3 Ways to Reduce Stress While Working From Home

Working from home is a different kind of stressful, isn’t it? I've never been a huge fan of working in an office--I like being alone and I'm very easily distracted.

But working from home isn’t exactly a cakewalk, either. It can be lonely and you can easily get distracted by other parts of your home (like that pile of laundry that has refused to fold itself for 2 days or the kitchen that needs a good cleaning). Plus, if you are also taking care of children and trying to work, it’s a whole other ball game.

Today, I want to talk about reducing stress while you’re trying to work from home effectively. This isn’t necessarily self-care, but it is related. Reducing your stress now will help reduce burnout later (or… right now); it will also help you feel less like you’re about to go off the rails at any moment. (Trust me, I’ve been there. Recently.)

If you’d like to read more self-care posts, click here to read more!

Reducing stress is different from person-to-person—so we aren’t going to focus on simple stuff. Some people might be soothed by essential oils; others might find them aggravating. This is going to be a bit more high level than “buy a diffuser” or “do your self-care routine!” Right now, I just don’t personally find stuff like that especially helpful if I’m trying to find methods to make myself feel less like a boiling kettle.

I hope these tips help you moving forward. And if you need a friendly ear, I’m always here to listen!

1. Get it all out: journal every day (even for 5 minutes).

A few days ago, I was having a rough day. I had multiple deadlines and a very cranky 4-year-old who was feeling ignored, isolated, and sad. To get paid as a freelancer, I have to meet my deadlines—but as a parent, I also felt like I couldn’t let Forrest down. I sat at the kitchen table while he colored and wrote in my journal for 10 minutes. I wrote down everything I was feeling: totally overwhelmed, guilty for wishing schools would just freaking open already (I know, I know), exhausted, guilty for being a mom who couldn’t interact with Forrest as much as I wanted, anxious that my home was a mess and I had every single laundry basket we own full of laundry to fold… the list goes on.

After the 10 minutes was up, I gave Forrest a big hug and a kiss and told him I needed to work. He felt better and I felt better. I hit all my deadlines.

Those 10 minutes of just getting the feelings out was worth it.

Here’s the thing: journaling might not be your thing. (Although, if you’re feeling frequently anxious or stressed, a journal is a great idea.) But there are lots of ways to just get the emotions out. You can sing along to a favorite old emo song. Call a friend to vent to. Let it out in the group text. Whatever works for you, talking about what’s going on can help so much.

2. Make it easy: find a routine that works for you.

Working from home is hard. And sometimes, reading all the tips in the world to work from home won’t help.

You need a routine and, specifically, you need one just for you. That’s why I’ve been writing a series of posts about routines; you can read them all here.

Here are a few of my suggestions to reduce stress in your routine:

• Schedule in breaks.

• Stagger your tasks. Mix harder, more mentally straining tasks with easier, simpler tasks.

• Make your environment happy for you. This is a big one: you can have the best routine in the world, but if the space you’re in makes you crazy, then it won’t help at all. You might not have the space for your own office, but setting aside a corner in your bedroom or dining room to make just yours will make a huge difference.

• Make sure you meet all your needs. That includes movement, time alone, time with others, time to relax, meals, coffee breaks… you can’t work 24/7 and never meet your basic needs. You simply can’t.

3. Make it simple: shed the tasks that aren’t serving you.

When you’re working in an office, there are sometimes tasks that you do that are so easy, you barely blink an eye. However, once things change, there may be tasks you need to talk to your work about to let them know: this doesn’t work, this won’t work, and I can’t keep doing it.

Here’s an example: I have a client who has a really roundabout process for completing tasks. In normal times, it would be no big deal, but right now, the chain of command has broken down so much, people are harder to reach, that it’s just impossible. Trying to chase down people to complete tasks was becoming a huge pain—so I let the client know, hey, this is driving me crazy, can we simplify this? And we did! Now, I don’t have to spend 2-3 hours every day trying to get in touch with people to pass on a document.

If something isn’t serving you or the people you work for… then change it. Make it easier. If you can’t reduce the stress, then try to remove it. Find a way to make it simpler for you to reduce the clutter of your day.

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Do you have any tips for reducing stress while working from home?

I do want to share a few things I do during the day that help me a lot that are more specific. Here are a few ways I take a break (both before and during quarantine!) while working from home:

• Do 10 minutes of step aerobics while watching TV.

• Listen to a podcast while I make a cup of tea.

• Sit outside with Remus.

• Water my flowers outside.

• Work on organizing my planner.

• Read a few articles on Buzzfeed or scroll my favorite Twitter accounts.

Thanks for reading!

3 Easy Habits to Improve Your Time Management Skills

I’ve struggled with time management in the past. Mostly in the sense that sometimes I just don’t feel like doing a task. Sometimes I don’t feel like repinning all my Pins on Pinterest. Sometimes I don’t feel like rewriting meta descriptions on my blog posts. Sometimes, I just don’t feel like it! But I have to do it and then find myself taking on any other task just to avoid it. Changing all my Pinterest cover photos? Updating all my social media bios? Making future social media posts in Canva?

