Make Your Working From Home Life Insanely Easier With These Tips

In light of this whole Coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions, many companies are sending their employees to work from home, if possible. Lots of these individuals are not used to this and therefore may need some guidance on how to stay productive when working from home.

Thankfully, my job is very flexible with me and allows me to work remote from time to time. I work an 8-5 at an enterprise in which my typical work duties include:

  • responding to emails
  • attending meetings via Skype or in-person
  • conducting analysis on Excel
  • creating presentations
  • and more, but you get the picture right?

I’ve been doing this for several years now so have learned some pros and cons and will share with you all my best working from home tips and the one resource to help you through it. These will help you stay productive and continue business as usual. In fact, you might not even want to return back to the office after this!

[Disclaimer: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission if clicked at no extra cost to you. Though the opinions remain my own.]

Pros & Cons to Working From Home

Liked mentioned, I have learned the pros and cons to working from home for my day-job. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons and I LOVE working from home.

But let’s begin with the bad news, the cons. I’ll then finish this off on a good note before moving onto the working from home tips.

Working From Home Cons

Alright so as you go through these cons, do NOT get freaked out. There is always light at the end of the tunnel so keep reading! The pros are way better than these cons!

Increased utilities bills (electricity, water).

I would say this is probably the worst con on this list. Yes it’s true that working from home means that you cannot turn off your AC and some lights. It also means you are using your own water when in the kitchen and in the bathroom. The increased amount varies depending on other measures you take to help reduce the impact.

Possibly no office setup (no monitors).

If you were in at an office, you probably have a duo monitor setup at your desk. Therefore, if you are not used to working remote all the time, you may not have an office setup or even have additional monitors. But at least you’re not exposing yourself and putting your health at risk at the office right? ?

Have to drink your own coffee.

Ah yes, most of us office geeks are coffee drinkers. I know I am! ??‍♀️ And because office employees love coffee, most offices have one or several coffee machines in their break area. So working from home means we no longer get access to free work coffee ☕. But you know what? That’s okay because our coffee at home is probably better anyways!

Related Post: Insanely Helpful Tips If You Have To Work From Home With Kids

Working From Home Pros

Now onto my favorite, the pros and the reasons why I love working from home so much!

Don’t have to spend time driving to work.

This one is by far, the best one in my opinion. My drive isn’t as bad as many of my colleagues who have to drive an hour one-way, but it’s definitely a time saver! The time you get back from not having to drive can be used in a different way. Do you want to sleep in a bit longer? Or perhaps, now is your chance to start that morning workout. Regardless, this is at least an hour given back to you. Plus, I HATE sitting in traffic so it’s a double win for me!

Get to work in your pajamas or comfy clothing.

So not going to lie, this is probably contradicting what some of the other posts are telling you. But this is my personal preference and have seen no difference in my productivity level by not getting dressed as if I were going to work. I love being able to lounge around and work in something comfortable versus my usual business casual attire. I even slum down a bit at the office on Casual Fridays. ? So this one is really up to you and if you’re new to working from home – you can test both ways out and see which you like best.

No toll fees or wasting gas for the drive to work.

Did I already say how great it is not having to drive for work? Well, here’s ANOTHER reason why it’s so awesome to work from home. One avoid paying toll fees for trying to reduce your traffic time (in addition to having zero traffic for staying home). And two, you don’t waste gas hence spending less money on gas that can be used towards those increasing electricity bills. And depending on how far you work, this could be a hefty amount of monthly cash!

Easy access to bathroom.

Depending on how big your office is, you may have a short or long walk to the bathroom. The number of stalls and number of people in your building also varies. For me, it’s a solid 2-min walk, which I know isn’t bad unless I really need to go and I have to take a call in 4 minutes. Sometimes we have back to back calls and meetings so we end up having to hold it in. Now, you’ll only have a under 30 seconds walk to your bathroom and guaranteed no line to wait in. Plus you get to use the restroom in peace (you know what I mean).

No in-person meetings.

