Tips for Working from Home Successfully

08/01/2017

When I first left my full-time styling job and started my own business working from home, I felt like the ultimate goal was to some day have a really cool studio on Melrose Place or Beverly Boulevard to call home to my business.  When we moved to Austin and were in between places for a bit, it actually became totally necessary to find a studio space (and paint it pink, of course!), but I soon realized just how much I actually missed working from home.  Especially with what we do here on the site, it’s so nice to be able to style shoots, have access to all of my props and wardrobe in one place, and not have to worry about any kind of commute.  One of the biggest issues about running a digital business from home, though? Knowing that you have to have reliable internet access 24/7.  We partnered with eero, a whole-home WiFi system that ensures reliable internet coverage in every corner of your home, no matter the size or shape, to share about how to work best from home and avoid what can be inevitable pitfalls.

1. Know what you want to achieve the next day and by the end of the week.  Make every effort to accomplish those goals.  It will help to keep you focused and on track and motivated for what’s next.

2. Set up your working environment.  Depending on what you do, that might mean an actual office space with a big monitor and lots of equipment or products and tools.  For me I rely on my laptop, our internet, and being able to move freely about the house to style and shoot in different spaces.  While our router is downstairs in the living room, which is great for watching movies or working in the dining room, incorporating the eero system has made our upload and download speeds a lot faster upstairs in our office or if we are trying to watch a movie in bed.  I really love it’s all white, sleek aesthetic.  You don’t even notice that it’s there.

3. Get dressed! Just because you can stay in your pajamas all day, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea in terms of productivity. Trust me, it makes a difference.

4. Make a schedule and include breaks– time to go for a walk, squeeze in a work out, eat lunch, and get away from your computer from time to time.

5. Arrange all of your meetings for one day so that you leave large chunks of time on the other days to tackle larger projects.  Nothing feels less productive than constantly being interrupted by a reminder that you’re supposed to be somewhere else.

6. Clean up before closing time. Make sure your space feels like your home and not your office at the end of the day.  It will make such a difference in your overall peace of mind and sanity.

Photography by Katie Jameson

This post is sponsored by eero.