Working from home

Seems like most of the world is working from home (WFH) right now. Huge shoutout to the medical workers, paramedics, grocery stores, and other essential workers who are at risk right now–your sacrifice is truly appreciated!!  I know for me, WFH is full of distractions, loneliness, and can be VERY monotonous, but I think I’ve found a few ways to overcome all of that.

I had this post typed out… then I lost it somehow 🙁 So here’s my second try, on how I have made working from home doable (and I daresay enjoyable–at times).

My 5 essentials for working from home:

1. A quiet place. Preferably not your bedroom–that is for sleep! For me, quiet (and private) is key. I spent the first week WFH on my bed–comfy, but definitely not ideal. The next 2 weeks, I worked from the dining room… much better in that I had a proper “desk” and more space (and lots of street-facing windows, yay!!), except that I still had to go to a bedroom and lock the door to take any conference calls. If I don’t lock the door… I can almost guarantee Asher will join me for the call! Finally I realized going upstairs was key to the kids leaving me alone, so I’m working from Gabe’s room.
2. Proper workstation. For me, that means using a kneeling chair like this one (saves my hip flexors, and forces me not to slouch). I have my monitor up high, so it ends up working perfectly. You might need a stack of books under your monitor, or adjust the height of your desk or chair. Make it comfortable, and easy to keep a good posture.
3. Blast some great music. I love to listen to Pandora, when I get sick of my current playlist. Right now I’m enjoying the Jason Derulo station. If I need to drown out the kids or lawnmower or whatever sounds, I use my Bose Soundsport wireless ear buds.
4. Plants & flowers. I have this pothos (aka Devil’s vine or Money Plant) which is a super easy-to-care-for indoor plant. Then I picked some buttercups on a run last week, they’ve lasted a surprisingly long time. Today I clipped some irises, since they’re all I have blooming right now (a few weeks ago it was tulips). And Asher bought me this jade plant. So all of those make this a very happy place for me.

   

   

   

5. Little things that make me happy. Yes, I have the essentials of notebook and a good pen, but I also love my daily positive affirmation cards, Forky figurine, Disney pins, trail mix snack, photo of me and bro at Disney, etc. I figure if I need to sit here ALL day, might as well fill it with things that bring me joy.

Also need to mention, breaks are critical. Since I don’t have co-workers to interact with in person(something my extrovert self NEEDS), then I must stop and take breaks to stretch, go outside, check in with friends via text or Facebook, go for a short walk, hang with my family, etc.

Big shoutout to my awesome hubby who makes my breakfasts, cleans the house, helps the kiddos with their schoolwork. Thank you, baby! My parents stayed the past week, and they were a tremendous help also.

Oh wait, I guess I do have co-workers… they just don’t contribute much, other than companionship. Well, in Asher’s case, he contributes a lot of questions too 😛  I am very grateful for their presence right now 🙂

I’d love to know, what are your work-from-home essentials? Comment below.