I should start this post by acknowledging an essential truth of who I am.

I am extremely efficient and effective at getting things done.

When I run errands, I create a mental map of the “right” order to ensure the path makes sense, groceries aren’t left in a hot car too long, and turns onto streets and into parking lots are mostly right. I run my entire life with Todoist, for both work and home tasks. Did you know you should run a cleaning cycle and empty the filter on your dishwasher regularly? I both know that and do that because I have programmed a reminder into my life. The rest of my life runs in Notion for things that need notes more than tasks.

There’s a chance that makes me sound dull and like someone you wouldn’t want to hang out with. But you’d be wrong, because getting that all out of my head, having a place to store it, and not having to think about it constantly is what allows me to live the rest of my life with some semblance of ease.

Being organized and efficient is also part of what makes me great at working, including doing that fully remotely now for six years. Instead of delving into the “why work from home does/does not work for this job/company/micromanagey boss” this post focuses on how it works for me and my best advice. (I am working on the other complex discussion for some of my research, so stay tuned if you’re interested in that.)

Context Matters

Of course, context matters for working from home. As a professor teaching fully online, working from home is a very reasonable place to work. Because of the nature of my work, I also have a lot of flexibility. Fewer meetings than my past life as an AVP of academic affairs (#blessed) means I can shift my schedule to both match my energy, my personal scheduling needs, and my preferences most of the time.

This is not true for everyone working from home, so take the rest of what I share with that grain of salt.

Find & Monitor Your Own Energy

Knowing ourselves and our own energy levels is really critical, whether we are working from home or not. If you’re more “on” first thing in the day that might be when you prefer to knock out meetings or projects requiring energy. I keep an eye on what feels like it matches my energy when I sit down to work and check that against my plan. If I’m in a really bad mood, I try to avoid grading, for example. If I feel excited to create something, I might shift my day to allow for space to work on course revisions. Be aware of what works and be willing to shift (where you can and deadlines don’t require otherwise).

Get Dressed in Real Clothes

Now a huge caveat for me is that by real clothes I mean not pajamas or gym clothes. I’m not getting dressed in business casual for a job that is not connected to video calls 98% of my week. But I feel better about myself and my ability to adult if I put on some clean joggers and a cardigan. (Hard pants not required in a post-pandemic world). Real shoes are optional, unless I know I’m going somewhere I usually keep my slippers on. But throwing on an actual outfit (and earrings to ensure my mother is shining down on me!) helps my day.

Keep a Schedule

While I don’t need to keep a strict 8-5 schedule, I also know my own energy peaks around 10 a.m. and goes quickly downhill the rest of the day. I prefer to work out early in the day to help my energy, so three mornings a week my spouse (also working from home and with a flexible schedule) and I head to the gym first.

I have a few things each week that are non-negotiable like Monday writing group, Tuesday office hours, and Wednesday writing group. I also avoid grading on Mondays except when final grades are due. Being clear about when you are available to others via scheduling links, calendar availability, etc. is also vital. Personally I find Teams pings to be wildly overused, but using status updates to let people know you’re focused and will check in later if constant availability is a part of your context is also wise.

I am middle-aged and tired no matter how much I excel at taking care of my body and spirit. I remember being young and wondering how my parents could fall asleep early in the evening if they got too comfy on the couch. I no longer wonder. So while I can take time during the day to do things, if it means I end up working late in the evenings that’s less than ideal, especially later in the week.

Find a way to do your work, create space for it, and be done. Returning to your desk to answer emails at 10 p.m. is not likely the best strategy. End your day and return your space to being your home. Work will be there tomorrow and unless you are in a few, very specific jobs, it’s unlikely most of what waits is an actual emergency.

One more note: if you and a partner both work from home, try to share general schedule stuff to help avoid meeting collisions where you can. We use a shared calendar for stuff like “BHD - Office Hours” so my husband doesn’t have my calendar details (nor would he want them) but he knows I’m busy and likely to be on calls during that time.

Physical Space

Much of the advice you see online indicates you need a separate, fully work-focused space. Great idea, not realistic for a lot of America, including us! We live in a small home and are delighted by our space. It also means we both have small desks in the living room. We rarely end up with meetings scheduled at the same time, but when we do, we can move a laptop to a different room or even take a meeting in our camper that sits just outside. I don’t have a room I can dedicate to my work but I have set up my desk to be conducive to my work, including a larger monitor, wireless keyboard, and two coasters so both coffee and water are nearby.

Mindfulness about Sound

Small space or not, be mindful about sound. We live with two tiny dinosaurs dogs aged 3 and 1. They cannot always be still or quiet. In great news, we got a fence last year, so they can run outside on nice days. And again, in a small home, we sometimes close doors, move to the camper, etc. to take a call. But even without dogs or other humans in the house, I’ve experienced lots of background noise on calls. Things like washers alerting they’re done with your laundry, doorbells for package deliveries, etc. are common. People are far less precious about it in a post-pandemic world where many more people worked from home, but still it’s kind to stay muted unless you are in consistent conversation and to try to minimize those distractions. (And even if we think your baby is cute, we actually didn’t invite them to the meeting…little kiddos require childcare for working from home parents, too!)

Headphones are an obvious win here and you can find a million lists of advice online for what works best. I wear them for meetings, of course, but also sometimes to just help me focus and block out the household humming.

Also triple check with anyone else in your home before you order the mechanical keyboard of your dreams. My husband and I both love our new, wireless, mechanical keyboards. When we’re both working furiously it sounds like an old school typing pool and we love it. Others might kick you out of your space for ordering such a keyboard — check in first.

I also find it helpful to be mindful of things like long stretches of time when it’s just me at home (especially if the dogs are at their beloved daycare). This is a great time to record a video!

Take Breaks!

One thing I see a lot of in reading about others’ experiences is the challenge of taking breaks. I think people who struggle with that would in the office, too. Still there is often less interruption and distraction at home so it’s easier to stay focused and fail to get up, move a little, or eat! Some people find timers helpful for this. Most smart watches will occasionally nudge you as well. I need no such reminders, really, as our oldest dog will come alert me when he thinks it’s time for a snuggle break. If I go back to my desk in the evenings (as I do for adjunct work and household admin or playing the Sims) I am sometimes given quite the side eye.

Running an Errand

A great part of working from home is the chance to run errands when lots of other people are in offices. I love running to get groceries during the day as it takes less time and is far less frustrating most of the time. Running a quick errand also serves as a good chance to take a break, breathe fresh air, etc. I can also heartily endorse a midweek pizza lunch date at the Costco food court.

Be Willing to Re-Evaluate

Working remotely for my context is functional and I anticipate that will continue. For some jobs, the value of being in office is different. Certainly if I taught in person, my own week would look different. But more than evaluating whether or not work from home works for me, I set aside time to regularly reconsider my own process, routines, and physical space. Or to order yet another pair of headphones to be disappointed by! Be willing to think on what works and doesn’t, and make changes accordingly.

A Resource

I heartily recommend following Kelly Nolan, creator of the Bright Method. She releases a new post each Thursday in her “How I Spend My Day” series and it is super helpful to see how other people make things work. I often find helpful tips even if our contexts are wildly different.