Go Tell Mom s4e3 - Work From Home Hack

GO TELL MOM s4e3 – Work from Home Hacks – Shownotes:
Dianna Kelly and Sheri Waltz wrestle with work-from-home hacks for moms.
Stanford Study on work-from-home productivity and hours on the job:
https://emailanalytics.com/does-working-from-home-increase-productivity/
Cathleen Clerkin at Candid.com on setting boundaries: https://candid.org/blogs/setting-work-life-
boundaries-when-working-from-home-nonprofit-professionals/
Harvard Business Review on work-from-home burnout: https://hbr.org/2025/02/5-signs-a-
remote-worker-is-burning-out
Gallup poll on remote workers and isolation: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/660236/remote-
work-paradox-engaged-distressed.aspx

Transcript

GO TELL MOM s4e3 – Work From Home Hacks (Without Losing Your Mind)
Remember when we thought working from home meant coffee in pajamas and never having to
wear a pantsuit again? Yeah… and then it turned into back-to-back Zoom calls, mystery snack
breaks, and realizing you haven’t gone outside in 36 hours. And that’s BEFORE you factor in
the kids.
Staying on top of the workload when you’re a parent working from home is not an easy juggling
act. It’s so easy to think, “I can knock this project out before I pick up the kids.” But then
something interrupts the rhythm, like a delivery or a call from school or your up-til-now blissfully
quiet furbabies decide it’s the perfect time to bark furiously at a leaf that dared to tumble in your
yard. For an hour.
How do you get work-from-home to work for you? Or does it?
Research out of Stanford shows remote workers are often more productive — but they also
work longer hours. Harvard Business Review has reported higher burnout when boundaries
blur. So yes, we’re efficient… but are we okay? I liked the idea that “This is when my work part
of the day starts, and this is when it ends.” It made it easy to close the door and not feel guilty
about focusing on my family and the interests that make me feel like a person.
Dr. Cathleen Clerkin from Candid.com says you need to set boundaries when home is your
workplace. Like creating a transition routine when you start your work shift, and when you end it.
You do NOT work in your pajamas, because it makes you think more like laundry day, not work
day…besides, then it’s harder to stay comfortable in those pajamas when you’re NOT working.
Pull a Mr. Rogers…change your shoes and your jacket when you’re in work mode, and ditch the
shoes for sneakers and a cardigan sweater when you’re back in “at home” mode. Have a
shutdown ritual.
You also need a dedicated workspace – one that you don’t use as space to fold laundry or have
the kids play with friends. The guest room my son usually uses when he visits has, unfortunately
for him, become my dedicated space. The more work I brought home, the more I encroached on
what was originally a charming little space dominated by a bed. He only whines a little, because
he stays there maybe four days a year.
A computer, an editor, a microphone – all part of my workspace. Clerkin says use tech to your
advantage in your home office. Block off time in your calendar for focused work, close other
apps during this time, and let others know you’re not available. Use the “schedule send” option

to write emails when it works best for you and send them when it works best for the recipient.
Heck, use an alarm app to let yourself know when the day is done. It’s important to detach from
your work – it helps you sleep, lowers your stress level and improves your mood. And let’s face
it – it staves off burnout. Try exercising, socializing, working on a hobby with your kids. It gets
you back in the world again.
Personally, I missed people when COVID hit. Coworkers. People who actually gave a damn if I
was there…or, at least I hoped they did! Data from Gallup shows many remote workers struggle
more with feeling connected to coworkers. I can believe it.
So today on Go Tell Mom, Sheri Waltz and I are diving into the real-life hacks. The stuff that
actually works. The stuff that doesn’t. And the things nobody admits they do when they’re
‘working.’