Need tips on how to work from home? No sweat! As full-time photographers who have experience in working from home, we got you! Whether you’re a photographer or not, we’ll show you 3 simple steps on how to work from home during this pandemic.

Okay, so sweat pants and greasy hair are the latest fashion trend. Sneaking in a midnight snack past midnight is totally acceptable. You also lost track of your days. Hey, we won’t judge. Coronavirus changed a lot for everyone. We worked for years creating a brand and the online presence to match all while learning how to work from home. A learning curve was very much in store for us. And now, we’re passing on our knowledge to you so that you can make time for things that matter most. Read the 3 steps below on how to work from home.

1) Understand Your Work Habits

We were not as prepared for the “Full Time” self employment transition as we originally thought when we took the plunge a couple years ago. Our personalities would clash if we each didn’t have a creative outlet or a hobby outside of work. Once we started to give one another space and time to be creative in our own right, we found that our work benefited. Our creative juices flowed because we didn’t have to force anything. When you work from home, it’s easy to feel that you aren’t doing enough.

So first and foremost, understand your work habits. If you are working alongside your spouse, take time to understand what you expect from one another. Working from home isn’t about working from 6am to 3am every day. So you have to get rid of that concept altogether. In a regular 9-5 you have the ability to leave work and head home. Why should working from home be any different? Make time to be present when you are “away” from work! Set your phone down, shut off the laptop. Those emails will still be there. Spend some time unplugged. Your family and relationship will thank you for it. Also, your future self will thank you for taking a moment to soak in life a little.

2) Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

Obviously, you can’t let those emails marinate for much longer than necessary. Prioritizing work and giving yourself some structure is a great way to prevent burn out. Also, it’s a great way to build momentum. We first start by having a plan of action. When one of us feels burnt out, the other takes over or we just give that project a rest altogether. For instance, while editing we always have to take moment away from the screen to ensure that our colors are on point. It’s not uncommon for us to come back from a break and shout “Why are these so yellow?!?!” or “What the heck was going on here?”.

Taking time to arrange your projects will also give you clarity. This is going to help keep you sane. Use apps that help schedule work where you can. Some of our favorite apps include G Suite and Later. It will give you more time to focus on bigger projects. We typically carve out time one evening to arrange our Instagram feed for the week. When we have a special circumstance or when creativity calls, we may post on the fly. So in short, scheduling your tasks is just as important as scheduling your downtime.

3) Have a Little Fun

There is nothing more important than enjoying what you do for a living! Whether it’s your choice to work from home or not. We try to have as much fun with it as possible. When stuck in the office, I have to draw on the white board. Nothing important, it’s just something I know will make Sasha laugh. Finding humor in the mundane is what keeps me going. Dad jokes are my outlet. Sasha finds comfort in her 80’s playlist on Spotify. If you haven’t added her playlist by now, you are missing out!

The point is, you should be having fun while you work. Especially, since you’re the boss of your own household! I will admit, I often work with “The Office” playing in the background. I’m a huge fan so I’ve seen every episode like a thousand times so that’s my version of music while I work. I enjoy the white noise of it. You can literally incorporate anything you like as long as it gets your creativity flowing.

Let’s Enjoy This Time At Home

The most important thing to remember is that all of this will pass. We have made the most of bad situations every time they have arisen. This will not be any different. Enjoy the time with your family. To our photog friends and our friends in the wedding industry, the bookings will come and go that much is always certain. You are not alone. Everyone is feeling the pinch from tightening their belts. It’s definitely a scary time but don’t lose hope.

We will get through this better than before and your experience will help people cherish the memories they never realized they were missing out on. We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. We also want to thank everyone of you who are in the medical field and frontlines keeping our friends and families safe. Especially field workers and grocery store workers who are keeping food on the table. Your hard work and sacrifice is not overlooked, we appreciate you more than words can describe!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We are apart together!

V&S