I began working from home after spending several years doing short-term on-site consulting. It was a relief to work from home – wherever I wanted to be – after living in sublet apartments for six months at a time. Of course, I still had to travel. Sometimes I was in a hotel more than two weeks a month. Driving and flying all over the country got tiring. At the end of 2019 I decided to take a new role in an office. You can probably guess what happened a few short months later. My company, along with many all over the world, decided to have everyone who could work from home, work from home. Changing from working from home and travel, to working in the office, to working only from home so quickly has given me a unique perspective.

My biggest irritation with working in an office has always been the commute. The last time I had a commute under 30 minutes I was in college. I’ve walked in the snow and ice. I’ve been stuck on a train that lost power. I’ve waited in standstill rush hour traffic for over an hour in a less than reliable car only to get to the office and pay for parking. Once you’ve worked from home, you really do get used to things being more convenient and pleasant.

Even when I have back-to-back meetings, I can quickly go to the kitchen and grab lunch, a snack, a cup of tea, run to the bathroom, take the dogs out, or grab the mail between meetings! During cold and flu season I’m not around people who insist on coming to the office even though they’re sick so I’m not catching germs and I rarely get sick now. I no longer get headaches from fluorescent lighting. I don’t wait in line to heat up my lunch and I rarely spend money on takeout for lunch. The cost savings on gas, car maintenance, painkillers, and takeout really have added up.

There are also things that are convenient for me, that might not be for you. For instance, I always have a TV show or movie going on in the background. Most of the time I know what it is but it’s not something I’m focused on. It’s more to distract from the other noises: neighborhood kids, my dogs, neighborhood dogs, the mail carrier delivering mail, other people in the house. I’ve tried listening to music, many of my coworkers listen to music while they work, but I’ve found I pay attention to the music, where the TV I usually forget is on. I don’t wear shoes. I wear slippers. But shoes of some kind are probably a better idea. Several months after COVID-19 started, foot injuries were up! People were tripping at home, and not getting the arch support they needed. So, if you’re accustomed to footwear, keep wearing it.

I’ve made some mistakes while working from home. So, let me share the most important lessons I’ve learned.

1. Don’t use a regular kitchen or dining room chair. At least not for long. Your back and hips need better support for eight hours a day. I used a dining room chair for 5 years. I should’ve spent money to get even a second-hand chair with more support. It’s good to be comfortable while you work, but things should be set up for you ergonomically. Use things like laptop stands to boost your screens to the right height for you and a keyboard tray to keep your wrists in a neutral position and avoid repetitive stress injuries.
2. Have a separate area for work. I’m now using the smallest bedroom in my house as a home office. It’s my favorite room in the whole house. I’m surrounded by books, music, memorabilia, and things I’ve collected throughout my life. I have a laptop rack to safely, and conveniently store multiple laptops. I have large monitors that display multiple screens. If you don’t have the option of a separate room, carve out space that’s only used for your work. Some areas make more sense than others, a corner of the guest room is good, a corner of the kids’ playroom probably isn’t. Your bedroom is a bad idea. I set my large bedroom up with room dividers but after a couple of weeks I was having trouble sleeping. It was so easy to tell myself ‘I’ll just take care of that one thing and then I’ll go to bed’. Of course, that would lead to me doing a few hours of work because it was quiet.
3. Have a morning routine and stick to it on weekdays. On weekends, have a different routine. And have a routine in the evening, have a set time you regularly plan to be the end of your workday. Of course, there will be times when you need another 30 or 60 minutes, maybe even more a couple of times a year, but it shouldn’t happen often. A 40-hour workweek can turn into a 60–80-hour workweek faster than you’d imagine. It can be very tempting to catch up on email, go over the information you’ve waited all day for, take care of something ‘quick’, but if you don’t need to do it, I encourage you not to. We all need downtime. Disconnecting from work gives our brains a break, keeps us fresher for the workday, and lessens our chance of burnout.
4. Most likely you don’t need to wear a suit but you should still get dressed in the morning. Don’t stay in your pajamas. Remember, you’re not just at home, you’re working from home. Getting dressed first thing in the morning is better for you mentally, increases your productivity, and makes it easier to do things like go for a walk at lunch or see friends in the evening.
5. When working from home, whether you’re new to it or you’ve been doing it for years, you might get lonely. Continue to do things to get you out of your home. Try to regularly meet up with friends and family. If you have friends, family, or nearby coworkers who also work from home, suggest meeting with them as a group or individually.

Transitioning from remote work to in-office and then back to working from home has been great and I’ve learned a lot! While working from home has enhanced my senses of freedom and convenience and I’ve easily embraced the perks of an at home office like flexibility and personality, adopting things like an ergonomic setup, a structured routine, and maintaining social ties have been more difficult, but I’m growing in those areas and major changes like this take time, dedication, and persistence. I don’t see myself ever returning to an office on a regular basis. I prefer the peace and quiet of my home office with my style of décor, Supernatural playing in the background, and no fluorescent lighting.