How I Make Work from Home Work for Me

“I’ll never be a freelancer. I’ll never work from home.” I said that tens of times in my first job out of college, at a translation and localization firm, where I spent a lot of my day communicating with freelance translators and agencies. 

A couple of years after that, I left a job with no plan B and started picking up some writing and editing gigs while I figured out what I would do next. Guess what? It’s now been almost a decade of freelancing (now as an actual company). It’s been almost a decade of—you guessed it—working from home.

Here’s how I’ve made work from home work for me, even before the pandemic: 

1. I get dressed every day.

“Why even work from home if you’re going to get dressed?” people occasionally ask in shock. “Isn’t the point of being at home that you can wear your pajamas all day?!” I’m a very slow mover in the morning—my brain really only kicks into gear about two or three hours after I’ve woken up. But if I stay in my pajamas, there’s a good chance of it not kicking into gear at all. Now, it’s not that I get dressed for a shareholders’ meeting on Wall Street—my typical uniform is jeans and a sweater/sweatshirt, and under my desk you’ll usually find my feet clad in slippers—but I can’t spend the whole day in the sweats I slept in. 

2. I have a dedicated workspace. 

I’ve never been one to work in bed or on the couch. I’ve always had a desk, even in my childhood bedroom, where I did my homework. But up until my daughter was born, which coincided roughly with the COVID-19 pandemic, I could easily spend a couple of hours each day in a café, nursing a soy- or almond-milk cappuccino and breaking for a salad. During COVID, with my favorite cafés shuttered (and, honestly, too scary to go to), my husband convinced me to upgrade my sad desk in our shared home office with a real office chair and a big external monitor, and it has made all the difference. Now I choose my desk over cafés almost every time.  

3. I have a little pre-work ritual.

I don’t remember where I first heard it (probably Cal Newport’s podcast or book Deep Work?), but someone mentioned the importance of routines or rituals that help you get into the work mindset and focus. For me it’s nothing fancy: right before sitting down at my desk, I brew myself a fresh cup of tea (even if I’ve already had one) and serve myself five or six Trader Joe’s chocolate-covered espresso beans (if I haven’t run out). This little ritual signals to my brain that it’s time to get to work. 

4. If I’m feeling stuck, I switch gears. 

Despite what the modern work week suggests, few people can work for eight (or more) hours straight. Anyone who can write for eight hours straight is… probably ChatGPT. Luckily, at home, I don’t have to force myself to keep staring at the screen if I’m feeling stuck or drained. I can switch to a different task (like writing a post for LinkedIn or an admin task that will be a quick win), put in a load of laundry or unload the dishwasher, or step out for a short walk around the block. All of these things help me clear my mind and go back to my work feeling more refreshed and focused.   

5. I disconnect during the weekends. 

When my husband and I started dating, I would work all the time—evenings, weekends, you name it. He had a normal 9-to-5(ish) job, and at some point, it became clear that if we wanted to spend more time together, my schedule would have to look a little more like his (aka a “regular” person’s schedule). I still work many evenings, especially if I step away to do afternoon pick-up and dinnertime, but not weekends. It’s gotten to the point where I feel my brain slowly turning off as the weekend rolls in (Thursday evening here in Israel), and even if I try to work during the weekend, it’s a struggle—so I’ve mostly given up trying.  

What does working from home look like for you? Do you love it? Hate it?

Connect with me on LinkedIn to let me know what your WFH routine looks like and for more of my thoughts on freelancing and working from home. 
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