Yup, another one of the great benefits (especially during Coronavirus) is that you won’t have any in-person meetings. This means less exposure and less health risk for yourself and the others. Plus, most meetings can be held over the phone. I agree that some specific meetings have better outcomes in person but during this time of crisis, we have to be able to adapt. I personally don’t mind them but also don’t miss them. ?

Break room aka kitchen to yourself.

Ahhh now you finally don’t have to worry about avoiding the mid-day rush hour in the break room. No more waiting in line to heat up your food and possibly not having a place to sit. Or how about having to move someone’s lunchbox over slightly to squeeze yours in? You know you’ve done it. You no longer have to worry about packing your lunch the night before because you can prepare it when you’re ready to eat. Now, you’ll now have the kitchen to yourself and your meal possibilities are endless!

Related Post: Productive Things To Do At Home While Working


8 exclusive tips for working from home

Working From Home Tips

Now that you know the pros and cons to working from home, let’s talk about some useful tips. These tips on how to work from home will help you stay productive and effective.

Develop a new morning routine to start your day.

Not going to lie, there will be some adjusting to get used to and some things will change. So plan out and develop a new morning routine to start your day. Think about the extra time you are getting back from not having the drive to work and decide how you want to best use this time.

Do you want to sleep in? Do a quick 30-minute workout? Read a book? Lay in bed and relax? Or perhaps you can begin work early to be done earlier as well? Think about it and implement it.

Related Post: Reliable Working Mom Morning Routine Tips to Be More Productive

Setup a home workstation.

You’re probably used to working at a desk so it may be difficult if you to work if you don’t have one at home. But take a look around and use what you have to create your temporary workstation. This could mean setting up on the counter or at the end of the dining table.

However, you areee at home so might as well try to be as comfortable as possible. Another option is to get this inexpensive laptop stand so you can work from anywhere in the house including your bed or couch! It comes with bottom cushion and a great surface for ventilation. It even has a phone slot and mouse pad for convenience. Seriously, this laptop stand will make it soo much easier to work comfortably on your couch!

Purchase a headpiece if you don’t have one.

Like I said, I spend a significant amount of time in meetings and on calls. We use Skype for Business and have no landline, everything is done through out laptops. So for me, it’s essential to have a solid headpiece. I use the Plantronics Voyager Legend and it works great!

This headpiece is wireless and connects straight to my laptop via Bluetooth (no cord or USB required). It also comes in a portable charging case and the battery life is amazing! I turn it off every time I’m not using it so the battery could last days, depending on how frequently it’s used. So I do recommend you purchase this headpiece and if possible, request a reimbursement from your company since it will be used for business.

Schedule some movement breaks.

I know it can be hard to get up and move around when you are in the zone. This is even hard at the office but it gets worse at home. So make sure to schedule some movement breaks while you’re working. Pretend you’re at the office and stay moving the same amount of time you would as if you were there.

Need another cup of coffee? Instead of walking a few feet to your coffee pot, walk around the kitchen and living room to stretch your legs. Same thing when you go to the bathroom. Or better yet – you’re in the comfort or your own home where no one can see you so get up and do some stretches or quick 10-min yoga sessions to keep your blood flowing. It’ll also help you stay awake and keep the productivity up.

Related Post: Work at Home Resources in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle

Throw your clothes in the laundry.

While you’re at home, might as well get some laundry going. There is no need to wait until the end of the work day when you know you’re not going to put it away right away anyways. ? This is of course, if you don’t have electric washer and dryers with a “savings at night” type of plan. But here at my house we have gas electronics so letting our clothes wash and dry during the day while I work is perfect. It also gives me a reason to get up and move away from my at-home workstation.

Eliminate distractions as much as possible.

Even though you are in the comfort of your own home, you need to remember that you are working. Right now is not the time to turn on Netflix and watch TV with your laptop open. It will be a distraction that takes away your focus from your work. This isn’t true for music though as music actually helps many people perform better and help eliminate other outside distractions.

