The world’s current state has forced many of us to change the way we work. To keep employees, families, and communities healthy, more and more companies are going remote.

From our personal experiences, we’ve gathered a list of tips, advice, and best practices that have made our transitions to remote work as seamless as possible. We’re passing these tips along to you to help you get through this transition with confidence and optimism.

Here are tips for navigating remote work.

1. Continue your morning routine.

With no commute time, it can be tempting to sleep in or work in your pajamas. But your daily routine sets the tone for your work day – especially when you haven’t left the house.

Try to continue your same morning routine even though you’re not heading into the office.

2. Set a daily schedule for your work day – including breaks.

Set a daily schedule for your work day (and stick to it) to stay motivated and productive while you work from home.

Block off your day into chunks of time, so you can be intentional about your work – and don’t forget to add time for breaks, too!

Give yourself a break. It may take a while to figure out the right schedule for you.

3. Organize a designated place to work.

Set up a designated space to serve as your home ‘office’ while you’re remote.

Try to make your at-home work station mirror your office work station as closely as possible. It will help you get in the groove easily and feel more comfortable with the change.

Here are a few pro tips when selecting your new work space:

• WiFi – consider the location of your router in your home. You may need your desk to be nearby for faster internet speed. Test your WiFi speed here.
• Background – You’ll likely be doing a lot of video calls. Make sure the background of your work space isn’t too distracting. Adjust your camera as needed.
• Door – if available, choose a work space with a door. If you have partners, kids, roommates, or coworkers at home, closing the door is a great “do not disturb” signal if you’re on an important call.

4. Leave work at work.

It’s hard to separate work and home. But when you’re remote, it’s essential to keep a healthy work/life balance.

Set boundaries for yourself, so you can always leave work at “work.”

5. Schedule daily standups with your team.

When your entire team is remote, schedule daily standup meetings to stay connected.

Daily standups are 15-minute syncs that take place every morning (usually right after people get to work).  They should take place at the same time each day.

In these meetings, each team member shares:

• What they did yesterday: Summarize what they worked on and accomplished.
• What they will do today: What are their top tasks for the rest of the workday?
• What potential roadblocks might prevent success: If there is anything preventing work from getting done, bring it up so it can get resolved.

6. Stay connected with video.

Working remotely can feel isolating, but video can help. Schedule video calls for regularly scheduled meetings. Or jump on a video call to have lunch with a coworker.

Getting to see your coworkers and talk to them ‘virtually in person’ adds some normalcy back into your work day.

Try Zoom, HighFive, or other video conferencing apps to stay connected with your team.

7. Make it a point to move!

When you’re working from home, it can be tempting to move from your desk to the couch. But it’s important to move your body. Exercise is a mood booster and it reduces stress and anxiety.

Here are a few ways our team gets up and active while working from home.

Schedule time for some physical activity into your day to get your blood pumping & clear your mind.

8. Parents – be flexible.

If you are a parent with kids at home, here are a few tips to get through the day (and still get some work done).

Take advantage of the fringe hours. Focus on work when your kids are sleeping or napping.

If you have a partner, try to divide the day between the two of you. One parent can have focused work time, while the other is on kid duty.

Depending on the ages of your kids, you can plan out activities to keep them busy during the day. Create a schedule for your kids. They are used to structured days, and a daily schedule will help the transition feel more familiar to them, too.

Friendly reminder: now is not the time to feel guilty about screen time. Give yourself grace, and know your kids are probably going to get antsy, too.

Which leads us to our next tip…

9. Enjoy the outdoors.

Get outside! Working from home doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the house. Walk around the block. Go for a run. Take your puppy out for a stroll.

If you are around other people, continue to practice social distancing. The CDC suggests staying at least 6 feet away from anyone who appears sick.

10. Take time for professional development.

Many conferences and events have been rescheduled or cancelled, but there are tons of opportunities for professional development from home.

Sign up for an online certification or course. Read a marketing book. Now’s the time to learn something new.

11. Check in with your team.

Most importantly, remember to check in with your team during the day.

Whether it’s a two-minute chat or a quick message of encouragement via IM, be intentional about connecting with your coworkers.

Remember, you are not alone. If you were thrust into remote working and now feel isolated, reach out to a coworker. They may feel the same way.

12. Celebrate wins – big & small.

In times of uncertainty, we can take all the positivity we can get. Be mindful to celebrate wins with your team – big and small.

Share them in IM, email, and on video calls. Share them often.

To wrap things up, here are a few final words of encouragement from our team to yours:

The current state of the world has changed the way many of us work. To help out our fellow marketers, we’ve put together a list of resources to help make working from home a little easier.

Working from home is now the new normal. Take it one day at a time, and remember that we’re all in this together.