How To Work From Home

Working from home is the best, but I feel like I waste it most of the time. What’s a good way to spend a nice day working from home without the watchful eye of anyone else, in the comfort of one’s own home, without having to worry about a commute?

Morning

A WFH morning is all about combining business and leisure, at least in theory. In practice, getting out of bed can be a chore of itself. This schedule is ambitious in its own way. When I sleep in, I either rejoin the schedule at whatever next checkpoint is (i.e., I start where after what would have been a break) or I start the “schedule” from the beginning, and it eats into a middle part that I pick up later.

• wake up at 7am, snooze once for 5 minutes
• put some music in your ears
• get up, have a drink of water, stare ponderously out at the water
• do 15-30min of yoga, something with a strength training element
• brush teeth
• shower
• have a light breakfast (PB&J, or oatmeal, or some eggs and toast)
• make a nice big mug of tea, or tall glass of water
• set the work vibes
  • set a light: a candle, or a desk light
  • get comfy: put on socks, apply hand cream, etc.
  • set the tone: put in ear plugs, or turn on work music
• start work by ~8am
• take a short break at ~10am

Lunch

The leisurely pace continues. An ideal lunch is an hour to an hour and a half long! Starting at noon or earlier is best, the world’s your oyster. One version is to cook a hot lunch, even get groceries if needed. Another possibility is to order lunch, and take a long nap, or read a book. Another possibility is to run some errands, or do some chores to mix it up.

• take lunch at 11:30-12:00ish (I know, meetings)
• get back to work by 1:00-1:30 or so
• mix in a small chore or errand if it fits and suits

Afternoon

There’s still more work to do!

• take a short break around 3pm
• take another short break around 4pm
• finish up by 5:00-5:30 or so

Evening

With no commute to worry about, the evening is free!

• right after work is a good time to exercise(more yoga, or some kettlebells, or to go for a run, or to the gym)
• start on dinner by 6:30 or so is the hope
• finish dinner by 8:00 is the other hope
• 8:00-9:00 is a great time to do an hour’s worth of chores
• 9:00-bedtime is a great time to watch TV or read!
• 10:00 is a great time to get in bed and prepare for sleep

That’s the whole day!

Appendix A: A Short Break

What’s nicer than a little break? 15 mins to chill goes a long way.

• eat a snack (yogurt, nuts, granola bar)
• read something light for ~15min (magazine?)
• have a stretch, or foam roll
• meditate a bit
• do a crossword or another kind of puzzle