WAH Tips?

[SDSorority]

Hi everyone! Soon my work-at-home job will start. For those of you that WAH, can you give me any tips on time management, house management, work management, or just any advice in general?

 

[CathiVee]

Do NOT turn the TV on! Whenever I work from home, I end up watching 3 hours of lifetime movies

 

[danygirl]

Have a reserved spot, a routine , and don't tell the world or folks will think you are available to do things for them.

 

[SDSorority]

Have a reserved spot, a routine , and don't tell the world or folks will think you are available to do things for them.

I am ALREADY running into this, especially with my MIL. She says to me "on my days off we'll go shopping!!!"

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

As for running the household. I do laundry during my work day. I at least get it washed while I work and put it away later. I have to get up and stretch every once and a while so putting in a load of laundry is a great way to keep up with that chore while wah.

And making crockpot meals. What a life saver. I put it on to cook at night before going to bed and in the morning it is done. I don't have to fuss in the kitchen in the morning to prep the meal for the crockpot all I have to do is the after dinner clean up. This helps if you know your WAH day will be hectic.

 

[Disneychix]

I give myself mini-milestones. Before 11am I will get this list done and then I can take a break, make phonecalls or take a walk.
When I am in the office there is constant conversation and 'breaks' to walk to get coffee or even to co-workers desks. You need to be realistic that you will not be working straight for 4 hours (or whatever).

Make sure you get dressed and shower. Seems dumb but there are many days when DH comes home at 6pm and I am a lunitic still in pajamas yelling about how I didn't even brush my teeth!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I'm also very fortunate to work from home and LOVE it. I know it's not for everyone but I love it.

I also try and have some type of routine and try not to get too sidetracked. Since I'm salaried and not necessarily "on the clock", I know I have a little more freedom than some of my peers and others that work from home where they are tied to being logged in and tracked - so I'm not sure what your situation is. With that said, I do try and do something productive like unload the dishwasher and put away dishes on my lunch break, throw in a load of clothes to get those out of the way - something productive that helps with my personal life too.

It does become a balance and I have to tell myself to step away from the work computer. Which that reminds me - agree with another poster to have a separate area for the work part so that it does feel separate from your personal life.

I'm able to get my DS at the bus stop every day which he loves and I love as well so he can start his homework and get most done before I'm officially done.

Not sure you'll need to be on conference calls however if so and you have others in the house, think of how you'll need to let them know to "keep it down". I'm able to tell my DS (he's 10) and I usually text my DH to say - on a call from 2-4pm so the noise is kept to a minimum. Some hang a sign on their door to their office, or some other type of message system.

Lastly - from a staying connected aspect - my team gets together once a month for lunch to see each other face to face. Again, not sure if this would apply as not sure if you're in a team or solo

Good luck!
Heather

I wanted to add another bit too about staying active. I have a fitbit Zip pedometer (so any pedometer would work) that I wear to ensure I get a minimum of 2,000 steps a day. My work office is upstairs so I go up and down quite a bit and walk to the bus stop, etc to stay active. On the days I'm not so active, I "make" myself seriously walk around my house to get my steps in if the weather is bad or I can't go outside more.

 

[undertheradar]

Stay off the Dis during work hours.

 

[SDSorority]

I'm also very fortunate to work from home and LOVE it. I know it's not for everyone but I love it.

I also try and have some type of routine and try not to get too sidetracked. Since I'm salaried and not necessarily "on the clock", I know I have a little more freedom than some of my peers and others that work from home where they are tied to being logged in and tracked - so I'm not sure what your situation is. With that said, I do try and do something productive like unload the dishwasher and put away dishes on my lunch break, throw in a load of clothes to get those out of the way - something productive that helps with my personal life too.

It does become a balance and I have to tell myself to step away from the work computer. Which that reminds me - agree with another poster to have a separate area for the work part so that it does feel separate from your personal life.

I'm able to get my DS at the bus stop every day which he loves and I love as well so he can start his homework and get most done before I'm officially done.

Not sure you'll need to be on conference calls however if so and you have others in the house, think of how you'll need to let them know to "keep it down". I'm able to tell my DS (he's 10) and I usually text my DH to say - on a call from 2-4pm so the noise is kept to a minimum. Some hang a sign on their door to their office, or some other type of message system.

Lastly - from a staying connected aspect - my team gets together once a month for lunch to see each other face to face. Again, not sure if this would apply as not sure if you're in a team or solo

Good luck!
Heather

I wanted to add another bit too about staying active. I have a fitbit Zip pedometer (so any pedometer would work) that I wear to ensure I get a minimum of 2,000 steps a day. My work office is upstairs so I go up and down quite a bit and walk to the bus stop, etc to stay active. On the days I'm not so active, I "make" myself seriously walk around my house to get my steps in if the weather is bad or I can't go outside more.

Sending you a PM- have a question on behalf of my DH