6 Tips To Work From Home In 2020

Recently find yourself having to work from home. Yes, you are not alone. So I asked my Copy Posse team and my entrepreneur friends their biggest piece of advice when it comes to getting it done and having fun while working from home. Hey guys, it's Alex. And this week I am mixing up my regularly scheduled programming to talk about something we are all having to deal with right now in light of the recent events surrounding the COVID 19 virus. And that is working from home. Now, I know for many of you who are used to working in offices and being surrounded by teams, this can be a really, really tough transition. I went through it myself when I left Mindvalley back in 2012 and started my own business. So since I've been doing this for eight years, I thought I would share my tips for staying productive and working effectively from home. But first, I want to share a huge, huge, huge thank you to the healthcare workers, the postal workers, and the city workers who are still going to work every single day to make sure that we can stay home and stay safe. So guys, let's all do our part to flatten the curve and support our global community. Social distancing is extremely important right now, and it doesn't have to be a total bummer. In fact, the silver lining in all of this is that most of us are ending up with way more time on our hands than we're used to, which gives us the rare opportunity to do the things that we love and the things that we've been putting off, like reading, creating, spending time with our families and learning a new skill. And listen, I know it is tempting to just turn on Netflix and binge watch your favorite show to numb out from all the hype and hysteria out there and really escape the fear that's creeping into all of our minds. But I encourage you, I really, really encourage you to use this space in your life to expand and to grow. So to be creative and bold and to push to the edge of your comfort zone and learn something you've been putting off because you've just been too busy. I'll tell you, there is no better time than right now to start copywriting. As more and more companies are forced to go online, they are looking for writers and marketers to support them in this transition. So now's the time to join the global Copy Posse and hit subscribe below. Every single week, I release a new tutorial where I share the latest copywriting trends, techniques and strategies that are working right now. But in today's video, I am sharing my six tips for working from home. So whether you're already a freelancer or an online entrepreneur who works from home, or you're new to this whole thing, these tips are insanely important but can be very, very easy to forget, even for seasoned vets. Now, to create this list, I actually asked my copy posse, team and other entrepreneur friends for their tips and added them to my own. So here they are. Tip number one Stick to your morning routine guys. If you have recently found yourself working from home, the most important tip of them all is to stick to your morning routine so you can optimize and plan your day. So if you usually get up at 6am to work, keep doing that. If you usually have a coffee and a bagel after you wake up, keep doing that. Just because your office now looks a lot like your dining room doesn't mean anything else has to change. The second you start to let your routine slide, the harder and harder it becomes. So carve out some time in your mornings to do the things that matter to you. Put on some music, make that cup of joe, shower, shave. Heck, even put on a little makeup if that makes you feel great. Then just commute on over to your home office or dining room table to boot up your computer for the day. Now that is when your workday officially begins. Not while you're laying in bed after the alarm goes off checking emails on your iPhone. All right, so tip number two. Get dressed. I know, I know. Nobody's going to see you, so why not stay in your jammies all day? Or my personal favorite, the Zoom dress code business on the top and sweatpants on the bottom. Hey guys, I love yoga pants like the rest of you, but I promise you will feel so much more productive if you're looking and acting the part. Staying in your sweats all day might seem amazing until 5pm rolls around and you realize you haven't changed and and you're that guy or girl. And trust me, it is not a good look. When you go through your normal get ready routine, you're telling your brain that it's time to GSD plus with meetings being moved online last minute, you do not want to get caught looking like you just woke up on that conference call. Okay, Tip number three Set up a dedicated workspace. If you don't have a home office, that's cool. Make sure you have somewhere else at home where you can sit in a comfy chair with a straight back and work. And this applies for when you're traveling too. You always want to have somewhere where you can get in the zone so Set up your workspace so that it feels inviting and fuels productivity. Remove all clutter and choose a view that's tidy or spacious. Some amazing tips that I got from my team is to light a candle or turn on your diffuser with your favorite essential oils. You can also put your favorite crystals nearby if you're into that sort of thing. For clarity and calm. Crack open a window or a patio door for fresh air is great for the soul and you do not get that at an office. Play some background music that really helps you get into flow. I personally love the peaceful piano playlist on Spotify. That was a mouthful. I'll link to that in the description below. And if you're sharing your space with someone else and really want to zone in and cancel out distractions, use your favorite headphones. I love the Bose noise canceling headphones and you can order those online. Have a bottle of fresh water next to you so you can stay hydrated and order your favorite coffee beans right to your door now. Talk about an awesome perk. Get it to working from home. Office coffee sucks so when you work from home you can brew up something amazing that will fuel you for the rest of the day. All right, tip number four Move your body. This is a big one guys. We are not moving as much as we used to say to go to the grocery store or walking to and from work. So you need to find creative ways to get those endorphins flowing. Endorphins help fight anxiety, stress and depression which is huge, hugely important right now. So get out for a daily walk and try to get into nature as much as possible. Being among trees, earth and water is extremely grounding and can offer you a beautiful opportunity to reset and reconnect to yourself. Also, if you're missing the gym or group exercise classes, try out some at home workouts. It's been amazing to see how many incredible coaches and trainers are offering livestream classes right now via YouTube and Instagram. I'll link to a few of my favorites in the description below so that you can go check them out. Also, and this is very important, be sure to take movement breaks at least once an hour to avoid stiffness and pain. So walk to your kitchen to refill your water bottle or do stationary squats or sit ups when your energy is dragging. Or just step outside for a minute to take a few deep breaths. All right, tip number six Time block your day. Now something that I have been doing religiously for the past eight years is time blocking my calendar every single morning. So each morning When I wake up, I look at my list of MITs, that's most important tasks that I need to get done that day, and I write out the time blocks to get them done. Depending on what I have to do and the meetings I already have scheduled, I usually divide both my mornings and afternoons into two clear time blocks. I save my morning hours for writing or content preparation for my students, as that is my most creative time. Then I save the afternoon for meetings and to catch up on those less creations creative tasks like responding to emails. I often like to actually schedule those time blocks in my calendar for each task so that it feels like I've set an appointment and I'm way more likely to get it done. So first, I recommend you identify your best creative hours and schedule those important tasks first. Then everything else you can schedule around that. Also, guys, this is very important. Schedule a break for lunch. Just like when you're at the office, give yourself at least 30 minutes in the middle of your workday to start, step away from your computer and have a healthy bite to eat. Do not, and I repeat, do not eat in front of your computer. I am so guilty of this a lot of the time, but there is nothing that can't wait 30 minutes for you to nourish your mind and body. Plus, if you try to work and eat at the same time, it's just going to take you longer to complete that task anyway, so you might as well step away and eat mindfully. And lastly, just like you have to set a start time for your day, you need to set an end time. Working from home means you often work all the time because there's not a clear boundary set for when your day finishes. So decide in advance when it's time to shut her down for the day and then turn off your computer and step away. Use your after work hours to do the stuff you'd normally do, like make a yummy dinner, FaceTime with friends, watch a good movie, or read a good book. You get the idea. All right, so now I'm gonna do a quick speed round of power tips. I asked my Instagram posse and friends what tips they had to share when it comes to working from home, and I got so many amazing ideas, so here they are. So Leanne says have video meetings. It makes you feel more connected. Yes, totally. Turn on video so that you can actually see the people you're meeting with. Game changer Alexandra says create checklists each day. Yes. Wake up in the morning, Create a checklist of your MITs, your most important tasks. Start at the top and work your way through. Melrose says when you get antsy, take a five to ten minute move break you yes, totally. Lisa says work to lo Fi beats. Awesome. So I actually found a really cool lo fi Spotify channel that I'll share with you guys in the description below. Becky says routine. Yes, yes, yes. Elena says get dressed and put perfume and makeup on. I didn't think of the perfume part. Totally. Janu says resistance bands. Yes. I love resistance bands. You can order them online basically anywhere. They'll ship them to your door and they're really easy and they make your at home workouts that much more effective. Sam says get a mouse for your laptop. Yes, game changer. Order a mouse so that you're not just like you know on the trackpad. Victoria recommends a book called Indistractable which is all about prioritization and productivity. So I found that on Amazon and I will link to that in the description below as well. Andreanne says start group chats with your besties so that you can keep smiling even when you don't have anyone to talk to face to face. Yes, I I love my group chats with my girls. Next up, I asked what tools they use to stay productive, so here are a few good ones. Leanne says Brain FM is an awesome tool for binaural beats to help you focus. Amazing. Yetish says Forest App so I checked out this forest app and it is so cool. It actually gamifies focus. And the more productive you are, the more actual trees get planted in the world so you can get more done and actually do good at the same time. Brilliant recommendation. I love that. Alexandra says Toggle for time tracking. Yes. Amazing. And Bhavik says Skype and Zoom for virtual meetings. Boom. Amazing. Thank you so much guys for sharing your wisdom with me and to everybody watching. So there you have it guys. The Copy Posse's tips for working from home. Give me a thumbs up below if you found this video helpful. I am thinking about all of you during these crazy, crazy times and if there's anything else you need, please comment below and let me know. I'll be back next week with another copywriting tutorial. In the meantime, here are some videos you can watch next to start your copywriting journey. As always, thank you so much for watching and subscribing. Sending so so much love to all of you. I'll see you next week. Until then, I'm Alex. Ciao for now. Play some background.