So any other distractions that could cause you to lose focus from your work should be eliminated as much as possible. Especially in times of crisis, there may be more pressure now at your job to get things finalized so you reallyyyy don’t want to lose focus!

Open the blinds and keep lights off.

In efforts to keep electricity costs down as much as possible, keep all possible lights off when not in use. This includes the lights for the room next to you and if possible, the room you’re in! If you have blinds, open them. Perhaps the amount of sunlight coming through is enough to brighten up the room and keep the lights off. If not, brainstorm other ways to help keep your additional utility costs to a minimum.

Set ground rules with members in the household.

I know, this one is probably the hardest one on the list (especially if those little members are your kids). However, it’s important to help them understand the situation and that just because you are home, doesn’t mean you are not working. Depending on the age group of the family members, you may want to host a quick gathering to explain to them what to do and what not to do while you work.

Don’t rush this one. Take some time to think how your household members can help you maintain a productive work schedule while working from home. Each family and household is different and therefore, you will know how to best break it to them. And if they’re little ones, perhaps a reward them at the end of a certain time period for letting you work!



You Got This!

So there you have it. All the pros and cons along with tips to staying productive while working from home! Now you don’t have to worry about feeling ineffective or worrying about getting sent home to work. Plus you’ll know how to impress your boss by adapting to this unexpected change so well! It’s a win-win!

Have you worked from home before? What do you like or not like about it? Are there any additional pros, cons or tips I should add? Please drop a comment below as I would love to hear from you!

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79 thoughts on “Make Your Working From Home Life Insanely Easier With These Tips”

  1. It has been “fun” to figure out how my husband is going to work (he already works from home), I’m going to teach, and the kids are going to learn while we’re all at home. That being said, we’re finally getting a rhythm, we all have our own workspace, and I like teaching in casual clothing ? I’ll think about some of these other tips later.

  2. Working from home is new for me, but setting those ground rules with my kids and setting up a schedule for my day has been what has helped me. Thanks for the tips!

  3. I so want to work from home but I find that sometimes when I sit down at my computer I get really tired. I think that could be just because I have worked outside of my home all day. But I love this post thank you for sharing.

    1. Lol I get that feeling sometimes too. Make sure to move around and even talk a short walk outside if possible. It helps to not just sit at your desk the whole time.

  4. I love working from home. I agree you have to schedule some time to get up from your desk and take a quick walk. I do miss running into my coworkers.

  5. I had already entered this world about 6 months ago. I agree with all of this… for me, I try to emphasize the exercise!!!! Much needed.

  6. I work half the time from home and I think your pros and cons are spot on! As well as the tips are great. It may take a short while to get used to but getting back more time in your day is hands down the best thing!

  7. I’ve worked from home for many years. Nothing beats rolling out of bed and working at my own pace…pajama’s and all 🙂

  8. Great post! I love working from home but don’t get to do it often. I love the home coffee, access to my kitchen and laundry room, and having my pets around while I work. It is definitely a challenge, however to establish boundaries with other family members in the house at the same time.

  9. I get so distracted when I work from home. I find that I would rather do anything else… like laundry, or dishes… and I normally wouldn’t want to do those things. This is a very helpful post. Thanks for sharing.

  10. This was an informative post. I think you could even take it a step further and split these topics into 2 different posts and dive deeper into them. This will help your SEO and increase the content you are putting out! Thank you for your tips and I look forward to trying out a few of these once I am officially working from home!

  11. I have worked from home at least 1-2 times a week for the last 17 years. I enjoy it, but since being told to work from home for the next 3 weeks, I crave personal interactions with my co-workers. I like a nice mix of both.

  12. Great tips. I have been working from home for a very long time and love it but many people are fearful that they will be too easily distracted or lonely. Technology keeps us connected!

  13. I do work from home…my biggest problem is “time management”.. when I look around and see things like; housework & laundry that need to get done..I have trouble focusing on my work. The second hardest thing is the others in my household seem to want to have the TV on ALL the time! I need quiet to work. Thanks for your great ideas!

