CPA_Practice_Advisor_June_2020 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR
3 Quick Tips to Make WFH Successful
IF YOU ARE new to the art of working from home (WFH), you've probably discovered
that what might have sounded easy and even fun at the start is more of a challenge as
time goes on. You might be dealing with workspace issues, life distractions, the needs
of other family members, lack of human contact with colleagues, health concerns, and
more - all of this can produce frustration and stress for you, your family, your supervisors,

GAIL PERRY, CPA

Editor-in-Chief
gail.perry@cpapracticeadvisor.com
@gperrycpa

and your clients.
Over the 20+ years I've worked
from home, I have collected many
techniques that might help you
make it through this unusual time
and even position you for a future
of full time or at least part time
working from home. For example:
Children: I spent many years
working from home, intentionally,
because I wanted to be there with
my children in the summer and
during the school year when they
came home from school. The first
thing I did when I made the move
to WFH was to find two small desks,
one for each child. These were the
little school desks with the seat
built in. I found them at garage
sales, and I set them up right next
to my own desk (which, at the time,
was a former kitchen table set up in
the corner of our living room).
When the kids were in school,
they would do their homework at
their desks, right next to me. When

CPA

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm

they weren't busy with their assignments and wanted television or
music, I found that noise-canceling
headphones allowed them to still
be with me while I was trying to
concentrate. My tip: Find ways to
incorporate your family into your
work life rather than trying to shut
them out.
Workspace: Before working
from the living room, I originally
set up shop in our laundry room
where that old kitchen table was
being used for sorting and folding
clothes. Once I was certain that
working from home was going to be
my future, I invested in a desk and
set it up in the dining room, which I
eventually took over completely and
turned into my office. I used bins
on the bottom shelves of bookcases
to store office supplies. The general
idea is that it's okay to turn a room
into a multi-purpose area.
For tax purposes, if you plan

NSA

on claiming a home office deduction, keep in mind that you need a
dedicated place (it doesn't have to be
a full room, but it does need to be
a fixed, measurable area) that you
use exclusively for your work. My
tip: Be creative and find an area of
your house or apartment where you
can set up a permanent work area.
Distractions: It's SO EASY to add
household chores to your workday
once you're actually working from
home. After all, what's wrong with
getting up from your desk to start
dinner, throw in a load of laundry,
water the garden, feed the pets? You
already know the answer to that.
Starting dinner means checking
with the family on mealtime and
food requests, defrosting, measuring, collecting ingredients, precooking, maybe with a glass of wine.
Starting a load of laundry means
emptying the dryer and folding and
putting away clothes.

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm

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VOLUME 30, NUMBER 5
Publisher: Barry Strobel
Editor-in-Chief: Gail Perry, CPA
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Contributors: Ken Berry, JD
Doug Sleeter
Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP
Kristy Short
Randy Johnston
Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA.CITP
Paul McDonald
Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Becky Livingston
Brian Tankersley, CPA.CITP, CGMA
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John Higgins, CPA
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Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, CGMA, MBA
Bob Cedergren, CPA.CITP, CGMA, CISA
Randy Johnston, MCS
Greg LaFollette, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Doug Sleeter
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JUNE 2020 ■

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Watering the garden means a
bit of weeding or pruning, chatting
with the neighbors (from a safe
social distance, of course). Feeding
the pets means following up with
play time or maybe a walk with
the dog. You get the picture - one
thing leads to another and before
you know it, you've set aside work
for life. My tip: Create your new
WFH schedule to include breaks for
the personal stuff. If you know you
have specifically 15 or 30 minutes to
manage your tasks, it's much easier
to watch the clock and then get back
to work when the time is up.
I hope you find these little tips
helpful. I understand that work
from home can be difficult and
challenging. So many people are
doing it now, be sure to reach out
to friends and share advice for best
practices! ■
- Gail Perry, Editor-in-Chief

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