Wear Pants, and Other Things Remote Workers Really Should Do
I’ve learned that creating my own schedule only works if I still force myself to be a human being
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I don’t particularly enjoy leaving the house. Nor do I enjoy not having any money, which means I’ve joined the ranks of Work From Home Nation. Now, I know remote workers have a reputation for being strange cave-dwelling types who wear pajamas all day and fear the light of the sun. But I actually lead a very disciplined work-from-home life, and I believe it is the secret to my success and having my bills on autopay. If you find it difficult to stay on task in a world where no one’s spying on your screen from behind you, keep reading — and then get back to work.
Look presentable
Each morning, I get fully dressed for work as if I were commuting out of my home. I am a firm believer in “dress for the job you want” ideology, and someone who wears Target pajamas all day, quite frankly, looks unemployed to me. Putting on real pants gives me a physical indicator of “work mode.” And that helps my brain get into gear.
From a practical standpoint, it also keeps me ready for anything that might arise, like a last-minute video chat or an impromptu client meeting. When you’re fully and properly dressed, there’s nothing visual (or hygienic) keeping you from getting the most out of your day.
Use the commute hours
Those of us who only commute as far as the next room have been given a gift: the roughly one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening that every other schnook out there has to spend in a car or crammed into someone’s armpit on a bus or subway.
Use this time wisely. Sleep is great, but you could also spend those hours on the extras that would make your life richer if only you could fit them in — because you can. Have you tried identifying a hobby? A side hustle? I used that time to start a podcast. It hit 100,000 downloads within nine months of its launch. Just saying.
Block your day
By the end of this week, I want your Google Calendar to look like a very successful game of Tetris. It’s about more than just blocking meetings…
