When I tell people I travel and work full-time the first thing I get asked is how do I make sure that I actually do work? In this post I’m going to explain a few little things I do to keep myself motivated.
Before I continue I will say, if you’re thinking of quitting your desk 9-5 job and doing the whole work and travel thing then 100% do it!! It was the most terrifying but best decision I ever made.
Here are a few of my location independent/work from home tips that I try and stick to:
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Always get dressed. It doesn’t matter if I don’t actually leave the house but I will always shower, brush my teeth and get dressed.
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Try to get into a routine. Many times I’ve got into a bad routine and worked till 11pm. This routine can be anything that suits you and your lifestyle, for example at the moment I often to get up at 6am, work till around 10:30, go snowboarding for a few hours then work again from 2pm till 6pm. Obviously this routine is different to when I’m not on a ski season, but the key thing for me is having the routine so I know when is work time and when is play time.
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Try not to work from your bed. Some people I know cough Adam cough —oh damn I have a tickle in my throat— are able to work from their bed. This is something I absolutely CANNOT do. I have to have the mental separation between the place I relax, sleep, and watch Netflix from the place I sit down and code.
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Find somewhere outside the house where you can work from. This is important for me because working and living from your home can result in the 4 walls you’re surrounded in driving you bonkers. This can vary depending on where I am; 9 times out of 10 it’s finding a coffee shop with good wifi where I can go for a few hours a few times a week. I’ve also worked from public libraries, or in Istanbul I found I loved working from SALT Galata which is a cultural/research space with desks and internet. Bonus points for not needing to buy coffee.
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And finally another key thing for me is making sure I exercise. When I’m working from an office the walking throughout the day is enough to make not feel like a complete slob. But when I’m working from home I need to do something. This doesn’t need to be hardcore cardio, it can be something as simple as stretching out on my yoga mat, or more recently going for a little ice-skate on a Tuesday evening.
If you have any tips for working from home please do let me know on my Twitter or Instagram. And this picture right here is why I absolutely love working remotely.
KC x
P.S If you haven’t already, be sure to take a read of my work-life balance post.