Working From Home Doesn’t Mean You Have to Work All the Time
Figure out when you’re most productive, clump your errands, and consider a “phone jail.”
Illustration by Oscar Bolton Green
The dream of working from home—no commute! No one heating up fish in the microwave!—has given way to a reality of early logins, evening signoffs, and frequent weekend hours. But what if we could reframe remote employment as an opportunity to strategically shorten your work days? Here are the smartest techniques for finishing up early:
Embrace your inner morning person or night owl. Because you’re no longer so dependent on the in-person workflows of your team, ask yourself, When do I work best? 9 a.m.? 9 p.m.? Bang out your work when you’re freshest or most able to focus. “I get all mission-critical stuff done within the first three hours of walking into my office, and then I can call it an early day if needed,” says Shane Dutka, a blogging business expert.