- It kind of feels like I was called
by the bat signal on this one.
(upbeat music)
Good morning, Good Life, welcome back to Amy TV
where we come together
to help you go after the life you want.
This is a very spontaneous video right now,
I just kinda thought,
yeah, a lotta people need help on this at the moment.
We're living through a very interesting time right now
where a lot of people who are able to
are being asked to work from home due to a virus
that is completely spreading all over the world
and risking the health of a lot of people.
For those people who are able to work from home
and were asked to do that for the coming time period,
it probably sounded pretty cool, right, at first, right?
Like, oh my god, what?
I get to do everything at home, in my yoga pants
while Netflix is on TV, yes, thank you,
I've been waiting all my life.
Okay, but then you do it
and it's a lot harder than it seems.
So I wanted to be helpful on this today
so that you can get something done
and I have 10 tips for working from home,
especially for those of you
who are very new to this territory.
Just as a side note,
we at GATLUW House and Aftermarq businesses
that I own with my partner Vincenzo,
we decided that everybody needed to work from home
because we are pretty much 100% capable of doing that
in the way that our business works,
or, at least, how it's working for the time being.
So I actually brought my staff in on this conversation
to see what they had to say about this sort of new situation
they've got going on with working remotely.
So I definitely wanna dig in on some of these tough topics
that they brought to light today.
If you're new to this channel
and you have a feeling that time management tips
are gonna come in real handy for you,
I definitely recommend you subscribe to this channel
and turn notifications on
because we make new videos about that all the time.
Number one, start the day on your terms.
Okay, you've gotta have some kind of a morning routine
that makes you feel like you're getting your stuff together
not just rolling out of bed to get on your laptop
to report to your first email.
This is even more possible now
because you don't have to allocate time to commute ideally
and so making sure that you have those steps
that set you up for success
before you're gonna dig into work is really important.
One of those steps is to put pants on, okay?
Shout out to my assistant, Lila, who said,
"Getting out of your PJs and actually putting on clothes
"is a challenge when you're working from home."
Believe it or not, how you dress for success,
even when you don't have to report to the office
to show off what you have on, if it's just for you
or a video conference call you're going to have to do,
will help you to approach the day a lot more ambitiously.
So as you're thinking
about your morning routine for tomorrow,
also put out what you plan to wear
so you don't end up in your yoga pants all day long.
Number two, choose a designated place to work.
For a lot of you,
the obvious thing is going to be your kitchen
or dining room table
because you might not have a home office.
If you have a home office, fantastic.
If you have the option to choose a place
where you can sit properly at a desk
with all the things that you need in front of you
and can shut a door, that is ideal.
Bonus points if there's not a TV in that space
because, we'll get to that later,
that is going to be a really hard thing to resist.
Just like you would got to the office and sit at your desk
and that's your desk and that's where you work
and that's where you do the things and get into the mode,
you need to find the space that's going to be
where you get into the mode of work at home.
For those of you like Meagan
who usually don't have three cats
that are trying to walk on her keyboard,
you're definitely gonna be looking for a space
where you can shut a door and evict all people and animals
from what you gotta do.
Number three should be something that you probably do
no matter where you work
but it's going to ensure that you stay focused
on what you've gotta get done for the day
and that's making a list of priorities.
You may be in a position
where you have to do a lot of chatbotting
like checking your email and jumping on Slack
to talk to the team to see what they need,
whatever the case.
But if you also don't have a list of priorities,
it's really easy to let all the things that happen,
distractions at home
and distractions at work on your computer,
keep you from doing the things
that you've actually got to get done.
This list of priorities is also very useful
for the fact that when you sit down for work,
it is easy to lose sight of the fact
that you're supposed to be working right now
and not doing home-like things,
and so knowing that your clock-in
and your clock-out relies on the fact
that you get things done,
that list of priorities is going to push you
through those moments.
You're gonna get everything done.
Lists are unending so scheduling the time for the things
that you would like to get done today is also important.
