With a lot of the world moving to working from home we thought we would take this time to share some tips from the Profit Point team. For the past 25 years, since our founding, Profit Point has always had a remote work from home culture. We narrowed our list down to the top 8 things the Profit Point team has to say when asked about their thoughts on working from home (There was lots of overlap!):
- Exercise every day doing something that involves getting out of the house – walk, run, etc. I find it helpful to maintain an exercise schedule which helps break up the day, provide some structure, and put me in a better mood for the rest of the day.
- While several pieces of advice can be shared here, top of list is: try to maintain set working hours and take regular breaks. While it is not always possible to follow standard work hours in any office setting regardless of location, when I began working from home, I found that I was more susceptible to allowing my work life to bleed deep into the evening hours and steal time from my other job, being a father. Not only will adhering to set work hours help with meeting the other demands in your life, but it will also allow you to carve out much needed time for some personal happiness, fulfillment and joy.
- You make your own schedule. I find that I have less scheduled meetings than when I was working in Corporate America. I have a lot more time during the day to get my work done. The vibe in working at home is more relaxed / less stressful.
- Put yourself in as much of a work-like environment as possible (I have a separate office space in my house). However, remember to take breaks, get a cup of coffee, stretch and contact a colleague about something that does not necessarily pertain to the project at hand. The big benefit of working from home is that you can easily get outside to get some fresh air and maybe take a quick walk. The ‘clearing of the head’ makes me more focused and productive, when I am ‘heads down’!
- Energy Break that I have in the afternoons. This could be a small walk in the garden, could be a cup of coffee while scrolling through social media or call a friend just to check in -whatever you see as a small but refresher activity- for that day. Trick is to leave your desk and change your environment to distract yourself from work for that special 10 minutes. After I am done, I come back to my desk with a fresh mind and that makes me very productive.
- Act like the adult that you are and get your work done. Your coworkers and clients are counting on you to keep your word and meet your commitments. No one wants to have to babysit grown people.
- I love the freedom of working from home since my commute is so much shorter! I used to drive across Philadelphia to a site and spent sometimes 3 hours a day in the car. I now feel way more productive and have more energy during the day at work and also at the end of the day for my family and friends. I love working from home because if my work finishes at 6 PM, I am home at 06:01 PM 🙂
- Plan your groceries throughout the week and buy them on the weekend. Meal prep in advance is a life saver. Another great tip is to reserve some time on your calendar for your meals or for your coffee breaks otherwise you may find yourself skipping your physical needs due to your unplanned calendar. If you were in the office, everyone would go to lunch and you would follow them, right? So please reserve some time for yourself.