My husband and I just recently moved from Denver to Minneapolis (woot!), and were so fortunate to continue working for our companies even after the relocation –– him transferring to another office, and me working remotely. The move was hard, as is any –– the logistics of everything was really tough, and the drive was loooooooong –– but we killed it. My husband and I did all of the packing and the whole move together, and we freaking killed it. And at the end of it all, we are back in the Midwest absolutely in love with our new digs. We couldn’t be happier with this process and where we ended up, and were just so grateful we were able to pull it off.
This is the first time I am working remotely, and I’ve got to say, I was pretty nervous for this transition. Let me be clear: I was confident that I’d succeed, but just unsure of what to expect. I’ve always been the type of person that’s pretty much always on their game.. or, at the very least, well prepared. I was planning my routine, scheduling reminders on my calendar.. doing anything I could, in advance, to help me stay involved and communicate regularly with my team. I’m very proud to report that –– at two weeks in –– I’m doing pretty well!
I thought I’d share my schedule and some tips with you that have been working well for me, just in case any of you are new to the “office”.
Daily Schedule:
5:30/5:45am: Wake up
6am: Take out the dogs. (Usually around this time Bri heads off to work, so we sometimes walk with him for a bit before heading back inside.)
6:30am: Yoga time!
7am: Shower and dress for the day
7:45am: Breakfast & coffee
8/8:15am–12pm: Work!
12–1pm: Lunch & take out the dogs. I will typically do anything around the house that needs to get done also (i.e. flip the laundry, clean, etc.)
1–4/4:30pm: Work!
4:30pm: Free time!
Tips:
- Designate a space for your work. I have a desk in our apartment that is my workspace, and the only time I sit there is when I am working. I never sit there when I’m off work, and I definitely don’t take my work with me elsewhere in the apartment. This helps me not only physically separate my ‘work’ area from my ‘home’ area, but mentally be able to as well.
- Never do house work during work hours. This is difficult but extremely helpful. I typically will throw in a load of laundry in the morning before work, flip it at lunch and then fold after work gets done. Same goes for cleaning –– I’ll do any kitchen cleaning, etc. during my lunch break. Creating this schedule has really allowed me to focus that much more on my work and ease the nags I get from the dishes staring at me. Also, by having this in my schedule, our apartment seems to be cleaner because I do something every day! Win, win!
- Get up early. I decided when we moved that I would continue to get up around 5:30am, which is the time I would wake up when I commuted. Waking up this early, now that I am working remote, allows me to do more things around the house, work out, and take our pups for a little longer walk. I’m also never in a rush, which is doing wonders for my stress levels 🙂
- Get a workout in. One of the other reasons I get up earlier is so that I can get in a quick workout. When you’re working remotely, you tend to sit a lot more. Shoot if it weren’t for my dogs, I doubt I’d get outside to walk as much as I do –– I’d be sitting all day! I’ve gotten in the habit of doing a quick yoga session early in the morning –– it makes me feel great and I’m done before some people even get up! Even if I’m not getting out of the apartment (although our apartment does have some free classes! woot!), I’m doing something productive and healthy!
- Get dressed! This one is so important. After yoga, I take a shower and get dressed….. in actual clothes. NO PJ’S ALLOWED! Sure, they’re comfy… but I’m going to work, not to bed! Again, just by getting dressed I’m telling my brain that I’m preparing myself for a workday –– and this simple step helps my focus even more! (Bonus points: doing your hair and make-up! LOL)
- Create a work playlist. I got in this cool habit of listening to music softly when I’m working. There’s something about that habit that really helps my brain turn on and off for work. When it’s time to go to work, I turn on the playlist. When it’s time for a break or at the end of the day, I turn it immediately off –– I don’t continue listening to the playlist after I work. Guys, this is an awesome trick! I found a playlist on Spotify that has slower cover songs, and it’s perfect.
- Make yourself a to-do list. I did this even when I wasn’t working remotely –– I’m one of those weird people who gets really happy when they cross something off of their to-do list. But, it really seems to help from being distracted now that I’m not going into the office. Let’s be honest.. my dogs are freaking cute and, if I could, I’d spend the whole day staring into their eyes and cuddling with them. Unfortunately, since I live in the real world, I can’t do that. Making lists helps me stay on top of things, and my productivity!
- Switch things up. The best perk about working remotely, is that you can work… remotely… LOL! Your office can be wherever you need/want it to be. I’m a big advocate of creating a designated space for work, but on slow days (typically Fridays) I head over to the coffee shop around the corner to work for a few hours! It’s really good to get out of the house, and a great way to ease my way into the weekend 🙂
I hope these help you! Let me know if you have some tips for working remotely in the comments!
Allie Uffda 
This is great! Love the sample schedule!!
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