Work at Home Survival Guide: Tips,Tools and Free Stuff
COVID-19 Version
Hi, I'm Kristen Iaffaldano and I'm hating how the coronavirus is hurting and impacting people around the world.
But I'm absolutely loving how people all around the world are reaching out to help others and support each other in a time of need.
Some needs are more apparent and some needs are a little less apparent and stem from the new way of life we all are facing as we fight the spread of COVID-19.
Many are working at home for the first time ever –– with the kids home from school!
And others are used to the routine, including myself. I've been a virtual assistant since 2012 and more recently, an online business owner, and this Work at Home Survival Guide is just my small way of helping those who could use a little help navigating a new scenario.
Need some work at home advice not included here? Please reach out.
Need reassurance that work is still good?
Tips to Work at Home Like a Pro
Start Well
Shower and get dressed (nothing too fancy –– after all, you've gotta enjoy some perks!) Keep your morning routine as much as possible.
Create a Schedule
Make a schedule for you and older children home from school. Now may be a good time to teach or remind kids about boundaries and how what you do benefits them.
Over Communicate
Communicate your scheduling and other needs to those who lead you and those you lead (including your family). This is a time when everyone needs to be as flexible as possible.
Give Grace
Give grace to your employees. Give grace to your leaders. Give grace to your family, your children and all those quarantined with you. We're all in this together.
Free & Discounted Tools You'll Need and Love
Krisp
Dog barking? Kids playing? Spouse watching TV? Spouse mowing the lawn? Roommate practicing the tuba? You'll love this app that filters out background noise while making a call.
Loom
Need to show a colleague your screen or what you're doing or how they need to do something? Easily record your screen and voice and optional talking head with Loom. It's fun. It's free.
VA Toolkit
I've rounded up all the best tools we work-at-home peeps tend to use and organized them by budget –– free to budget-friendly. Take a peek to see if any more tools suit your needs.
Working in a Role Directly Helping Others Through Coronavirus?
Thank you! Many tech companies are offering free products and services just for you (educators, government, healthcare, etc.).
Children at Home?
Keep children busy and fight boredom with a ton of free resources (many formerly paid) to keep your children learning, staying active and as "un-bored" as possible.
Highlights include GoNoodle, Tinkergarten, Audible Stories and Scholastic Learn at Home and 3 free months of Rosetta Stone for students.
Rethinking Your Future?
Crises have a way of either forcing or encouraging us to reconsider our current way of living or re-evaluate our current and future modes of income.
If you'd like your work-at-home situation to continue after COVID-19 or if you're just interested in adding more recession-proof kinds of income streams, these resources will help you do that.
Free Courses from Pat Flynn
Pat Flynn, the successful entrepreneur behind Smart Passive Income is offering his Smart from Scratch course for free as well as his course, Build Your Own Brand. A $249+ value.
Learn How to Become a VA
Learn how to work from home for good as a virtual assistant. Now until we're in a better place, grab my virtual assistant course, year-long support and referral system at my lowest price.
Start an Online Business
Ready to teach what you know online or serve others with a monthly or annual membership product? Here's one way you can learn how for free.