The Quest for the Perfect WFH Routine

Welcome, dear readers, to the wacky world of working from home, where the comfort of joggers and the freedom to munch on snacks during meetings collide! As we embark on this journey together, let’s explore the trials and tribulations of creating the “perfect” work-from-home routine. Spoiler alert: It’s not as easy as it seems!

1. The Alarm Clock Conundrum:

Working from home means no more pesky morning commutes, right? Well, think again! As we try to establish a routine, the snooze button becomes irresistible. Suddenly, 8:55 a.m. rolls around, and we find ourselves scrambling to log into the virtual meeting, hair still half wet from our mad-dash shower. Oops!

In order to get your day started on the right note and to avoid waking up right before you log on to work, try getting up a half hour before your start time. When waking up a half hour before seems easy, try waking up an hour earlier. That way, you have time to yourself before you start work for the day. Going for a walk, doing your skincare, watching the news, or reading before work can help your day to start on the right foot. Having a healthy breakfast can also be a great way to get your energy levels up. Here are some of our favorite breakfast and coffee items to get the day started before work:

• Starbucks® Breakfast Blend K-Cup Pods
• Quaker® Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack
• Koia Magic Mango Smoothies
• Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Power Cup, Buttermilk and Maple Flavor

Even if you aren’t a self-proclaimed “morning person,” try it for a week or two and see how you feel. You might slowly become an early riser on purpose.

2. The Uninvited Office Mates:

Ah, the joys of sharing your workspace with four-legged friends or kids who are convinced you’re home solely for their entertainment. You try to maintain professionalism while your cat insists on sitting on your keyboard or your toddler interrupts your conference call to enthusiastically share his love for their own potty-training triumph. It’s a good thing your coworkers have embraced the chaos with a sense of humor!

If you want to cut down on the number of “interruptions” you get while working, (especially if you are in meetings) here are a few methods to try out. Something to note: I’ve tried these with my own four-legged friends while working from home, and they don’t always cooperate, so expect some interruptions here or there.

• Shut the door: It’s as simple as that. Dogs and cats can’t open doors, but depending on how old your little ones are, they might be able to, so beware.
• Explain the situation: Obviously this won’t work on pets, because as much as they understand their favorite words like “walk” “treat” and “outside,” they won’t necessarily understand that you’re in an important meeting and to leave you alone. If you have children who are old enough to understand, try telling them that you are busy and to use their inside voice during your call. The explanation can be key.
• Blur your background: Ahh yes. This one has come in handy for me, especially since my dogs are wild daytime dreamers. With a blurred background on a meeting or a call, it can be harder for people to get distracted by your cute and fluffy companion in the back. If you haven’t tried this one, I definitely recommend it.

3. The ‘Business on Top, Party on the Bottom’ Dress Code:

Finding the perfect balance between formality and relaxation in your attire can be a real challenge, especially if you work from home. You master the art of dressing up from the waist up, rocking that buttoned-up shirt for video calls, only to realize you’ve been unknowingly working with polka-dotted pajama bottoms on. “Business up top, Netflix marathon down below!” becomes your untold motto.

The difference in wardrobes can make you feel like you are living two separate lives, and that’s okay. I have definitely been there. I promise I won’t tell on you if you throw on a more casual top for a day that doesn’t consist of meetings. Your secret is safe with me. After all, the clothing you wear while working from home does not define you. Just be sure to keep it appropriate and most importantly, comfortable.

4. The Distract-a-thon:

Distractions lurk everywhere in your home—from the siren song of the fridge to the call of Netflix’s latest binge-worthy series. You start off strong, determined to be productive, but before you know it, you’re deep into Tik Tok videos featuring silly things that people’s pets do. Let’s face it: getting work done is a task of Herculean proportions!

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my fire alarm has gone off during meetings, and I’ve only been working from home for a year! Don’t worry though, I checked the batteries every time just to make sure they were working properly. Let’s just say that running around the house to find the troubled alarm turned into a game. Where oh where was the faulty alarm? Only once did I have to swap them out for fresh Duracell® batteries but of course that only happens when I’m in a meeting. Distractions, distractions. They will always be a part of our work-from-home days, but that’s what keeps the day interesting, right?

5. The Technological Mayhem:

Oh, the joy of technical glitches! Just when you’re ready to present that groundbreaking idea, your Wi-Fi decides to take an impromptu vacation. Your laptop crashes during a critical document save, and you’re left staring at the dreaded spinning wheel of doom. It’s during these moments that you question all your life choices leading up to this brave WFH adventure.

I’ve definitely had this happen to me, and frankly, there isn’t much you can do about it, (sorry if I gave you false hope). I’ve lost power at my house a few times recently, and of course, you don’t get a warning for when that will happen. When those instances occurred, I simply used my iPhone’s hotspot to power my work computer so that I could finish out the day (or at least try to) since my phone didn’t have a full battery. All you can really do is find a way to let someone at work know of your power problems, and hope that it will come back on. Some alternatives for this problem could be finding a café that has ample Wi-Fi or sucking it up and driving into the office… of course if you live close by. A pro tip: save your documents frequently and use the Auto-Save feature, because you truly never know when the Wi-Fi or power will just say, “see ya” and disconnect. Trust me.

As we navigate the rollercoaster of working from home, let’s not forget to embrace humor in our daily struggles. From cat-topped keyboards to the epic saga of dressing professionally (at least from the waist up), laughter remains our trusted ally. So, fellow pajama-clad work buddies, let’s raise a cup of coffee (or something stronger) and toast to the hilarity that unfolds during our quest to create the perfect work-from-home routine. Cheers!