Caryn Clark

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote and posted Work From Home Strategies – Part 1. This post is a continuation of tips and tricks I’ve learned over the 23 years I’ve been working from home.

– Take Vacations – When you’re working from home, it’s really easy to just bypass taking a little R&R time for yourself. With the flexibility of working from home, you are able to get things done around the house, or maybe knock off a little early to take a day trip somewhere or go shopping… but that isn’t really allowing you to disconnect entirely to relax. Taking vacations allow you to completely disconnect and re-charge! That is so very important! Matter of fact, we’re headed to the mountains later this week for a breath of fresh air and to visit friends. It’s been wonderful to have a trip to look forward to!!!

– Morning Routine – It’s tempting to sit around and work in your bunny slippers and robe, but it’s not really setting the tone for a productive time while you work. I had a boss that used to say that what you wear to work sets the tone for your professionalism when in the office (he wasn’t big on casual Fridays lol). The same holds true when you work from home. Also, we humans thrive on routine. Try setting a routine for yourself. Get up at a certain time (yep, that means setting an alarm – I get up at 7 each day), take a shower, walk the dogs, eat breakfast, and be in your home office at a set time each day. It really does help to set the tone for productivity.

– Everyone in Your Space Needs to Understand You Have to Work – this one has been a struggle for my household, and I bet the majority of people who work from home can attest to this. Especially if you have kids who are home, or a spouse who works a different schedule and is home while you have to work. It’s so very important that everyone in the house understands you have to work. There needs to be respect for your need to maintain a schedule, and for quiet time to get your tasks accomplished. Have a sit down family meeting to explain this. Talk through what everyone needs to make this work. Your job is just as important as anyone elses in the household. The fact you do it from home shouldn’t change anything.

– Sick? Take a Sick Day – If you work for a company, you get sick days. Take them if you’re not feeling well! As a self-employed person, I do not receive sick days. But hey, I still get sick. Matter of fact, I had a wicked case of food poisoning about three weeks ago, that had me in bed from Sunday night until Wednesday. On Tuesday, I did get out of bed with the intention of working, but it was futile. I managed to answer some emails, and eek out a quick little voiceover job, but that was it. I was definitely not at my best, and had to take some sick days. My clients were very understanding.

Working from home does require a certain amount of discipline. But I think we tend to put more pressure on ourselves than necessary. It doesn’t have to be drudgery. I have found that co-workers and clients are very understanding! They have lives and families, too. Yes, work needs to be completed by certain deadlines, and be done well. It’s a delicate balance of taking care of work and life. You can do it!

Most importantly, remember, work can be FUN. Don’t take yourself too seriously!!

While many people have only just recently started working from home, with the advent of the pandemic, I have been working from home since 1999. You guys. That’s a long time. Almost 23 years!!!

Granted, when I started working from home, I was working a corporate marketing job for a company in NYC. The WFH sitch was supposed to be temporary, but lasted nine years, until I left to become a voice actor.

It’s easy to mismanage working from home, because, as people, we want to be good employees and businesses. We want to please. So, we’ll check and respond to email at all hours, on weekends. Or we’ll get a jump on that client project because, hey, it’s just right here and I can work on it while I’m watching Wheel of Fortune.

Everyone is different, and people thrive in different environments. But for me, I had to implement a few things to make my WFH situation successful, while maintaining a social and family life.

Here are a few tips, as Part 1 of my WFH strategies:

– Create a dedicated workspace.  This was vital for me, both in my corporate WFH job, and well, obviously, in voice acting. I have created very comfortable, happy space in my home by using one of our bedrooms and turning it in to a studio/office. I do not record in a booth, but have utilized the entire room as a recording studio. I have natural light, which I LOVE. I recently re-decorated, too, which has made a huge difference in my happiness. I also like to burn a nice smelling candle – it really adds to my peacefulness.

– Keep scheduled hours. I generally keep 9-5 hours. In voice over, I do stray from that sometimes, because I have a number of clients overseas, and on the west coast of the US. Auditions and work are often needed asap, so, there are times when I’ll hop in to my studio to record during the evening. But in general, I keep office hours.

– Socialize.  It is far too easy to just not leave the house. I’ve been known to not leave to 3-5 days! Crazy, right? Purposefully do things to create opportunities outside of your home office. Schedule lunch with a friend or spouse once or twice a week, volunteer once or twice a month, join a professional organization and get involved… you get the drift. Just make sure you see people and remain a human, and not become a hermit.

– Exercise. This kind of goes along with socialize, but I wanted to give it its own bulletpoint. Make sure you move around!! It’s so easy to just sit at your desk, and keep sitting – between email, social media, work projects – you can get sucked in, and before you know it, hours have passed and your rump has been sitting in that fancy office chair for half the day! I used to take regular walks, and I do have to get up to walk our dogs a couple of times a day, so that’s helpful. I am also addicted to Pure Barre. That barre studio is my Happy Place! I love the people there, and the workout is wonderful. I try to get there at least four times a week. And yes, sometimes that’s during my work day, but that is also the beauty of working from home – flexibility in schedule!

I hope you find these tips helpful. Be sure to come back in the next week or so for Part 2!