If you're within snow blowing distance of the Xapsis offices in ice-kissed downtown Peoria, Illinois, you know that we are under a deep freeze. And by deep freeze, I mean "travel highly discouraged/your face will freeze that way within seconds/your pets will probably refuse to go outside to do their business" deep freeze. For some of us, these frightfully frigid temps, coupled with impenetrable snowdrifts, have made today a "work from home" day. And though the thought of working in your jammies with a puppy at your feet might seem awfully appealing, I'll offer up some tips to stay productive even from the comfort of your cave.
Create a space. If you're fortunate enough to have a home office, great. If not, commandeer the kitchen table or a corner of the basement where you can adequately spread out.
Make a to-do list. Since much of the time spent on the computer at home is for play, log out of tempting social media sites and newsfeeds that might get you off track. Set task completion goals, even if it's something as simple as, "I will finish this blog by noon."
Get on chat. Many offices have applications such as Google Hangouts or Yahoo Instant Messenger where you can keep in touch with coworkers to ask quick questions or get feedback immediately. It helps make you feel more connected to the office when you need to be, and also lets your boss know you're really working.
Use the cloud. Keep documents updated and uploaded to a cloud storage service such as DropBox or Google Drive. Being able to access your files can be invaluable on days you're snowed in or home with sick kids.
Speaking of kids. Create what I call a "no-fly zone" when you're working. Basically that's a "if you're not bleeding, don't bother me" rule. Obviously, this works better if your kids are older. If your kids are younger, see if a neighbor or family member can watch them for a few hours or regulate your work time to nap time.
Above all, know that it may be "virtually" impossible to be as productive as you might be in an office environment, especially if you have little ones running around. However, even if you use the day for organizing files, deleting old emails or getting caught up on correspondence, the work from home day won't be completely wasted.
