// full office reveal + details here //
I can’t believe it has been almost four years since I actually went in to a corporate office. (For those of you who are new around here, my background is in buying for companies such as Neiman Marcus and Gilt Groupe. After having Knox, I became a full-time blogger and mamma!) The older the boys get, the harder it gets to stay productive when our home doubles as my office, but here are a few tried a true tips I have picked up along the way…
-Shop The Post-
1. Treat each work day as if you were going into an office: By this I simply mean, get up at the same time every morning to start your work day as if you had to report to an office. For me, my work day starts at 9am. We wake up around 7am, snuggle in bed with some cartoons on (I obviously have two little children), eat breakfast, walk Rosie and then get showered and dressed before closing the doors to my office at 9am. (We have a nanny that comes and helps me with the boys in the mornings on days they aren’t in school.)
2. Get ready every morning: I spent many a days working from home with a dirty ponytail wearing my pajamas in the months after the boys were born. Lack of sleep and nursing every few hours were my excuse, but in the end I think it would have been more productive to take the time to shower and get ready. When I feel like myself, I am more inspired to create inspiring content, get in a work mindset and knock out the task at hand. Staying in pajamas or not getting dressed to feel your best often means not performing at your best level either.
3. Use a block schedule or the Pomodoro Technique: This one took me the longest to master, four years to be exact. For the first year after having each of the boys I would catch a few hours of work between nursing, naps and any moment they seemed content with a snack or on a play mat. This typically meant I was (very) scattered, constantly starting and stopping projects and typing emails that would get lost in my drafts without ever actually getting sent. This is obviously no way to run a business, but I was too afraid to delegate any blog responsibilities (it is my face and name I am putting out there after all) or any parenting responsibilities (because no one could do it like I did #amiright?). Now that I have (finally) realized this isn’t good for anyone, I have started to focus 100% at the task at hand. My mornings are devoted to work and my afternoons are devoted to the boys. During my working hours I am using the Pomodoro Technique and I have found it super helpful! If this isn’t conducive to your work environment, simply create a block schedule to tackle specific task at a time. This is particularly helpful to make sure that you don’t get distracted by social media and an always dinging inbox!
4. Create an Inspiring place to work: It’s so important, no matter how small the space, to create an actual work environment. You don’t have to have a proper home office with walls, but it is important to have a proper desk with everything you need in one place. When we lived in New York City, I had a small, affordable desk in the corner of our living room. Everything was always set up for a productive work environment when I sat down. I didn’t waste time getting my computer out or finding my to-do list. It was right there waiting on me.
5. Invest in everything you need: This may seem obvious, but when I started working from our apartment in NYC, I didn’t have a printer / scanner and I would have to walk down the street to a Fed Ex every time I needed to sign a contract or print something. Although taking a planned walk for a break is always welcome. Interrupting a good work flow is not. I quickly realized there were some office supplies that were worth the investment (this is the printer I still use and love).
6. Schedule breaks to get out: Working from home can become really uninspiring, if you let it. Because I only have a limited amount of time to knock out my work (when our nanny is here in the morning), I find myself huddled up in my office, turning down invitations for lunch and events. Yes this may mean have more time to work, but over the course of years of doing this, I have noticed that I became stuck in a rut. The monotony of working alone became redundant and after 6 years of blogging alone, I struggled to pump out content and find inspiration. I am now making it a priority to get out for a lunch or a coffee date at least once a week. I have several friends who are also in the creative industry and I particularly enjoy meeting up with them. I find inspiration talking to other entrepreneurs and learning from them. On days that I don’t venture out for a date, even a quick walk around the block with Rosie can give me the reset I need to come back to my desk and power through the last hour.
7. Set boundaries: This is an important one, especially for working moms. When we first decided it was time to hire a nanny to help me accomplish some work around here Knox was 18 months old. I was so excited by the idea that I could go to the grocery store alone or actually get a load of laundry done that I found myself doing these types of chores during the nanny’s hours instead of working on HoH. Yes, this was great for my personal to-do list, but it didn’t help me when it came to running my business. After several late nights of working and realizing that I wasn’t actually creating more content with the new-found help, I had to put some limits on myself and the boys. I no longer allow myself to complete household chores during ‘work hours’ (unless it is necessary, like we are out of coffee). But I also had to set boundaries with the family, as well. Since getting to see the boys while I work is one of the best benefits of working from home, they often wander in and out of my office as they please; requesting mommy do this or get that, and I obliged because I could. But again, this was putting a hindrance on my productivity and I started wondering what the point of having help was if I was still tending to the boys. After talking to other mom friends I realized it was best for everyone for me to focus on the task at hand 100%. Now, when I am working in the mornings I focus 100% on work. And when the afternoon comes around and it is time to be with the boys, I focus 100% on the boys.
I would love to hear your tips, as well! Do you work from home? Share what help keeps you focused in the comments below.
-Shop The Post-
Caroline I also work from home and I love this article!! I don’t have small children but I do have 6 Grands that keep me very busy. I’ve always considered myself organized but I’m definitely going to take your advice for a 100% morning work schedule 🙂 Phyliss
Hi Phyliss,
Thanks for saying hi! I implemented the morning schedule this year and it has been so helpful! Good luck!
xo,
Caroline
I 100% agree with getting up and getting ready every day. I’m a stay at home mom to 5 and spent way too many days in my pajamas just because I could…and though they are some days that I do lounge in my pjs all day , I find getting ready every day makes for a way more productive day !!
5 kids, God bless you! That in itself deserves all the praise! Totally agree, it’s so tempting when you are taking care of the kids and the house, but I always feel better when I can run an errand on a whim and not have to worry about what I look like. 😉
Great tips! Especially getting ready in the am, taking short breaks, having one meeting a week for inspiration or to socialize and chat, and focusing 100% on the task at hand. All makes sense. Thank you. I work at home for my design businesses and I agree isolation can be uninspiring. I like the idea of blocking out little chunks of time in the day for family, work or a break.
Thanks for weighing in! Time blocks are so helpful for not letting the day get away from you!
Fabulous tips! Thank you! I need to look more into your scheduling ideas…. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
xo
This is my most recent tip, but I am finding it really helpful! Let me know what you think!
This is great advice. How (specifically) did you and the nanny set the not going in mamas office boundary? Any tricks on that one? Struggling here too. The boys are constantly in and out even with help and it’s hard on her as well as me! I find meal planning has also been a significant time/anxiety saver too! That and as they’ve gotten older, having a snack drawer & ready made sippy cups in the fridge the boys can access themselves has also been helpful. Keep up the great work girl, always inspiring!
Hey Anne! 😉
I let them come in for a minute to give me a hug or ask a question, but then she comes to get them. She usually entices them with one of their favorite games or going outside to play with their neighbor friends.
I still need help on the meal planning! That is my next priority with back to school.
Miss you!
xo
As a professional organizer I always love good productivity tips! Pomodoro technique is such a great way to get things done. Some tips I tell me clients are to use site blockers because it prevents you browsing sites you shouldn’t be while trying to get a task done. Outsource where you can. There is so much that you can outsource and it is so worth it when you notice the amount of time you gain back and being more productive. Then there are so many apps you can use to help with productivity. Thanks for sharing what works for you!
Wow, thats really awesome article. For me, as a freelance writer, these tips are really useful and I will definitely use them. Moreover, your article is very relevant now, because during the coronavirus, everyone tries to work from home and many people lose productivity.