Schools are closed. Disneyland is closed. Travel restrictions are in place. If it seems like the entire world is shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, then it’s probably time to start making plans to be on lockdown for at least a few weeks. Regardless of what your opinions are on the subject, actions are being taken and we must follow the guidelines set out for us by the CDC and other organizations. If you are like me and are used to waking up every day, getting dressed, and commuting into an office setting, chances are your routine is about to change….drastically.

Below, I’ve outlined my tips for working from home to help you stay successful. It is a huge change from working in an office environment and requires self discipline. But, this is what we have to do, so might as well try to set ourselves up to be as successful as possible.

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1. Wake Up To Your Alarm Clock

What I mean by this is set your alarm clock for whatever time will give you ample amount of time to wake up, get dressed, drink coffee, eat breakfast, etc. before your kids wake up and before the start of your “work day.” This may vary from your normal time depending on what you are cutting out – commute, school drop off, etc.

2. Get Dressed

No, you do not have to go full on dress, heels, and blazer, but wash your face, brush your teeth, change out of your pj’s. Do what you need to do to make yourself presentable (even if no one is seeing you.) Remember, the way you feel has a major impact on the motivation you have throughout the day.

3. Create A Workspace

If your kitchen table is also the place where you fold your clothes, place received packages, and place objects that you just don’t know where they belong, it might be hard for you to separate those things from work. Try moving those items to a different place (I’m a fan of piling things onto the washing machine and dryer…) and wipe down the table. If your home office has turned into the junk room, clear out some space just for you to work. Also, if you anticipate doing videoconferences, maybe find a space that has a decent background. I recorded a podcast the other day and the app we used had video along with audio. I realized that the room I was sitting in had the closet door wide open with all of the twins’ old “special” clothes hanging along with luggage and wrapping paper in the closet. And that was the background for the others to see. Not necessarily bad, but blank walls or walls with artwork would be better.

4. Stick With Your Normal Eating/Meal Prep

Meal prep the same as you would for a normal work week. Work from home does not mean binge eat all the kids’ junk food (although there will probably be plenty of stress eating in the weeks to come.) I mentioned earlier working from home will require self discipline, and this is an example of that.

5. Keep Your Office Hours

It can be tempting when working from home to get distracted with social media, television, kids and pets, and chores around the house. Save those things for planned breaks throughout the day….see below.

6. Take Walk Breaks/Exercise

Schedule in your breaks. Get in your steps. Keep up with your exercise routine. Yes, it will be different. But, instead of taking a morning walk break around your building, walk to your mailbox with the dog.

7. Communicate

This is KEY to staying successful and efficient when working from home. You must stay in direct contact with your manager and team. I literally sit within feet of my team and we communicate with each other all day long. If you are similar to me, try scheduling a daily conference call with your team to check in either in the morning or at the end of the day. Keep a log of what you are working on so you can quickly report in with your team of what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done.

On a different note, most of us are very social people. “Hunkering down” and “social distancing” will be hard for many people. Check in on your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. We are entering uncharted territory and it is scary for a lot of folks.

BONUS: When You Haven’t Followed Any Of The Above And Your Boss Texts and Says You Need To Hop On The Video Conference in 5 Minutes

First things first. If you are going with professional on top, pj’s on bottom, remember that (aka don’t stand up, or do anything to call yourself out.) I would advise against that, but if you have only 5 minutes, make them count. Wash your face, brush your hair, throw on at least a tinted moisturizer or powder, mascara, and lip gloss (click here for my morning routine post.) If your hair is unmanageable, dry shampoo + low bun + headband is 100% the way to go. Grab a coffee or water and sit in the place with the cleanest background…think blank wall. Throw the kids their favorite snack, and as quickly as possible, read through the meeting agenda.

Well, friends, today is day 1 of me working from home. I know it will be challenging and to be completely honest, I’m somewhat nervous about it. Nervous about the unknown. You should know by now that I’m a routine gal and when I’m off my routine, it throws me for a loop. I plan on spending this week adjusting to the new normal and with the steps above, I am confident it will be smooth sailing by weeks’ end. There is no telling how long this could last, and while I want to believe so badly that it will only be for one or two weeks, I am also trying to prepare myself for it to be longer.

Silver lining: cutting out ~ 1 hour commute each way gives me more “free” time to work on ToasttoPost.com and ToasttoPostBlog content. Although I might have to change my bio details from “sharing my daily #workwear looks in stories” to something along the lines of “sharing my daily #coronacation looks in stories….” just sayin’.

Cheers – MP