Setting Up Your Workspace

This is a deceptively difficult task that you have to tackle right from the start. Without it, it will be challenging to effectively separate work from personal matters in a space that’s typically not associated with work. If possible, create a dedicated area where you will only handle work—this could be a separate room, but a corner with a chair and desk in the living room or half of the kitchen table could also do the trick.

It’s also essential to keep your workspace clean. Remove any distractions from your view as much as possible. Ensure that all necessary tools and materials—like notebooks, pens, and markers—are within reach, which will eliminate the need to get up every time you need them.

What Do I Need to Work from Home? Tools

The answer is obvious—an internet connection! Without it, you can’t perform your duties. Obvious, right? Unfortunately, it’s easy to overlook the obvious, so it’s worth checking your internet connection, router, and investing in new equipment if necessary. This will help prevent issues like weak signals or disruptions during virtual meetings.

Here’s a list of popular tools that can help you stay organized and efficiently manage your tasks, even when working remotely.

• Skype — One of the most popular communication tools that enables quick and direct conversations, as well as video conferences with multiple participants. Simple, free, and effective.
  
  

• Google Meet/Hangouts — A convenient tool for video conferencing with a larger group. It allows you to send invitations to anyone and access meetings via a dedicated link. With calendar synchronization, it also helps set reminders so you won’t miss meetings.
  
  

• Slack — Another communication tool that allows you to create dedicated thematic channels. It enables great organization of information and focused discussions in specific channels. Thanks to integration with other tools like Google Docs, it’s perfect for keeping all essential work materials in one place.
  
  

• Trello — A virtual board divided into lists where you can place cards with tasks. It allows for clear task management, adding comments, and assigning tasks and roles to other users. Boards and cards can be shared with external parties, such as clients or specialists.
  
  

• Google Docs — Free tools that allow for collaboration on shared documents. It’s easy to track current projects and share work with team members or clients.
  
  

• Toggl and Clockify — Free tools that allow you to track the time spent on specific tasks. You can easily log time spent on various projects and generate work time reports.
  
  

Besides the mentioned tools, you will of course need others specific to your duties. Most of them are accessible via your browser, so managing Facebook accounts or setting up ads in Google Ads isn’t a problem.

Working with Clients — Does Anything Change?

When working from home, we can still perform most of our duties without much difficulty. With the tools mentioned earlier, staying in touch with team members and clients is easy. Updates, progress reports, new creations, campaigns, and social media moderation—everything can be done in nearly the same way as before.

So what changes with home office work in this aspect? In truth, not much, aside from minor technical adjustments. Both we and our clients need to use specific applications to effectively continue operations. The main difference is that meetings now take place with each participant in separate windows, with various backgrounds. It doesn’t really change much, does it?

At marketing agencies, we regularly manage clients remotely—handling social media profiles, running PPC campaigns, dealing with analytics, and crafting communication strategies. Most of this work is done through cloud tools, and meetings via communication platforms are just as efficient as face-to-face ones. So, it doesn’t matter much whether we’re working from an office with an ocean view or from our living room couch—the efficiency remains the same.

Routine — A Good Practice for Home Office

It’s easy to let things slide a little when working from home. Waking up later, having breakfast while checking emails, more frequent short breaks to peek into the fridge—these are just a few habits that can disrupt your day. That’s why it’s essential to set a routine similar to the one you had when working at the office to maintain productivity.

Start your work at the same time every day. It doesn’t have to be 8:05 sharp, but aim to begin within a 15-minute window of your set time each day. This will help maintain a rhythm and balance between work and personal life.

Eat regular meals, around the same time as you did in the office. Your body will appreciate the regular schedule, which will help avoid disrupting your metabolism. This will improve your well-being and help you handle challenges more efficiently.

Set a clear end time for work. This is crucial for drawing a boundary between work and personal life, even when you’re in the same space. It’s especially important to take proper rest and recharge after the workday.

Working remotely in marketing doesn’t differ much from office work. Most tasks are completed through cloud tools, and virtual meetings are just as effective as live ones. By maintaining basic work hygiene, we can perform our duties as efficiently as we would in the office, and use the time saved on commuting to develop new skills. And let’s not forget the comfort of working in sweatpants!