Our new work from home normal during this coronavirus crisis means we have to pivot and we have to support, collaborate and help each other out.
Work from home…while some love this idea, many have not worked from home before so I wanted to share my experience with you. Working from home productivity can be a challenging proposition for many if going to the office is part of your daily routine and you have not had to work from home in the past.
Change can be stressful and lets face it things are changing quickly and so are jobs and what we know to be as normal for each of us. I hope this article will help you put your work from home life experience together seamlessly with tips and suggestions that I have gathered from my own experience and others that I network and collaborate with.
Although I do reference some local links in here like community calendars that include resources and updates, this post is for “anyone” working from home around the globe. I have included both my podcasts here in this article so you can reference a great episode I did with Tonya Dalton – Productivity Coach and Author of The Joy of Missing Out on The Real Estate Influencer Buzz Podcast and 50 Work From Home Tips; Today’s New Normal episode on #SoooBoca Stories
Shop Houzz and save up to 70% off everyday
Please subscribe to #SoooBoca Lifestyle click here
PS…if you are local to Boca Raton and the surrounding cities please consider joining The Boca Raton Community Buzz group on Facebook.)
As a Realtor and entrepreneur I am a work from home kinda gal and have floated around my house for years finding locations and spots to conduct my business.
With people home schooling plus the regular day to day distractions at home it is not going to be easy to work from home but I have tried to share tips and ideas for all. Everyone will have or has had a different experience working from home and the key to work from home success can vary from person to person whether you are working from a corner of the bedroom, the sofa or a dedicated office space.
Listen and Subscribe to #SoooBoca Stories Podcast
How I Work From Home
I happen to be a morning person…up ridiculously early as my internal clock is like a darn rooster telling me to get up and make my coffee. These days could be a Nespresso or could be a pot of coffee but regardless I get up, let the dog out and check my social media accounts.
I run #SoooBoca Lifestyle and Media as well as being a real estate agent so social media is a big part of my businesses and yes folks it generates referrals, collaborations and leads for me. It is important that I show up in my Facebook groups and on my social media channels as a moderator, resource and that I stay engaged and share resources with my followers and members.
Follow #SoooBoca on Instagram (send us a DM to say Hello!)
Now one thing I stopped doing a couple of months ago was checking my email at 6 am. I believe that 8:30 am is good for me and I do have my phone on do not disturb from 6 pm – 8:30 am now.
I am also not your 24/7 entrepreneur or Realtor at this stage of the game as it was leading me down the fast track to burnout. So unless I am working on a negotiation, project deadline or a contract I do prioritize call backs, email responses and text messages.
I also implement when I feel it is necessary to do the same on the weekends especially if I am spending time with my family. I am trying to be more present and in the moment. These days I do try hard to put the phone in another room and walk away from it even for 30 minutes. This is simply self care at this stage of the game and managing work, life, balance and client expectations.
If you are thinking you need to reorganize, declutter and get some great home office ideas just head over to Pinterest and click here for some inspo!
As hard as these changes are please try to keep positive and embrace your new digital / remote nomad lifestyle each day. Take one day at a time, have a good cry each day if it makes you feel better too. I am a fan of the scheduled cry by the way!
With that being said scroll through the rest of this article for a ton of ideas, tips and strategies that I hope will help you out. If you have a great tip share it with me so I can add to the list!
20 Tips To Help You Work From Home
- Create a dedicated work space or spaces (and if the sofa is your jam then that is cool too).
- Shower and get dressed…okay a nice pair of yoga pants and top are fine, do your hair and for me putting a little make up on makes me feel ready for anything!
- Create a morning routine (or evening routine if you are a night owl).
- Plan your schedule the night before.
- Set up a to do list and stick to it each day.
- Find an accountability partner.
- Get up early —you will get a ton done between 6 am – 8 am
- Minimize distractions.
- Pomodoro Method – 25 minute blocks and structure
- Maintain an exercise routine.
- Turn off social media and text message notifications .
- Schedule a time to check email and check your social media.
- Take a lunch break.
- Learn how to use video with platforms like, GoToMeeting, Slack, Google Hangouts, Zoom and Skype.
