5 tips to make work from home, work for you

 With all the changes happening in the world, many of us find ourselves working partially or totally at our home. This can be a big transition for us after having our days structured around coming and going from an office and the flow of the day around the water cooler. 

This year I entered the 20th grade so I think its fair to say I've spent a bit of time in school, nose stuck in a book. I've never been the type to enjoy studying in big buildings and coffee shops, so I found myself making the desk in my room, apartment, or home my study haven. Now as a computationally focused PhD, I have transitioned away from the traditional coursework in the classroom and focus more on research, which incidentally is often done at the same desk I've studied from. Since I've spent so much time working from my house on research and study, I figured I would pass along some of the tricks I've learned over the years to work most productively from your home (or room)! I have had many variations of this over time (some pictures of my desk are below) and have definitely learned a lot, so try out some of these techniques and let me know if they help! 

 Tip #1: Make sure your space is large enough, and keep it clear of too much clutter 

This may not come as a surprise to some, but it really makes a huge difference! Having too much nonessential stuff on your actual workspace can make it difficult to work productively. Having a large, clear area that can accommodate all tools needed to work (Computer, monitor, notebook, textbook, etc.) spaced nicely makes it so much easier to be able to work effectively. When you are constantly having to stack and unstack books, wonder where that one binder went, or balance your computer on the edge of the surface, you have unnecessary frustration your ability to work is slowed. If you don't have a large space to work from, try organizing your materials by task and trade them out depending on what you are working on to keep the space form getting too cluttered. 

My desk from my freshman year of college at Wake Forest, I was clearly still learning! haha

 Tip #2: Know what ambient noise level is best for you

Like I mentioned before, I never worked too well at a coffee shop or in a crowded building doing my most intense and best work. I tried many different places and found that a quiet place with my own music was what made me work most productively. I am a big fan of Spotify and Pandora and love listening to movie scores while I work. I find that songs with lyrics make me want to sing along and can distract me from the task at hand. Classical music is lovely, but sometimes I find it too morose. The movie scores are lively, upbeat, and also remind me of some of my favorite films like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Check out Soundtrack for Study on Spotify for a good starter playlist! I also invested in a pair of noise canceling headphones to block out the background noises of the city or campus and just hear my music. 

Maybe music isn't your thing and silence is. Ear plugs and noise reducing headphones may help if you find yourself working in an environment thats not as quiet as you would like it to be. White noise machines are also helpful for those who like to work in the quiet and do wonders to blockout outside noise. They can be purchased on amazon or apps like Spotify have recorded white and grey noise. Work best in coffee shops, but now can't sit in one with the quarantine? Check out the app Coffitivity! It is a recorded coffee shop with all the background sounds that you love while you sip your favorite brew in the safety of your own home. If this is your first time working from home in a while, try out a few different things and see what works best for you!    

My current desk as a PhD student at Johns Hopkins

 Tip #3: Find somewhere to work that makes you happy

I've found that the environment that you work in makes a huge difference in your mental health! Finding somewhere that makes you happy will make your day and work ethic improve immensely. After many iterations, I have found that I like to have a few things on my desk that mean a lot to me. Below I have a couple of my favorites pictured from my current desk. I love objects with stories that remind me of people who are important to me. The chemical molecule is a german antique from my parents. The horse is from my coworker's home town in India. The box is from my aunt's home town in Poland. These things are simple, uncluttered, but make me immensely happy and remind me of the things that are important to me both inside and outside of my job. 

A couple other things to consider is the lighting and the temperature of where you work. I do best in bright cool environments. The warm darkness makes me drowsy and lethargic. If you don't have a designated workspace in your home, try and find somewhere that fits your needs best. If you don't have anything ready, make one that works for you! Bring a lamp to your kitchen table, move a house plant or a picture of your family to sit next to it, put a nice pillow on your chair. Your space doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to honor your needs!

 Tip #4: Have healthy snacks in the house

This may sound silly, but one of the most difficult things I have found from working at home is the temptation to want to snack all day. Your pantry and fridge are just across the room, or down the stairs and it's so tempting to grab that bag of chips or pack of cookies and graze on them all day. I'm not saying to deprive yourself of food, but instead make sure that you have some snacks that make you feel good eating them! I like to keep veggies like carrot sticks and fruits that are easy to eat around to that I am less tempted to eat all the sweets in my house! I also keep healthy drink options around like sparkling water and tea around so that I stay hydrated which helps me tell the difference between when I'm actually hungry or I'm just looking for a distraction. 

  Tip #5: Schedule breaks and take them

In the office/lab/school/etc there is often a comfortable rhythm to the day. There are people you chat with, people you eat lunch with, and places that you walk to during the day. When you are working from home, there tends to be fewer of these things to break up your time. Maybe you have a couple calls, but outside of that you are alone. For the first few days this may feel great because you are able to be super productive, but this often leads to burnout. In contrast, not having anything in sight to break up your day may lead you to feel like you can procrastinate and not work as productively (hello Instagram feed and Facebook). If you schedule breaks for yourself at designated times you can prevent both of these things from happening. You can work hard knowing you will have a break in 'X' minutes while simultaneously preventing yourself from working too hard too fast. During breaks I've found a change of scenery and movement are super helpful. I like to go on a walk in my neighborhood or even do a short 10-15 minute workout video on youtube. Getting the blood flowing and seeing something else besides the computer screen really reinvigorates me and helps me to remain productive for the rest of the day! 

How have you been #workingfromhome? Let me know if you try any of these tips out!