I remember the days of working in a law office and dreaming of being able to work from home. It would be glorious I thought! Get up whenever I want and set my own schedule — what could be better?! And while those are definitely perks of working from home, it can still be hard to stay motivated, focused and productive when working from home. I believe you have to have some internal motivation and be a self-starter, otherwise working from home is extra hard. There are so many temptations all around! But, I still feel very fortunate to be able to work from home and want to share my best tips to stay focused and productive. Plus, here’s a look at the outfits I wear in a typical week. I hope this gives you some great work from home outfit ideas!

Do Your Beauty Routine + Get Dressed

I’m not saying that you have to wear a fancy outfit with heels (actually I love to wear my slippers even when I have regular clothes on), but I do highly suggest that you get up, do your beauty routine, put on a bit of makeup and get dressed. When I was studying for the Bar Exam, I took a test prep course and the very first thing the instructor said was to make sure that we do not wear pajamas when we go to take the exam. Studies have shown that when you feel confident in your appearance, you perform better. Again, it doesn’t have to be a super complicated outfit, but just wear things that make you feel good. Of course, I love leggings but I try to switch it up a bit and at least put on jeans a few days a week.

Batch Your Days

Working from home offers a lot of flexibility, but it can also be hard to figure out how to schedule your time to be the most productive. I love the concept of batching days. Basically, you group together like tasks and dedicate a certain day of the week to complete them all. It helps with concentration and productivity and also helps you get more done with less stress and time. For example, I usually schedule all photo shoots on Wednesdays so I only have to get camera ready once a week. I also try to plan all my meetings on Tuesdays or Wednesdays so again, I don’t have to get really ready more than once. And I minimize distractions to my work flow by having to leave the house for a meeting or even get on the phone for a call. Mondays are usually admin days where I work on all my administrative tasks and Friday are a free for all, but I really try not to work on Fridays. Work from home perks!!

Use A CarryAll Basket

I love this tip! While I do have a dedicated office space, sometimes I want to get out and work somewhere else in the house like the dining room table or ummm…. the couch 😉 I use a cute basket to keep all my office necessities like a charger, pens, my papers and planner. They are nice and organized in the basket and it makes it easy to just grab the basket and go when I want to work from somewhere else in the house. Plus it makes clean up easy because I can just toss everything back in the basket and take it back to my office and the end of the day.

Get The Right Accessories

The number one item I recommend purchasing is an acrylic laptop stand. This helps with neck strain and posture and helps prevent your arms and wrists from hurting. It’s a great tool to have on your desk when working from home! I also love to use an external keyboard and mouse. If you’re working on a laptop, the keyboard and mouse are not very ergonomically friendly so to prevent injury to yourself, get an external keyboard and mouse. You can position them to be most comfortable for you and they work great with the acrylic laptop stand.

Get A Cute Cup

I LOVE CUPS! Haha but seriously I stay motivated to drink water when I have a cute cup. I also get excited about my coffee routine in the morning and it helps me stay on schedule. Whatever little things that get you excited and motivated — do that! Maybe it’s a new notebook or a fun pen. The point is to find a small thing that makes your life easier!

Go Outside for 3 Songs

I can get in the zone and start working and forget to get up from my chair. That’s why I love having my Apple Watch to remind me to standup. Beyond just standing up, I think it’s important to move my body — even just for 10 minutes, a few times a day. I love to grab my phone and AirPods and go outside and just walk around my neighborhood for the length of 3 songs, which equals roughly 12 minutes. Even if you don’t want to walk, just go outside. Be in nature. Breathe in fresh air.

Have a Dedicated Space

I feel very blessed to be able to work from home and have a dedicated office space. But even if you don’t have a dedicated office, you can still create a small space in your home that is just for work. This helps to create boundaries between your personal home life and work. That is very important! It also makes it easy to have one central location to leave all your work items. As I mentioned, sometimes I do like to switch it up and work from other places at my house (or even a coffee shop) but it’s still very important to have a dedicated space in the house when working from home.

Set An End Time

Close up shop at the end of the night — including your laptop screen and even your planner. I physically close everything so it feels like I’m done with work and my office is closed. Then when I get to my work space in the morning, I’m excited to open things up and get going again.