  14. Hi Lucy- First off – I love the look and style of your blog! Very cool & hip ?
    I have worked from home when my daughter was a toddler and I worked for a CPA /Financial firm setting up his appts and sending out emails- they paid for my phone bill so I had an office phone. I loved it a lot and did very well. Loved working in my PJ’s and didn’t have to worry about driving to work in bad weather or stuck in traffic,
    So here I am again- working from home making a business out of this blog and was doing quite well except for this Covid- 19 bug – hopefully it will pass and the economy gets back in full swing.

    Good Luck with the Blog!

  15. I love this! My husband and I recently sold our home and bought an RV for full-time living, traveling, and WORKING! I’m a certified teacher but am transitioning to health & life-coaching and he’s already making money on YouTube so we are SO CLOSE to working full-time from home! With the current social distancing situation, we are practicing for the future by re-establishing routines and learning to share our small living and work spaces…so far we LOVE IT!!!

  16. Working at home sounds wonderful! I work at Walmart so I cannot stay home. However, I do get days off and need to put these ideas into practice when I am at home working on my blog.

  17. I’ve just been told to work from home for a bit so these tips are very timely. I will be sure to schedule movement breaks for myself! Thank you!

  18. I am a teacher and I am working from home starting today… I already took your advice and threw the laundry in. Focus is going to be tough since my hubby and kids are home too. We are all adjusting. Its great to find relevant information like your post to help me manage!

  19. I haven’t had a job other than mom these last nine years, but felt that I needed to read this as my husband will be working from home probably in the next few days. I have taken notes for him to decide what will work best for him during this time. Thanks!

  20. Creating a good schedule is especially difficult. I’m trying to create a working environment and focus while my bf wants to discuss the current interest rates on our mortgage. It’s hard to focus.

  21. My husband usually works from home, and I homeschool my kids and blog. It can get crazy at times, but there are definitely benefits to it. The hardest thing for us is not interrupting my husband. He does have an office, but it’s on our main level. It’s too easy to ask him to fix something or do something for us. I have found out that it’s also harder to keep the house clean. You can do things like throw in the laundry, so that’s nice, but my kids are always home, so there’s always someone to make a mess as soon as things are clean. When we had gym days at the YMCA, we’d sometimes have someone come in and clean while we were gone, and it helped so much.

  22. Great tips! Working for home will be new for me. I’ve always wanted to try it but I have been concerned about staying focused. Your’re tips are great!

  23. I love this post! I went to work yesterday (3/26) and was immediately told we were working from home for two weeks. Yesterday was a huge adjustment! Your pros and cons, and tips are great to find this early in my temporary WFH situation.

  24. Ahhh this could not be more relevant right now! I love that you include both the pros and cons because it is helpful to weigh all sides. I cannot wait to incorporate some of your suggestions. Thank you!

  25. I love working from home, but having the kids home at the same time with all the Corona stuff going on, can be challenging. Great tips, ill keep in mind esp during these times

  26. The movement idea is great!! When I work at home, I literally can go an entire day barely moving. It’s bad!

  27. My husband has been working from home since 2012 and he has many of the same pros and cons about it. How amazing that we live in a time when this is even possible! Can you imagine if this outbreak had occurred back in 2000? We would’ve all been even worse off.

  28. We are all getting a taste of working from home these next few weeks! Consider it a test run! I work in healthcare – while we have some telehealth we really have to go into the office to see patients!

  29. I’m a teacher, and as of today, I am now an online teacher! It’s a little scary because I don’t know what to expect, but neither does anyone else, so what can you do? I struggle with motivation at home when writing and blogging, so I know I’ll have to keep my mind strong as we go forward. Interesting times, indeed!

  30. Great tips. I love the flexibility of working from home (or while traveling). I do miss the camaraderie of an office at times tho. That’s where those long friend lunches balance things out!

