Thank you all again for the good advice!
I hated working at home the first time I did it (a decade ago), but I love it now!
I gave myself set hours for working. I log in every day at 7:30 am (just as I used to show up in the office at that same time). I usually stop working at 5...which is when I used to get home from work. That is about an hour of "extra" time built into my day.
About two hours into my day, I take the dog on a walk. Or, if he refuses to cooperate, I go on a walk by myself. I'd like to do the same thing in the afternoon, but it's starting to get too hot.
Once or twice a week, I go to a group exercise class at the gym in the morning.
Once a week I meet a friend for lunch, either at my house or out.
Some days I run errands or go to the doctor or go to the library. (Tip - Find out the library schedule. DO NOT go to the library during toddler storytime unless you bring earplugs.)
If I'm feeling too isolated, I call a SAHM friend and chat for 15 minutes in the afternoon.
I think I'm actually more productive at home, even if I'm not sitting in front of the computer for exactly 8 hours a day, than I ever was in the office. I've also noticed that I don't need as much me-time in the evenings any more, so I'm actually doing more things out and about with my kids than we used to do after work.
I really like these ideas. My dogs would LOVE a mid-morning walk and I could definitely use the exercise. I never even considered not needing as much me-time. I could definitely see this happening to me and my extroverted husband would be thrilled! And thanks for the tip on the library schedule....I don't think I could focus during toddler storytime.
I have been WFH for over 3.5 years, everyone else I work with is on-location hundreds of miles away. Others have mentioned getting dressed, morning routine, separate space and those are all key.
Productivity: I had a lot of mental guilt about not "working" all the time during business hours, since I am a salary employee. So now I track my productive time (using a Pomodoro timer app) and use that to determine if I've worked "enough" for the day. After that and if the workload isn't too crazy, I do chores or whatever around the house guilt-free.
Workspace: I caved and got a fancy standing desk and ergonomic chair. Make sure you have room for midday dance parties. :) If you can, have an office room, not just a dedicated desk, that you can close the door on when you're done for the day. Also helps if other people will be around while you're working. I also have a comfy spot for my dogs so they can keep me company during the day.
Boundaries: I got a lot of requests at odd hours since people assumed I was near my computer at all times. This ruined my downtime since I was constantly worried I would be called into work. I discussed it with my boss and it is better now, but be aware that this might happen if you are the only WFH person.
Getting out: I walk my dogs immediately after work every day and it helps me decompress and separate work from home time. I also found a work-related user group that helped me a) get out of the house and b) meet local people in my field since I don't have coworkers nearby.
Good luck! WFH can be a struggle but it is totally awesome once you get the hang of it. I don't think I could go back to an office at this point.
Thank you for all of this! We bought a home last October and our 3rd bedroom is currently "the dog room", so we're converting it into an office. My husband is going to build me a desk and we're searching for an affordable sleeper sofa so that our dogs have a comfy place to hang out and it can double as a 2nd guest room. The couch ruins the chance at a tax deduction, but I'd rather have something that functions well for our family than the deduction.
I know there are some other WFH people in the organization, but I'll be supporting Business Development Executives (aka salespeople), so I could definitely see the boundary thing becoming an issue. I will make sure I look out for that.
How did you find your work-related user group? I have some friends from my current job (which is in a similar field), church, and my husband's work, but I'm always open to more!
What technology will the company provide? I work from home and we have a business IM program and video. I make it a point to reach out to someone at least once a day. It keeps you connected to your work group.
Also my gym is less than a mile from the house so I can go workout over lunch.
I know they use Skype for business, so I'll be able to message people throughout the day. And I'll essentially be supporting the sales team, so I do think I'll get some human interaction that way.
I have worked from home for a decade.
While I appreciate having a very functional home office (which for me means a good printer/scanner, decent monitor, reliable internet and phone service, good lighting and sufficient desk and shelf space), large parts of how I've taken advantage of working from home are in direct contradiction to much of the advice above.
I am very focused when I'm working, but the idea that I need to "get ready for work" seems like it would just be a waste of time; most days I will exercise at some point in the day, and if I can I put off "getting dressed" until after that, then I only do once things I'd otherwise need to do twice. Similarly, because I know my work flow will often by erratic, I don't worry about a rigid fixed work schedule; rather, I have "reasonable working times" that are broader than the core work hours, so when the opportunity to do something worthwhile comes up in core work hours, I have some time to shift work around.
There are advantages to working from home; don't give them up for the sake of trying to work in the way that made sense for you in an office setting.
I really appreciate the different point of view here; it makes me feel a little more free to figure out what works for me. Maybe I will need to get ready in the mornings in order to be productive, but maybe I won't (the extra 40 minutes of sleep would be awesome). I think if I were self-employed it would be a bit more of a struggle to stay productive, but because I am still reporting to someone I don't really have the option to not be productive. Thanks for the reminder that I don't have to do things the same way I would in a normal office.
I have been working from home for 8.5 years. As an extrovert, I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it turns out I LOVE the flexibility WFH offers, and that offsets any negatives in my mind. Now that I set my own work schedule, I think it would be terribly difficult to go back to working in an office.
Setting aside "me time" in the day is one key to happiness for me. I take a noon class at the fitness center four days a week, and I basically plan my day around that. It gives me the structure I seem to instinctively crave, and it gets me out of the house and among people on a daily basis.
Having a full kitchen at hand, an obliging cat, and music at whatever volume I choose are also HUGE pluses for me.
I hope you enjoy your new job! And that raise is just the beginning of the financial benefit - zero commute, less dry cleaning, eating lunch at home... they all add up!
Thanks so much - I'm getting more and more excited to start the new position! I'm definitely going to have to look into some sort of class. It's been a recommendation from a lot of people.
I try to go work in a coffee shop a few hours each day. Of course, if your work involves stuff that can't be done from a coffee shop or if one is too far away that may not work. I have 3 walking distance from my house. That keeps me sane!
I have a couple coffee shops within driving distance. My mom keeps a car at our house for when she visits, so even if we drop down to a one car family, I'll still have access to hers. I don't know yet if I'll be allowed to connect to public wifi, but getting out of the house a couple days a week might be nice.