In the last two to three months, most people new to the WFH life probably have developed their own working from home tips. Still, with many office workers across the country—especially in large cities and those working for large, national or international employers—expecting to continue working from home for the foreseeable future, it may be time to adjust your home office situation to pick up a few tricks to make the coming weeks and months of remote work a little more pleasant. With that in mind, Real Simple’s editors have shared the tips, tricks, and hacks they’ve picked up over the last three months of working from home. Whether you’re working from home and managing childcare at the same time, struggling to adjust to working in a small space without a home office, or otherwise adjusting to this new reality, read on for the methods our editors are trying. I’m trying to really set boundaries for myself while still being productive, and for me, that means walking around for a minute (from my living room to kitchen) once an hour when my Apple watch signals me it’s time to stand. And even when I want to do that extra work thing I think of on the weekend or at midnight—there’s not much stopping me because I live in my office now—I’m making a conscious effort to stop and think before acting. “Can this wait until work hours?” I ask myself. Spoiler alert: The answer is usually yes. – Lisa DeSantis, Deputy Beauty Director Get a kid who is shockingly, blessedly self-directed when it comes to distance learning. Create a space to work outside. Three months ago, it was all about creating something that could front as a home office. Now it’s about fashioning a spot in our weed patch backyard where I can comfortably do work (the umbrella is in the mail as I type). I’ve been working every summer for more than 30 years, and I could never total up the times I’ve sat at a desk on a glorious summer day and stared outside longingly, like, if only I could work out there. And despite everything that feels hard and impossible now, I actually CAN work outside this summer. So I will. (It helps to have a cabinetmaker husband, who’s built me an outdoor sofa so far and will surely have other things on his punch list as I figure out what I need.) – Rory Evans, Executive Editor As far as balancing work and kids in the same space, it’s nearly impossible, in my opinion. Pretty much everyone I work with now knows my daughter because she can’t resist popping on camera during my meetings. – Heather Morgan Shott, Senior Director, Digital Content Strategy