I highly recommend you check out my calendar-blocking video
we just put out last week
if you think that time management
is the main issue for you with working from home
and you have a lot of control over what you get done
as long as you reel it in on the distraction side of things.
This is also gonna make you feel a lot better
when you think,
oh man, I didn't get everything on my list done,
because we never get everything on our list done, okay?
The list is unending.
Number four is hugely important, hugely important
because it goes for literally everyone
and everything in your life and that is to communicate.
So there's gonna be issues at home with communication,
there's gonna be issues, virtually, with your team,
with your staff for communication.
For employers who have never actually worked
with you remotely before,
they're probably gonna go through periods of like,
are they even doing anything right now?
Because they can't see you and they're not used to that.
So keeping those communication lines open,
no matter what your form of communication is with the team,
whatever your person has designated for you to use,
that's really important, do that as much as you can
because making sure that everyone feels good
about what you're doing
and allowing you the time to focus on that
and not trying to send you things 'cause they're not sure,
is going to be great for you to focus.
The other side of this is more along the lines
of what my team was concerned about.
Meg said, I've got kids at home
so if they don't have structure
and they don't have anywhere to go, they're distracting me.
What about when your significant other
is not exactly realizing you're not home to hang out
or do house chores right now
and you actually have work to do?
That's really confusing for people who don't work from home,
seeing you at home and being like, cool, you're home,
it's like snow days and weekends, this is awesome,
and so we should do these things
or we should clean this part of the house
or what about that project we haven't started on
in the third bedroom?
Ain't nobody got time for that right now,
I'm on the clock.
But like maybe phrase it nicer than that. (laughs)
You're gonna have to teach your kids what it means
when mom is sitting at the kitchen table
with her laptop in front of her.
You're going to have to teach your significant other
that this is a changing time at the moment
and that you don't have as much flexibility as it looks like
from a time standpoint, only from a commuting standpoint.
And, as a matter of fact, you'll probably be more productive
as long as you communicate that to the people around you
because you don't have all the extra things
that work throws your way.
Coworkers passing by and wanting to have conversations,
just like your significant other might as well.
Those coffee breaks you need.
Having to take a lunch break
because your refrigerator isn't right next to you.
You're actually going to be able to save time
in a lot of ways but communicating with all of the people
that play a role in your work-from-home atmosphere right now
is the tough thing you need to do.
Sit down with the people who are important to you
and communicate with the people who are decision makers,
let them know what you're doing to facilitate an efficient
and productive work-from-home environment for yourself.
Number five is important, okay.
TVs and bonus video playing needs to be turned off.
You think you can multitask, honey, honey, you cannot!
Netflix is very good at what they do,
they make amazing content you can't help but binge
because you are following along with that story, okay?
So while you're playing their greatest hits
and you think, oh, it's okay,
I can write this email at the same time,
I can focus on what I'm doing at the same time
and it is not distracting me, you are dead wrong.
The best thing that you can do
for the time that you need to focus on what you are doing,
is have all of those things turned off.
If you need something, I love background noise,
like every time I make a video, it's so awkward for me
'cause I love having music on, I love having a podcast on,
but when I'm focused on getting work done,
it's typically like lyric-free focus music,
specifically on Spotify,
they have a great assortment for you to choose from,
use that to keep you in the zone.
When you work from home, like my husband and I typically do,
Vincenzo even said, you know, there's always a distraction
around every corner, the TV, the other computer, the iPad.
You can always have something on.
Choose not to.
Number six is important no matter where you are,
no matter what you're doing today.
If you want to be at your best,
you've gotta do something to move your body.
It doesn't matter if you're just doing
a 30-minute yoga session in a room of your house
because you don't have any other options,
I have a Peloton
which is coming in very, very handy at the moment
to make sure I get a workout
without having to leave the house.
Do something to move your body,
something that is going to keep your body, your mindset
and everything right.
This is not just good advice
because it's good advice to give, okay?