Suddenly, I’m deep into April’s content planning… but I haven’t gotten to that blog post I’ve been avoiding or the client work that’s rapidly approaching deadline.

How do you manage your time appropriately and stay on task… even if those tasks are repetitive (like admin work) or overwhelming (like your first client project)? I have a few habits that can help you get into a routine with your daily tasks, both big and small, so you can use your time more efficiently.

But first, let’s talk about your task list.

A Few Notes on Task Lists

I’ve known a few people throughout my life who just don’t write down their tasks, for whatever reason. They never got into the habit or, in one infamous case, they just didn’t think task lists were effective. To do lists, even just writing notes, they just didn’t do them. I’ve known people like this throughout my school and work career. And I just have one thing to say: sometimes it works (if you have a very good memory), but overwhelmingly, the people I’ve known who didn’t write down at least a vague idea of the tasks they needed to complete… didn’t complete them.

They lost track of time or they forgot about the task entirely. If you write down your deadlines on a calendar, even, you’re more likely to remember them and actually complete the work on time. If you keep a note in your phone with a few projects you’re working on, you won’t forget the admin for one of those tasks. But if you don’t keep any kind of system for your tasks, projects, and work… then things are going to slip through the cracks, especially if you work remotely or want to run your own business.

This is all to say: if you don’t keep a task list, or running to do list, day-to-day or even week-to-week, you’re going to miss things. Even if it’s just a post it note stuck to your computer or desk, try to keep some kind of record of the things you need to do. If you want to get more organized, I highly recommend developing a system that works for you; I keep a planner purely for deadlines and tasks that I update daily. If you’d like a blog post about creating a task list system, or picking the right system for you, let me know!

1. Use A Screen Time App to Set Limits

The biggest distraction I have to completing my work is my dang phone. I recently started using the Screen Time settings in my phone that basically make some apps inaccessible for certain periods of time. I also set time limits so I can’t use social media apps more than 3 hours per day on my phone. Right now, I have it set to make all social media apps inaccessible from 9am to 11am (break for lunch), then 1pm to 5pm. Then, all my apps are inaccessible from 9pm on (that’s for sleeping).

It’s really helped me reduce the time I spend on my phone without having to delete my apps. I can opt to open an app for 15 minutes at a time if I need to post something to Instagram stories or check something really fast. Otherwise, it helps me stay on task so I’m not mindlessly swiping through Instagram instead of doing something I need to.

You can download lots of apps that do this for you, but I personally have had good luck with the built-in settings in my iPhone. If you find your phone is a distraction throughout your day, this is the easiest habit to get into: set times where you can’t access the things you use to procrastinate and then get on with your day. (You’ll be surprised at how much time you free up when you aren’t scrolling or reading tweets.)

2. Block Your Tasks in Your Calendar

If you have a time estimate for your tasks, it can be really easy to put them on your calendar in blocked out periods of time. This way, your phone can also send you reminders 15 minutes before the block starts—so you can know it’s time to move on to the next thing (or get started on your work day).

I recently started doing this and let me tell you, it’s been a huge help. It gives me a good idea of how my day will look, while also letting me develop a concrete plan for what I’m doing day-to-day. I usually spend 15 minutes the evening before blocking out tasks on my calendar to give me a good idea of what my day will look like.

Here’s an example of what my time blocking looks like today.

One important note: if you commute, or have appointments that require drive time, make sure to schedule that time in as well.

Doing this can help you develop the habit of seeing where your time is really going. As well, it can help you better estimate how long each task will take over time, so you can become more efficient as well. I schedule several hours for each blog post, as I often need to stop and research as I write, plus I usually do a read through and edit before scheduling.

3. Think of Tasks as Rock vs. Sand

I recently came across a method of organizing tasks known as Rock vs. Sand. Basically, think of small tasks as sand and big tasks as rocks, and then, think of your day as a jar. If you try to fill the jar with just sand (all those little tasks that have piled up or low priority tasks), you’ll never fill up the jar; you’ll feel like you’re just spinning your wheels and you’ll get tired, burnt out, distracted, irritable… but if you fill your jar with rocks first (that is, if you tackle those big tasks that have been on your plate but feel overwhelming or tasks that are high priority), you’ll fill the jar much faster and have time to add sand tasks on top.

Every evening, I sort my weekly tasks into rock tasks and sand tasks. Then, I pick 2 big tasks (writing a blog post, finishing a client project) and a handful of small tasks (taking photos for Instagram, vacuuming the stairs, starting laundry) to accomplish each day to “fill my jar.” That helps me get a better idea of how to block out my time as well. You won’t get burnt out if you vary the amount of effort each tasks takes throughout the day.

Bonus habit: schedule in time for yourself!

My calendar scheduling ends at 3pm, you might notice, as that’s when Forrest comes home from school. At that time, I start cooking dinner, play with Forrest, listen to music, watch TV, catch up on my podcasts, read… whatever. Throughout the day, I try to take short 10-minute breaks, usually to do some step aerobics in the living room while I listen to a podcast or to grab a drink or a snack, but I don’t schedule those. I go by how I’m feeling. But one thing I make sure to do is not schedule out my whole day. At a certain time, I have to switch off and go into mom mode or, ideally, Michelle mode where I’m no longer an employee.