- Facetime with colleagues or do a virtual happy hour to stay in touch
- No commute (that saves money and time).
- White boards and seeing to do lists in front of me are a key ie. a visual component.
- Listen to a quick podcast or watch a YouTube video that will educate and motivate you.
- Take breaks and get up and move and stretch!
- Take time for self care – meditation, yoga, hobby, home spa day.
So now you have some home office tips, lets talk about techy and app tips and ideas for you. You know it is the perfect time to finally learn some social media platforms and up your video/virtual business game. The old excuse of now liking how you look or sound has literally flown the coop. Below you will find ideas to help you out!
17 Techy and App Tips
- Boost your wifi connection.
- Secure your home network connections.
- Make sure your web cam is working (if not get one from Amazon or Office Depot).
- Learn how to make videos for your business.
- Learn how to use at least one social media platform (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). Take an online course.
- Start a Facebook group.
- Learn how to use a graphics program like Canva
- Invest in a tri-pod, ring light, microphone, and perhaps a new cellphone with a great camera.
- Learn how to use video editing apps on your phone ie. Inshot, Splice, Over, iMovie.
- Get a video editing platform to use like Filmora9 Video Editor
- Delete photos and videos that you don’t need off your phone (upload to the cloud if you really want to keep things ie. Dropbox or Google Drive).
- Start making one good piece of content via video for YouTube and Facebook that shares tips, educates or informs your customer and then re-purpose it with a blog post, social media posts, turn it into a podcast, place on IGTV.
- Organize your contacts and your database.
- Get rid of apps and application you are paying for and not using…downsize your tech!
- Project management – Asana, Trello
- Look for those companies that are offering FREE trials
- Get rid of apps you simply don’t use!
7 Self Care Suggestions
- Get a free meditation app like Calm.
- Take a bath with essential oils or bath bombs.
- Exercise each day and stay consistent and on a schedule.
- Participate in yoga via a video or live stream.
- Cook and bake or learn to like me (check out the SuperCook App)
- Sit outside if you can and get some sunshine
- Have an at home DIY day spa… find those face masks throw in a drawer, give yourself a mani, do hair and body treatments…treat yourself! Get some ideas from one of our spa articles!
Work From Home Downside
- You will need to self motivate!
- Staying focused can be challenging.
- Lack of structure can be frustrating.
- Sticking to a routine is not always easy.
- Lack of community can be lonely … build up your online relationships via FB messenger, Facetime and Zoom.
- Outside and inside noise can be loud, annoying and distracting.
- Pets like my lab Brody who come in my office and whine or fart (yup) when you are on the phone or a webinar!
- Constant distractions like cleaning the house, doing laundry or unloading the dishwasher drawing you away from work will happen!
Somehow you will have to learn how to tune out the noise so that you can get back to work and your work flow. Closing doors to your office, putting headphones on…whatever it takes so you don’t have too many interruptions.
By the way…if you know me you also know I am a mom of millennials. My kids were young once too and I know it is not easy to work from home when the family is in da house and particularly now since home schooling is the order of the day. I applaud you all right now.
Sooo…here we are…we are all stressed and in this together as humans and we must as Ellen DeGeneres says “BE KIND” to each other and tolerant.
As always I would love to connect with you here or on our other social media platforms to find out more about your business and how perhaps at some point we can collaborate or just get to know each other better.
Please stay safe and healthy and thank you to all of the people on the front lines that are working, our health care workers, first responders, grocery store and pharmacy workers and everyone that is helping out.
Michele is a South Florida Realtor, based in Boca Raton, Florida, serving surrounding cities, and the founder of #Soooboca Lifestyle and Media. If you are looking for a speaker, trainer or needing your message amplified on social media "One Call Handles It All". Michele conducts webinars, seminars and one on one coaching and training on how to use social media and video marketing to grow your brand to generate more business. Need your social media managed and planned out? Give Michele Bee and the #SoooBoca team a buzz...lets strategize the best way for you to advertise your offers and promotions on today's most active and popular platforms. Connect With Us here