This is so important because, let me tell you what's easy
when you work from home, and Blake says it, okay,
"It's too easy to go to the kitchen
"to snack on crackers and cheese all day."
This is true, you're going to be able to eat all the time
and maybe you could do that
at your place of employment as well,
depending on what their kitchen and situation looked like,
but when your own refrigerator is right next to you
when you're working at the kitchen table,
I mean like, I love eating popcorn so much
but every time I eat popcorn,
I realize I can't do anything with my hands
when I am eating popcorn because it is such a mess.
You can't get work done when you're eating all day long
and you gain more weight
because you're sitting at home all day, working.
If you get a workout in the morning,
your focus is at its peak,
you are not thinking about eating as much,
you're feeling healthier
and you're gonna dive into what you need to do.
And when you make time to take that lunch,
you take the lunch.
But if you don't wanna be constantly snacking all day,
for the inevitable future
that you will be working from home,
you need to reel that in
and it starts with moving your body.
Number seven is to schedule breaks.
This includes your lunch, when are you taking your lunch?
Do not sit at your computer when you're taking that lunch.
Go sit someplace else, or switch gears of the kitchen table,
computer needs to be out of here for lunchtime.
I am only eating lunch right now.
If you can eat somewhere else, cool.
It's completely up to you, whatever your options are
but if you do not make the time for these breaks,
you're just gonna be sitting, nonstop,
probably at your computer for 10 hours
'cause you'll lose track of time
and that is not good for your productivity either.
You need to have mindset resets throughout the day.
Something I highly recommend is the Pomodoro technique
which is basically 25 minutes of work straight
and a five-minute break
and then after every four or so, you get a longer break
and then you schedule your lunches accordingly.
When you are super focused,
when you tell yourself I have to sit here
and bang through this for 25 minutes
and that's it, then I get to take time off, walk away,
take a call, play a game, whatever,
you can do whatever you want for that five minutes
but you need to have that time.
I also love just having a little like kitchen timers,
these are my favorite time cubes,
these help me to stay focused so much
when I'm like, okay Amy,
you've just gotta do this for 30 minutes,
turn everything else off, get it done.
If you need a little timer to tell you what to do, get it.
And do not use your phone!
Your phone is the biggest distraction of all time.
I'm not even gonna add this as a tip
because you need to make this decision
as it is based on your workflow
but your phone is a distraction and you need to decide
is it not even in the same room as you,
is it on do not disturb, is it on airplane mode,
what do you do with that phone
and can you use it on your breaks?
Yes, of course,
but likely it is not going to keep you in the zone
when you are doing what you need to do.
It's probably very likely if you're on your computer,
you don't actually need your phone.
You have everything you need right there.
So that's enough of a distraction, get the phone out.
Number eight, I recommend that you practice
video conference calls before you take any.
If you have never taken a video conference call
or at least you don't do it very often, especially at home,
because you are typically available
for meetings in the office,
you're gonna wanna know how you're being perceived, okay?
If you're sitting in your bed with a blanket on you,
you don't exactly look prepared for a meeting, okay?
Nobody wants to see that.
If that's what you have to do
to get work done efficiently, cool,
you need to take your calls a different way.
Test the lighting, test the audio, find a place to sit.
Every time you take a call,
that is your designated place to take the call.
You do not want the camera shooting up your nose,
you do not want your kids playing
in the background being distracting.
As much as possible,
you need to control the environment people see
when they are on a call with you
because if they're trying to be efficient on the call,
then you need to keep from that efficiency
being taken away as well.
And always remember that the mute button is available to you
when the time is necessary to use that.
One of the things that Lila said is, you know, cabin fever
and missing real human interaction
so maybe this is something
that you proactively do with your team.
Hey, let's all just get on a call once a day for 15 minutes
so that we still feel like we're interacting with each other
and talking about our struggles with each other.
If you don't have other meetings
with each other throughout the day.
This is a great way to still have that in-work camaraderie
and also let people know you care
what they're going through as well during this time period.
