so much as they prefer a very standardized routine. Even though your routine might need to shift and pivot around your spouse at home or helping with a new at-home-school routine, you can still carve out your time! Like our team leader, Steph, talked about in our recent stories, she has shifted her work time to before school starts in the morning and then checking in again during rest time. Shifting isn’t stopping - you’re creative and amazing - look what you’ve done so far in life and business! You can certainly take a deep breath and figure this one out, too!
While we’re on this topic, my core team here at Rock Solid has been talking about how they’re navigating new and different parenting challenges and schooling changes in their lives over on our Instagram stories. They’ve got children at all different stages and they’ve each needed to shift and pivot their daily structure. Christina feels like utilizing time blocking and routine works best, Elizabeth carved out space in the play room, and Steph is using a good mixture of both during this season. If you have a minute and need some amazing tips, be sure to check that out! You’ll find all of them on our Highlights!
3. Incorporate Rest
So let’s talk about rest! I love the saying, “When you’re tired, learn to rest, not quit.” Learning to work from a place of rest is a foundational lesson that I had to master in order to build this business.
I’m not the girl who believes in “HUSTLE!” and has it all over my office and 3 stickers on my laptop shouting the praises of the hustle. I believe that “Go, go, GO!” usually results quickly in burnout and honestly don’t see how it could end any other way. I know, business is very challenging especially in challenging times like our current circumstances! It can bring us to our knees and has the ability to make us question our knowledge, skills, and sanity. I’ve gotten caught in the vicious teeth of this trap myself, but that’s all the more reason why I believe I have a solution.
We are able to rest - right in the midst of the busiest workday. Yes, we’re always looking for more business growth because simply, that means helping more people, but at the same time we know that if we just keep doing the things we’re called to do and trust that we’re doing them with excellence, integrity, and maintaining our character all the while, everything will work the way it’s supposed to work! I remember when I was a solopreneur and didn’t quite have my feet all the way under me just yet, I got up each day making the decision to do what I could do and what I knew to do to the best of my ability and let God handle the rest. A couple of years later, an amazing team on board, and a lot of business growth… and that’s still my M.O. each day! It allows me to rest in the midst of work.
So what does this look like, exactly? For me, it really looks like stopping when I'm beginning to feel tired. It looks like asking for help from people I know God has placed in my life to help. It looks like intentionally setting up my day with quiet time each and every morning to get my mindset framed with proper priorities. It looks like walking away when I’m frustrated. The simplest way I can say this is that I know if I continue to monitor my priorities, work with integrity and character, use the skills and talents and passions I’ve been given, and serve others, God will take care of the rest.
4. Be Intentional about your Relationships
You might not have expected to hear this one! I’ll make it quick, but I want you to hear the importance of this. EVERYONE is feeling shut in and isolated. Everyone is struggling. Making time to check in with a Facetime or Skype or Zoom chat might brighten someone’s day more than you realize. ALSO -- here’s the business part of this tip -- we need each other!! Stopping all the work and setting aside a task for 30 minutes to have a virtual coffee date with a friend just as you would if the world was still open can do wonders for your productivity! It might be the breath of fresh air you didn’t even know you needed!
5. Watch out for Mental Exhaustion
Keep an eye out for mental exhaustion and learn to rest when you recognize it! I used to be able to push through the whole week and get a ton of stuff done before it set in, but now I’m finding myself “DONE” earlier each day and by Thursday, I’m spent. It’s a sign that we’re not unloading the stress we are carrying but it’s also a sign that things are just heavier and there are more of them in this season. It’s okay! It’s not weak to admit that, but rather, I hope you should find strength as you admit that things are a bit heavier than normal and resting will refresh you. Tomorrow is a new day and you’ll be ready after you’ve let your mind rest a bit!
The world is loud, pushy, and confusing - now more than ever! If you’ve been struggling to find a place or routine in this new season, don’t be discouraged. When we stumble or even fall, we can get back up, dust off, and start again! Don’t let negative self-talk have a place in your life. NO “coulda, shoulda, woulda” talk and no condemnation!
6. Make essential shifts in business
When I began writing this blog, this was listed as number one. When I came back to edit it, I see that it really, REALLY needs to be further down the list! If that just left you scratching your head wondering if this season has caused me to tip over the edge, just bear with me a minute! Yep, you’re reading a blog about business success tips. But let’s pause and back up just a couple steps.
Friend, I pray you continue finding success and that all your dreams and goals are met and you keep dreaming and setting new goals as time marches on. BUT -- we have to have our personal ducks in a row, too. Finding your own space might be about more than just work space. Yes, let’s knock those to-dos off the list and let’s push ourselves to the next level in business. Let’s also use that space to breathe. Let’s MAKE time to pause and listen. Let’s intentionally slow down for a few minutes every day to consider our surroundings and hear ourselves think. Let’s time block those few minutes and make them a part of our new daily routine. This small period of rest may awaken parts of your soul that you didn’t realize had drifted off. I feel it’s so important to take a few minutes to really pause -- kind of like taking a few steps back to take a run at the rest of the things! Setting yourself and your day up for success in this way may be the pivot and shift your business has been starving for!
Okay… on to more success tips:
I’ve seen so many businesses pivot and shift in impressive ways to keep their employees working and continue serving their customers. Many bakeries are now delivering baked goods and bread to your car instead of just closing their doors. Gyms are having their instructors send out videos to help members continue working out from home. Churches are doing live streaming on Sunday mornings and Zoom chats for small groups.
Yes, we know... social distancing is not ideal but how can we shift our business routine, still serve our people, and thrive?! Get creative, think outside of the box. Brainstorm new ways to make your business work in changing times and circumstances!
7. Give Yourself Some Grace
The last bit of encouragement I want to offer -- don’t forget to give yourself grace! If your best friend was going through a tough time and navigating through rough waters and maybe not doing so well, I’d imagine you’d jump in to cheer her on and remind her to be gentle with herself. You’d tell her it is okay to not know everything and step in to support her. Please do the same for yourself! We are in times we could never have imagined and we don’t know what tomorrow holds. We are trying to keep all the ends from fraying and doing our best to keep it all together. Maybe yesterday was a disaster, but today is a new day. God’s mercies for you are new each and every day - if He can be that loving, forgiving, and merciful to you, who are you to hold a grudge against yourself?
