Meghan Morris/Business Insider
An office chair is empty while its sitter works from home.
- I've been working from home for years, and there's no real "trick" or magic pill to make it easier.
- I perform just as well, or better, from home in my sweatpants and working from my couch instead of a desk. But it does take some getting used to.
- Thankfully, I don't need to go out and buy anything new or special for my job. All I need is a laptop and an internet connection - two things I already have.
- The best tip I can give to people who are new to working from home is to set a hard cut-off time to end the work day. It's easy to keep working and burn yourself out if you don't have your usual commute home to declare the end of the day.
- Over time, working from home becomes much, much easier. Of course it takes adjustment - it's a generally new experience and environment for office warriors.
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Thankfully, Business Insider lets me work from home a few days of the week so I can avoid my long and expensive commute, and I've been able to successfully do my job partially from home for the last four years without compromise.
And now as businesses and cities across the United States push for employees to work remotely to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, innumerable colleagues and professionals are finding themselves working from home, too. For the vocal some, many are clearly having a hard time. For others who haven't commented about working from home, you're clearly loving it.
As a "WFH" veteran, I've been asked what kinds of rituals and routines I partake in, and what tools I use to perform at home as well as I do at the office. If you were looking to unlock the mystical secrets to working from home effectively, prepare to be sorely disappointed, because there's nothing to it.
Here it is: