How I Stay Motivated While Working From Home

Ah yes, here we are. A large amount of us are now stuck working from home and it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. For the vast majority of us, working from home was not the norm. Home was a place of rest and sanctuary but now the lines between relaxation and hustle have been blurred.

It’s so easy to just stay in your jammies all day. It’s even easier to spray half a bottle of dry shampoo and put your hair up in a messy bun. But seriously, the feeling isn’t so great. After about a week, that honeymoon high is gone and now you’re feeling like a slob.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If you can be productive while still rocking those jammies, then by all means, continue on! Do what works for you. I’m definitely not someone who dresses to the nines when working from home. It’s not realistic to me. BUT I don’t want to live my life in my PJ’s and have my hair get knotty from the continuous top knots.

I want to share a few “realistic” tips on how I stay motivated while working from home. I would say that I’m naturally a procrastinator and I do need a good kick in the butt to get motivated. But once I’m focused on something, there’s not stopping me.

Planning out my day

I like to plan out the night before all the things I need to accomplish for the day. Finding the right method of planning has been a trail and error process for me. While I do like the idea of agendas, I found that this Bliss Collection Daily Planner has worked the best for me. I like that I can just focus on ONE day. I often find that with an agenda I get caught up on future things. When working from home, I want to focus one day at a time and make sure I make the best of the current day.

As far as my day goes, I always have THREE items I HAVE to get done for the day. Then I’ll plan out five to do’s for the day, these will generally be home related things, not necessarily work related. However, that can change. If I’m not able to check it off for the day, then it goes back on for the next day to accomplish.

As a teacher, there is a ton of things I need to get done in a day so it’s important that I try and minimize my stress and focus on things that are super important.

Do my hair

Okay, this may sound silly but hear me out. When my hair is done, I feel like a whole different women. I’ll take my hair being slayed over makeup being slayed. When I’m working from home, makeup isn’t a priority. I think I’ve only worn makeup 3 times during this whole ordeal.

After my hair is washed, my whole hair routine take just under 10 minutes. So it’s not time consuming at all and let me tell you, I have long, THICK hair. I’ve found a routine that works for me. I don’t like long, strenuous routines that feel like a lot of work. If it’s simple yet effective, sign me up.

For my day to day, I have four hair products I cannot live without… one of them being my whole grail.

1. After showering and towel drying my hair, (I put my hair up in a towel turban) I use the Kristin Ess Weightless Shine Leave In Conditioner Spray to help detangle my hair. While it is a “leave in” conditioner, I’ve found that it works better as a detangler. This has been a go to for me because my hair is so knotty after I shower. I do a pretty generous spraying and let it sit for like 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I brush my hair and make sure I am tangle free.
2. I take a pea sized amount of the Olaplex Bond Smoother and work through the mid section and ends of my hair. I brush again to make sure everything has been distributed evenly.
3. I then use my Revlon One Step Hair Dyer, which is my holy grail item. I’ve always hated drying my hair because it is such a hassle but this tool makes it so easy. I can have my hair almost completely dry in under 10 minutes. Not only does it cut my drying time, it makes my hair looking fabulous like I just went to the salon. AND It adds some great volume.
4. Lastly, I finish off with the Olaplex Bonding Oil. This just really adds that shine I want and keeps my hair look healthy, not dried and fizzy. Sometimes, I mix the bonding oil with the bond smoother and it really gives my hair that shine I want.

I have a few other products I like to use and other assorted hair care routines but this is my go to, easy process that I use most often. I can do a full hair care post if you’re interested.

No PJ’s allowed

Simple enough. I don’t allow myself to lounge around all day in my PJ’s. If this is something you can do and it works for you, more power to you. But like, I’m a natural napper and when I’m on my couch in my PJ’s it’s real easy for me to fall asleep!

However, I do not get dressed up! I don’t want you to get the impression like I’m dressing up looking all cute. Like I’ve definitely not worn a dress while working from home and VERY rarely will I wear jeans. I don’t like dressing up like I’m going out. There’s a lot of cute crop tops, sweaters and joggers going on at the moment. I prefer lounge wear that would be acceptable to wear out because I’m comfy AND cute 🙂

Have a morning skincare routine

As I’ve gotten older, skincare has become increasingly important to me. While working from home, I’ve ditched the make up only wearing it if I need to for a Google Meet, and focused on taking care of my skin. The bulk of skincare products are from The Ordinary. As someone with acne prone skin, I make sure my skin stays hydrated and is well protected.

Since I work in my living room in front of a BIG window I make sure I’m still using my SPF. I saw some people saying that you don’t need SPF if you’re inside. But if you’re working somewhere in your home with windows, you are still getting exposed to the sun. I’m super paranoid about sun exposure. I’m trying to stay as youthful as I can and that means protecting myself from harmful UV’s ( sun exposure= premature wrinkling). While I know I’m not THAT old, I’m no longer in my 20’s. So taking care of my skin is top priority.

What are some things you’ve been doing to stay motivated while working from home? What has been essential for you? I’d love to hear what’s been working for you.

Until next time,

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