This is a repost from italist brand ambassador Niké, aka Specs and Blazers about how to work from home
Because… #Coronavirus. While we are all adjusting to this new normal of social distancing, I wanted to take a moment to share how I am staying motivated while I work from home.
Right now, we’re all terrified, worried silly, anxious, bored, antsy—all the emotions are real. However, the show must go on and we have to pay our bills, therefore, most of us are working from home. While we are all adjusting to this new normal of social distancing, I wanted to take a moment to share my answer to how to work from home successfully.
“Getting dressed even when working from home creates a structure for yourself and helps you stick to your routine.”
Put On Actual Work Clothes
We all know the saying, “dress for success”. It’s easy to just want to stay in our pajamas because well, we all love comfortability. However, getting dressed when working from home creates a structure for yourself and help us stick to our schedules. Showering, getting dressed and even putting on a little bit of makeup every morning sets the tone for your productivity.
“If you are fortunate enough to have a guest room, this is the perfect time to convert it into an office.”
Don’t Work Where You Sleep
Create a workspace! Having a dedicated workspace is important not only for maintaining a healthy work/life balance but for staying on task. When you work from your bed, there are myriad possible interruptions. One being, falling back into naps every other hour or so. If you are fortunate enough to have a guest room, this is the perfect time to convert it into an office. If not, set up a dedicated area in your room/home where you can work efficiently that’s free from distractions. I’ll suggest you work close to a window to take advantage of natural light. It’s been proven that natural light leads to increased work satisfaction, productivity, and well-being.
“Attempting to recreate an IRL working experience during these stressful times will help manage anxiety.”
Make a Schedule
Maintaining a routine helps us with a sense of control and that could only be achieved by making a schedule. Attempting to recreate an IRL working experience during these stressful times will help manage anxiety. I simply create “work hours” for myself, print it out and stick it to my fridge.
Have a Side Project
This is the perfect time to have that side hustle! They say it takes 7 passive incomes going simultaneously to become a millionaire. If you have a Poshmark, Etsy, eBay, time to go through your home and sell any UNWANTED items.This also helps with decluttering which inadvertently helps us stay focused on our workload.
Minimize Distractions
I think this is the most important on the list. Deal with distractions well! Working from home means you inevitably get distracted easily. However, we have to remain disciplined. I just pretend I am behind a desk at a 9-5 which means no binge watching Netflix or television series. Yes, this includes my favorite “The office”. Keeping yourself disciplined allows you to get more productive over time.
All in all, cut yourself some slack. Let us do our due diligence and take the precautionary measures to have all of us feel safe, secure yet productive in the comfort of our own homes! We’ll certainly get through this together. I hope you enjoy this article and thank you so much for reading! Good Luck.
Niké is a stylist, artist, activist, and italist brand ambassador. Her passion is for the homeless youth in the Los Angeles community. She works alongside the United Nations and volunteers weekly to feed and help the homeless. Niké has a special place in her heart for the homeless because years ago, she was homeless when she came to Los Angeles to chase her dreams. During that time she learned many lessons, especially that life’s possibilities are endless, and as long as you are tenacious and have faith, any dream is yours to make reality. She expresses thanks to her friends (who she considers family), family members and everyone who has mentored her along the way for all of their support and love.
Many thanks to Specs and Blazers for this useful reminder about how to work from home and adapt in light of recent circumstances. Follow her on instagram @specsandblazers. Visuals credits go to @visualsbychristina.
For more Tips & How-Tos, check out How to Shop Sustainably and A Lesson on Quality: Types of Zippers.
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About the Author
Alex English is the Head of Content Marketing at italist.com, building on a lifelong passion for fashion and luxury. After publishing a lifestyle blog for nearly ten years and obtaining an MBA in Milan at SDA Bocconi, one of Europe’s top business schools, he joined the italist team in 2019. His work since then has focused on upper-funnel messaging, brand storytelling, establishing italist as a thought leader in the space, and enriching the customer experience on the platform. Find him on LinkedIn.