Five Secrets to Working from Home - Your Career Intel

Five Secrets to Working from Home - Your Career IntelUpon sharing that you work from home, you will typically receive one of two reactions I could never do that or You are so lucky Most of the time, these very different responses are grounded in the same assumption telecommuters are free to spend their days in their pajamas, working in front of the television. As an executive recruiter who has telecommuted for over ten years, I know that the reality is very different. However, the challenges of working from home are real without the structure and social contact that an office environment provides, its up to you to stay focused, motivated, and connected with your colleagues.Follow these five tips to stay motivated working from home.Maintain a consistent scheduleIf you work from home, a structured daily schedule can be a crucial source of motivation. It doesnt have to be 9 to 5 after all, some of us work better in the evening or early in the morning. Work when you are most productive, but maintain a consistent workday. This will prevent you from procrastinating, ensure that you are putting in a full day of work, and help you to maintain a strong presence in your workplace. If your colleagues know that you are available at specific times, they will be more inclined to reach out and keep you in the loop even when you are not in the office.Avoid distracting websites and phone callsWorking from home helps you avoid the distractions of a busy office, but also poses new challenges to productivity it can be nearly impossible to avoid the productivity vortex of Twitter, Facebook, and cat videos. Luckily, there are some great resources to help you focus, including programs that limit or track your time on social media, or even disable your web connection temporarily. Make it clear to friends that you are unavailable for social phone calls during work hours. Exercising discipline will not only make you more productive, but also keep you happier at work.Set reasonable boun daries in your homeEspecially for telecommuters with children, it can be difficult and stressful to set reasonable boundaries between your workday and family time. It doesnt have to be, however finding a strategic place for your home office and maintaining open lines of communication can make your home a great place to work. Create an office space that is as far from the bedrooms, the family gathering place, and the front door as possible in order to minimize distractions. Communicate to your family that, while you love spending time with them, they can help you to be productive by limiting visits during work hours.Take your wellness seriouslyExercise and a healthy diet make you smarter, more focused, and more efficient. Luckily, the flexibility of a work-from-home schedule may make it easier to find time to get outside, work out, and eat right. Take advantage of this perk even if you do 15 minutes of aerobics or take a short walk each day. Shop smart to avoid the temptation to sn ack during the daytime, and learn to prepare quick, healthy lunches at home.Maintain social and professional tiesTelecommuters, whether they work from home full-time or part-time, can lose touch with their coworkers. Social isolation decreases happiness at work and erodes motivation. Make an effort to visit your office frequently, and invest time in forming friendships with colleagues. Even if you dont see them often, a friendly rapport will make you a more connected member of the gruppe and increase your engagement.Working from home has many perks as well as many challenges. Strike a balance by making proactive decisions about your workday, and youll be happier, smarter, and more efficient in your work.What is your biggest challenge working from home? What helps you stay motivated?

5 Things I Did After Having a Baby to Recognize Myself Again

5 Things I Did After Having a Baby to Recognize Myself Again This is not normal. I am not OK, I sobbed into the phone in that heaving, full-body-cry kind of a way. My best friend, Mer, had called to check on me the day after I came home from the hospital with my daughter. An obstetrician, she had delivered my daughter herself a few days earlier.With my best friend at the helm, I couldnt have asked for a mora supported birth. In the days that followed in the hospital, however, I spent most of my time feeling completely overwhelmed. The transition to motherhood welches more radical than I had expected. When I returned from the hospital, I walked into the same house I had left just a few days before but everything felt different. Suddenly, with my daughter in tow, when I stepped into the house I had stepped into a completely new life.Three years and two kids later, I cant imagine my life without my kids, nor would I want to. I welches right that day my life is different now and the road to recognizing myself post-baby welches bumpy (to say the least).Here are five things I did to smooth out the bumps and recognize myself again, post-motherhood1. I went to therapy.I had my daughter on a Monday, came home from the hospital on a Wednesday, and was sitting with my therapist in his office on Friday at 3pm. People talk about baby blues, but I couldnt calm down. Im not ashamed to say I had postpartum depression and anxiety. Having support from a trained professional made a monumental impact on getting to a place where I could feel like myself again.2. I found new ways to enjoy old hobbies.There are few things I enjoy more than reading. Unfortunately, feedings and endless loads of newborn laundry werent exactly conducive to curling up on the couch with a great book. Listening to a great book, however, was perfect for my new routine. Audiobooks didnt just help me reisepass the time and work my way through my reading wish list. Discovering I actually had even more time to p ursue one of my favorite hobbies was a lifeline in reconciling my old life with my new one.3. I cultivated new hobbies, too.When my daughter was 7 weeks old I found myself with 2 hours of unexpected childcare on a random Tuesday afternoon. On a whim, I signed up for a barre class not even really knowing what it was. All I knew was that it was 15 minutes from my house, I wanted to get a workout in and that the class fit my time frame perfectly. I spontaneously tried something new and I absolutely loved it. So much about my life had changed with motherhood and discovering something new on my own terms was exactly what I needed.4. I invested in community.Being at home with a newborn can be isolating and I quickly realized I was happier when I spent time with other people. I made a plan to leave the house everyday and connect with other adults I met friends near their office for coffee or lunch, I signed up for mommy-and-me groups and when all else failed I talked to strangers (usually other women sitting with strollers in coffee shops or at the park). I couldnt have imagined how important the relationships I built with those new friends during this time would be. The more I relied on that community and talked to other women, the more I realized adjusting to motherhood is challenging for just about everyone and youre usually not the only mom having a hard day.5. I went back to work and I crushed it.I was nervous and emotional about the transition back to work, who isnt? Getting settled into working-mom-life was a transition, just like becoming a mother had been 5 months before. Like so many women I know, I went back to work just when I was really getting the hang of this whole mom thing. Three weeks after I returned to work I led a meeting, presenting to a room full of 25 people. Standing in front of the room to unveil a new initiative I truly felt like me again. The initiative launched and was a smashing success. Kicking butt, taking names and changing diapers di dnt just make me feel like my old self it made me feel like the best version of my new self.I dont only recognize myself 3+ years in, I recognize the growth that has made me a better version of my old self. Still passionate about the things I loved before my kids and with appreciation for my incredible community, Im a more resilient version of myself in this (not so) new chapter of my life. ---By day Randi Braun is a sales executive and by night shes the CEO Founder ofSomething Major. A career coach living in Washington, DC, Randi specializes in helping working women and mothers achieve their career goals, and has been featured inParents Magazine.