How to work from home without losing your mind

For all those new to the digital nomad (aka “work from home”) lifestyle, let me share a little advice to save your sanity.

Yesterday was your only freebie day. You probably spent it in your pajamas, immersing yourself in social media or news, and didn’t keep a schedule.

Time to get your shit together or you will go insane from the lack of routine. Trust me on this!!!

TL:DR bottom line to save your sanity is – get dressed, have a routine, find ways to stay connected.

You need to treat Monday through Friday as work days. Get up the the normal time you would if you went to the office.

Shower, get fully dressed (ok, shoes and bra can be optional), eat breakfast. Use the time you would have spent commuting to clean up the kitchen, start a load of laundry, walk the dog, etc.

If you have kids, get them started on school work or a quiet activity. Or do like I used to…let the kids sleep in until about 11 so that you can work for a few hours before having to juggle their schooling too.

Then sit down to work. Find a place where you can focus. Personally I’ve found I don’t do my best work from the couch so I have a desk and a standup desk in a dedicated office.

The more “normal” you can make your schedule the better.

If you start to feel isolated due to not having coworkers popping by the chat, create a group chat via text message and chat that way. I have semi-regular group chat with 2 former co-workers I met at MSFT that we have sustained for over 10 years! Or FaceTime a friend. Talk to the dog. Have an actual conversation with your kids (you’ll be amazed at all the cool stuff they’ll tell you when given the opportunity)

Peace

#washyourhands