3 simple things you need to do to work-from-home successfully

Working from home has become second nature to me, but it was not always!

I remember when my first son was 18 months old and I started working from home as a virtual assistant to earn a little side hustle to help pay our bills while my husband was working 7 days a week and we were trying to make ends meet. 

Fast forward to now, 5 years later and we have a thriving business that we work on together, supporting our clients and making a 6-figure income, I can surely say that we have learned A LOT along the way. In 2020 we had our second baby so life just got even more crazy. Throw in a pandemic and well….home life and work basically collided together in an oblivion. Crazily enough, we have maintained our productivity this whole time with our tips for success after many years of practise so I am happy to share them with you! 

Keep in mind that my husband and I both work from home on our social media and digital support agency TLC Social and we have two kids at home, 6 and 1 with no childcare. The 6 year old is also homeschooled by us as well. We work hard to maintain our sanity! I also worked successfully from home when he was working at the office using these tips so anyone can apply these to their work from home life no matter what home life situation it is.  

Here’s how to from home successfully: 

Create a workspace that is just for you.

It’s super hard to find a spot to work when you’re at home with the kids all day long. I have worked at the edge of our son’s bed while he does his homework, I have worked on the couch with the TV on in the background, I work at the table, the floor, even on the kitchen counter while I’m making dinner. The best and MOST PRODUCTIVE days are when I am working at my desk in my bedroom where I made a little office nook. The office chair is way more comfy than the kitchen stool, I don’t sink into the couch and I’m at eye level to the computer. 

I try to do at least one to two hours of work at my desk a day. It’s hard for me to work there ALL day of course because of the kids and well, life. In the mornings I find it easiest to get some work done in my office/bedroom, usually before the baby goes down for his morning nap so before 10 am. I had to make my space pretty and fun to go and work so I got some simple office supplies, like cute Harry Potter pens and Friends notepads. I also have my planner pages printed and set up in a cute binder.

Put clothes on as if you are going to work, but think comfier.

I cannot stress this enough…..GET DRESSED FOR THE DAY! 

YES I have days where I stay in my pyjamas all day long, usually when I don’t have meetings that day or feel under the weather, but honestly the best way to feel better as a work from home mom is to get dressed for the day. 

I usually get my workout early in the morning with my workout clothes on and then shower and put on some comfortable leggings with a loose comfy sweater and super comfy slippers. All the comfortable clothes are important since you’re still home so you shouldn’t be uncomfortable in my opinion. I’m still running around with the kids and on the floor with the baby all the time so I need to be feeling comfortable BUT I am ready to go for meetings, outings and last minute visits from friends and family as well and I feel better about myself when I’m dressed and put together. That’s the most important thing! 

Make time to get out of the house each day

In the last point I was talking about getting dressed for the day in case I have to hop out of the house for an errand or a walk or park run in between meetings. What I actually should elaborate on is that I MAKE SURE I get out of the house every day. If I don’t, all the days meld together and my brain feels fuzzy. 

Especially after the pandemic I appreciate stepping outside of my comfort zone and embracing the real world is the best thing I can do for my mental health and sanity. I always come home more refreshed and ready to tackle work again for another block of time. It breaks up the day with the kids, it gets them outside for fresh air and it’s just the best thing to do to clear the digital cobwebs out of the brain. 

Sometimes it's errands, grocery stores, the mall, other times it’s a walk to the park or a bike ride for my son while I walk with the baby in the stroller. Our favourite thing to do is to visit the local bookstore and get some Starbucks while we look at all the kids books. There’s something about that bookstore smell with coffee that just makes me feel all the cozy feels, especially now that the weather is getting cooler. 

That was simple, right?

I bet you’re surprised that I’m not really talking about actual WORK here! These are the main three things that I swear by for my sanity after 5 years of working at home and taking care of my kids full time. I could talk about the nitty gritty of productivity all day long: Having an awesome morning routine, staying organized with kids around, keeping a clean inbox, keeping a task manager and calendar all scheduled out. I think all that stuff is super important, but the most important things I do are the ones above. I could not work from home successfully without doing these three things.