But just make sure it just,
you know, looks appropriate, okay? (laughs)
Number nine is sort of on that same note.
Find ways to be helpful.
Just because you're working from home
and you have that list of things to do
and you have all your communication tools doesn't mean
that you can't also be proactive
with finding out if others need support.
So this might be the case with people on your team
and just saying like, hey, this is what I have going on
but is there anything you're struggling with,
just like you might do this already in the office.
That same workflow doesn't have to change
if you remember all of those things.
I think specifically if we're talking about business owners
and just how things are very different right now
if you don't typically work from home
or if your business is shifting in a lot of ways
and so you're trying to figure out
how can I continue to be helpful?
You've got to look for ways to be helpful right now,
especially if your business is shifting,
because people aren't spending money the same way.
So how can you find little ways to pivot
or little ways to find opportunities
by finding ways to be helpful?
I know that I'm looking at a lot
of social media posts right now
because I have control of my life and my day and what I do,
and making sure my business stays afloat is my top priority.
So if I can find out what people are struggling with
by having to be in a work-from-home situation
or having to be remote in a lot of situations right now
then I'm going to go and say,
what can I do to help in this situation?
This is a great example of that.
I see a lot of people freaking out right now
'cause they don't know how to work from home.
So I thought, you know what, it's a Saturday,
I know I'm working from home all next week
and I'll get these hours back if I need to,
I'm gonna sit down and make a video to help other people.
That's one example of that.
Please be looking for ways to be helpful,
don't go to sleep at this moment in time,
whether you work for someone or not.
Making sure you have your financial situation
in front of you after this situation changes,
is vitally important.
So proving your worth is a very good idea right now.
And number 10 is important all the time, all the time,
but it's gonna be very important right now
when you're like, I work from home,
I can start when I want, I can end when I want,
I can stay up late and watch all that Netflix
I didn't get to watch throughout the day
because Amy told me not to,
and then you have to wake up on time tomorrow
because people are expecting you
and you're not gonna get enough sleep.
So my advice is that, when it's a weekday,
when it's a school night, you still get enough sleep
and you get more sleep on the weekend if you can.
This is the only way to wake up on your own terms
and go after the day the way that you need to
in the most efficient way possible.
If you're tired, congratulations,
you didn't have to drive to work
but you still have to focus on what you're doing
and do a great job at it.
Even better if you get to leverage the fact
that you don't have a commute
and you can get an extra hour of sleep,
not less because you stayed up later
because your life is different right now
as you work from home.
Get seven to eight hours, no matter what.
Just a quick bonus tip, if you are struggling
with the morning routine side of things,
or getting enough sleep,
or structuring your day to go after the life that you want,
I highly recommend you check out my latest book,
"Good Morning, Good Life, 5 Simple Habits
to Master Your Mornings and Upgrade Your Life."
I'll link to that in the description below.
If you have more work-from-home questions for me
then check out this phone number.
This is to my voicemail,
I will be answering work-from-home questions
on this Tuesday's episode of my podcast, Detail Therapy.
I will link to that all below,
but give me a call, leave me a voicemail
with your work-from-home challenge.
That's all for today, thank you so much for tuning in,
I appreciate it as always,
make sure you subscribe for good vibes,
kiss the ones you love,
and go after the life you want, cheers.
(upbeat music)
Have you heard the news?
"Good Morning, Good Life" is an Amazon best seller.
Thousands have already joined the movement
and are starting each day on their terms.
So if you're finally ready to do the same
and go after the life you want, take your pick,
the book is now available on Kindle, paperback and Audible.
More details can be found at goodmorninggoodlife.com.
(upbeat music)
Hello, hello, hello, oh no, that's number four, shoot.
Oh, forget that part, I don't wanna say that.
I should do that again.
Also we're gonna try to go really quick on this one
because you got things to do
and you probably shouldn't be hanging out
on YouTube right now.
Am I right?
I mean like, just saying, just saying.