When it comes to improving your time management habits not letting yourself get exhausted and burnt out is a high priority. It’s ok to take breaks! You don’t have to be scheduled and working 24/7.

Do you have any tips for time management?

How to Know if Working From Home Is For You

If you’ve ever thought that working from home, or remotely, is the perfect option for you, I’m glad to have you here!

I know many mothers have considered the possibilities of working remotely, wondering if it would be easier (or more difficult) with kids. Working remotely is different from launching your own business or working for yourself; you have the stability of a paycheck, with the stipulation that you don’t have to be in an office everyday. But that doesn’t mean the job is any less rigorous or challenging day-to-day… and working from home, with or without kids, can add some speed bumps to that road as well.

There are many positions now that can be done entirely remotely. Things like copywriting, copyediting, project management, and more can be done remotely and many mothers possess those skills, even if they’ve never worked in those positions before. If you’re considering trying a remote position, I recommend looking for jobs in your area from the start. We’ll talk about why later on.

Here are a few benefits to working from home for moms:

• You spend less money on daycare. If you decide to go for a remote position, you’ll want to decide if you want to put your kids in daycare or keep them home with you. My recommendation is to test out both options. However, with a reduced commute and the possibility to have your kids with you a few days a week, you’ll drastically reduce the amount you spend on daycare.

• You’ll have more time for everything else. Working from home does not mean you’ll be able to do everything else in your house throughout the day; working 8 hours a day from home should mean you work 8 hours just like you would at home. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to throw in a load of laundry or start dinner earlier. Plus, again, without a commute, you’ll have more time to focus on what you need to—instead of driving around.

• You’ll feel less stressed. If you find the daycare drop off plus commute plus getting everything ready for the day plus trying to take care of your home very overwhelming… then working remotely can be a great option as it eliminates several of those things, or at least reduces the time crunch that is put on them.

However, when it comes to working from home, there are also some cons. It would be disingenuous for me to not include those. Here are a few:

• Work-life balance becomes way more challenging. You work in your home. You take care of your kids while you work. The boundaries become much more blurred and it can be hard to manage both. Part of the challenge of working remotely is knowing how to set your boundaries, and that comes with time.

• You’ll feel isolated. When I went back to work after having Forrest, and before I started working from home more frequently, I was so excited to go back to work primarily because I wanted to see other adult humans. There is value in being around other people, even if you’re an introvert, like me.

• You have additional requirements. Working from home isn’t a free-for-all. Most businesses will require check ins and, if your workplace is more local to you, that means occasional check ins in person. If your workplace isn’t near you, you might be required to travel there to check in every once and a while. It just depends.

If you look over these lists and think, it sounds like a challenge, but one that’s exciting for me!, then working from home might be for you. Let’s go over a few more points.

What Skills Can You Offer?

There are some skills that are just plan more suited to working from home than others. If you have a long career of a job that can now be done pretty much 100% online (like payroll, copywriting, and more), you probably can work from home relatively successfully, with maybe a few in-person check ins per month. Some workplaces as well as more suited to remote workers as well. If your workplace has a system like Slack in place for in-office messages, then it’s much easier to work from home. If not, it can be more challenging to work remotely.

You’ll want to consider how your skills can be used remotely and how it would effect your performance. Do you think you could be as productive of an employee from home? Is your workplace equipped for a remote employee or would you be applying for a new position? These are all things to take into account when it comes to working from home or remotely.

How Are Your Time Management Skills?

Working from home means you’re managing your own schedule. No one will stop by your desk to remind you of something; no one will be watching you to make sure you’re working and not, say, drifting to sleep on the couch while watching Hallmark Movies. It’s easy to do when you work from home; it’s easy to get distracted, to start trying to handle everything on your to do list in your home (like all that laundry you need to fold or emptying the dishwasher). But when you are working from home, you have to resist the urge to start doing those things. It’s very easy to slip into the mindset that you can always make it up, that people don’t know. But the more you focus on your work away from your actual job, the harder it will be to catch up and actually get things done.

You have to be able to be strict with yourself, manage your time appropriately, and prioritize. If that’s not something you can do, then forget it.

Can You Handle the Mental Health Aspect?

As I said, working from home can blur the lines between your life and your work. The same is true for people who own their own businesses, of course. But when you work remotely for someone else, you can feel really isolated from your coworkers and your workplace. Part of the benefit of working in an office is being able to connect with other people in your work space and being able to connect and socialize. If you work remotely, there is less of that and you may start to feel isolated. As well, spending days not leaving your house in the winter can be hard. You have to be able to set a routine in place so you don’t end up wearing the same pajamas or sweatpants for an entire week without leaving your house.

For many, office politics can be one of the most challenging parts of their job; for that reason, working remotely can be a blessing. However, it’s important to remember that we’re all social beings, even if we’re introverts, so it’s something to consider when you decide to work from home.