  31. I really hope that this shows companies how much work can really be done from work. I LOVE working from home. I am so much more productive when I’m comfy and can go at my own pace, take breaks when I need to and things like that. When I’m home I’ll work for over 12 hours and not even realize it. When I’m in the office I’m always counting down the minutes until I can leave. Haha

  32. I love working at home. I think there are way more pros than cons. However, the cons for me are mostly….my BUTT BONE hurts. lol I think the constant sitting and working is hurting my butt bone. lol So I am now implementing taking a break every 2 hours and walking around the block. My second biggest issue is every adult person in my life calling to ask me to do stuff because …”Your at home all day.” That has been really hard for me and I have recently had to piss everyone off because I am saying no more and being more intentional with my time and stop letting them steal it from me so that then I have to work late into the night. Other than that working from home is EXCELLENT!

  33. I love working from home cause I can control the environment. One of these is keeping the blinds closed as I am sensitive to light. And, the migraines have reduced cause of the changes I can control.

  34. I love working from home too! My favorite part is getting to see all of my children’s “Firsts”…. Can’t imagine how sad it would be to miss that first step or that first word. ? Thanks for sharing your list, especially the reminder to get up and move around….and throw the laundry in the drier! Ha ha

  35. Great list of working from home! I think that this would be amazing and I think more employers will be offering this during the recent health scare, the Corona virus is going to cha6the way we do a lot of things!

  36. I have had the option to work from home for 10+ years! I loved it. I also enjoy the fact I can go out for a quick run and not have to worry about being sweaty afterward!

  37. This is such a great post! You shared so many helpful tips and ideas. I totally agree about the morning routine! It’s so important to develop a good morning routine that works for you 🙂

  38. This was a great post! I am now searching for a school (to update my education) and with a time I want to work more from home. All those tips are very useful, especially, to do laundry! ? It may sound funny, but this is very, very useful!

  39. This is a great topic to bring up since there probably are a lot of people that haven’t worked from home for a while. Thankfully, I have been working from home for about 1.5 years now and the pros definitely outweigh the cons for me. The biggest problem I have is unplugging from work. You’re right, once people work from home they may not want to go back to work! Great article!

    1. Yes I hear that A LOT! It’s so easy to get carried away working from home because time does tend to pass by much quicker (probably because you’re actually being MORE productive). I personally can easily disconnect from my day job but is much harder for me to disconnect from working on my blog ?

  40. Interesting! I found many points that you are sharing are so much personal, and that’s absolutely the truth! Well, I live in Rome, so going out is not an easy option now, but I can at least go out to my mini balcony ?

    1. Aw man, I’m sorry to hear that! But hey, at least you’re staying clear from the virus and have a balcony to get fresh air. That’s probably where YOU should setup your workstation lol

  41. As a beginner blogger who is trying to make blogging her career, these tips are so helpful! It sounds amazing being able to work from home but it is often quite a challenge!

    1. Don’t worry, it does get easier the more you do it. Plus you’ll find out what works and what doesn’t work for you. I tried the whole working out in the morning did, didn’t happen ? I already have late nights blogging so I use this extra time to sleep in! lol

  42. Great tips on working from home! I recently retired from my real estate business of 15 years to become a full-time blogger. I love being able to get up when I want to, and being my own boss! I look forward to blogging and sharing. Yes, you do have to be disciplined and stick to a schedule and not let distractions get in the way, but it is so worth it. Thank you for sharing!

  43. This post made me smile ? as challenging as it is working from home, there are so many benefits such as working in your pyjamas while the dog sleeps at your feet. Oh, and I won’t even complain about drinking instant coffee so long as it keeps me awake lol!

    1. hahah exactly! I 100% do not mind working from home and the pros definitely outweigh the cons for me. Instant coffee with mocha creamer is not bad at all either! ?

  44. I have worked at home in the past, and I think these are all excellent points. I know many people who believe working at home would be the greatest thing ever, but in reality it takes a lot to make it happen. It’s harder than it looks! Thank you so much for sharing. ❤️

    1. Yes it really is! I love working from home but it totally takes some adjusting to do. Glad you liked the post! ?

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