Even though it seems like many places are beginning to lift stay at home orders, New York City is not.

New York City is still on pause, and hopefully we’ll receive some good news on May 28th. Even though it looks like things are on the up around here, my company has decided to take measures to further protect the safety of the employees. That means that we’ll be working from home through August. GASP!

To be completely honest,



I hate working from home



. I’ve established that it’s just really not for me. I truly thrive off my coworkers and team, and miss having a true routine every day at the office. But since I’m faced with this new reality, I figured it’s time to suck it up, and make the best of it.

be thankful for this time

Ok this isn’t super work related, but I think it’s important to address. I’m trying to be better about looking on the bright side of things during this time. I think when we look back on this time, we’ll be kind of grateful. Things are slower. We’re thinking more about our purchases. Our quality time with loved ones increased for many of us. It’s a time where new hobbies came about, or people shifted their focus to different areas that they maybe wouldn’t have if they were living normally.

this is an opportunity (for me at least)

I started my new job on February 10th. A little over a month later, we were told we were going to be working from home. When you really think about it, I knew nothing. I was just starting to feel comfortable walking around the office, getting to know people’s names and roles, etc. I knew some basics, I knew what reports I had to pull on certain days, and I knew that I needed to sit in on meeting and observe everything.

Once this hit, I felt like I was lost in the dark when it came to work. To be quite honest, the first few weeks were REALLY hard for me. I didn’t feel like I was providing ANY valuable insight for my team, or even doing my job. Granted, I needed to give myself some slack, but I couldn’t help it as I was watching many coworkers get furloughed.

Over time, I looked at it as an opportunity to step my game up. Whether it was doing competitive research on my own, or making sure I was asking my boss what I could take off her plate, I knew I needed to do more. At some point during this, I was given additional responsibilities during the furlough period. This allowed me to do some stepping up. I also have actually felt like I’ve learned a lot through this time. I think I had to figure a lot out on my own, but I also have an AMAZING team that is insanely supportive. They’re literally always there to help me with whatever questions I have, which has made this time way easier to navigate.

freshen up your work space

Although it took a while for me to get this going, I finally freshened up the work space. Ok I really can’t take much credit. Nick set up an entire new space in his spare room for me to completely revamp my work space. Having a space I enjoy going to every day has helped me feel like I was “going to the office”. Here are some tips that have helped TREMENDOUSLY:

• 
  Add a plant or succulent
  
  A few weeks ago, we stopped by Home Depot and found ourselves picking up some succulents for the apartment. If you didn’t remember, I added some faux succulents to my bedroom/desk at home. But there’s something about a good, real succulent. I love that they’re low maintenance, and perfectly sit on your desk!
• 
  Dual monitors = game changer
  
  I know this may not be feasible for everyone, but honestly having a dual monitor is SO key. I was
  
  constantly
  
  toggling back and forth on my small, 13″ work laptop. It was making tasks so much more stressful. Luckily, Nick came to the rescue again, when he got us another monitor. All we had to do was get power cords! Honestly, I think they’re critical if you’re working that typical “corporate” job — I feel like we’re always looking at 1 million things!
  
  
  
  I found some refurbished options here
  
  
  
  !
• 
  Keyboard with a number pad
  
  Again, might not be useful for everyone, but a number pad is SOOOOOOOO helpful for me when I’m rolling buys for our styles.
  
  
  
  I bought this wireless keyboard and mouse
  
  
  
  !
• 
  Face a window if you can
  
  Natural light is KEY. When I was working downstairs, I felt like I was in a dungeon. Now, I’m facing a window (and a brick wall, but ya know, it’s New York City LOL), and get natural light in my work space.
• 
  Have a solid playlist
  
  When I’m not on calls, I have on Elton John Radio or Mood Booster on Spotify!
• 
  Don’t forget your blue light glasses
  
  This would be a tip of mine even if things were “normal”, but seriously —
  
  
  
  everyone should be wearing blue light glasses
  
  
  
  if they’re looking at a computer screen all day. But now more than ever. Instead of getting breaks from my screen while I was in meetings, now my meetings are all on video conference.
  
  
  
  Digital eye strain is REAL people
  
  
  
  !!!