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Your how to work from home checklist

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Tribal Habits has been remote since day one. Not “sometimes-from-home”, not “two days a week if your manager is chill” — genuinely remote.

And here’s what we’ve learned the hard way: most work-from-home problems aren’t caused by laziness or lack of motivation.

They’re caused by friction.

  • Friction in your setup (your chair is terrible, your laptop is balanced on a cookbook, your neck hates you)
  • Friction in your day (meetings everywhere, no break rhythm, no clear finish)
  • Friction in your boundaries (your workday leaks into your evening… then your weekend… then your whole life)

So instead of giving you vague advice like “stay productive” and “prioritise balance”, this post gives you a practical, realistic checklist you can use today — whether you’re an employee trying to stay sane, or a manager trying to keep a distributed team consistent and safe.

And if you want the printable version, you can download our PDF checklist here!

Working with multiple subject matter experts

What a “real” work-from-home setup actually means

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is a setup that makes it easy to do good work repeatedly — without gradually wrecking your body or your focus.

A strong work-from-home setup has four layers:

  1. A dedicated workspace (even if it’s small)
  2. Reliable connectivity + comms tools
  3. A routine that reduces decision fatigue
  4. Boundaries that protect deep work and personal time

That’s the same structure used in the downloadable checklist: workspace, connectivity, routine, communication/boundaries, and wellbeing. Working_From_Home_ChecklistWorking_From_Home_Checklist

Let’s break each down in a way that’s actually useful.

1) Choose a dedicated workspace (even if you don’t have a home office)

Just because you’re not in an office doesn’t mean you can’t have an office.

The first rule of working from home is: separate “work mode” from “home mode”. The easiest way to do that is physical.

In the checklist, the guidance is clear: choose a quiet, well-lit area with minimal distractions, ideally a separate room or a designated area. Working_From_Home_Checklist

If you have a separate room

Great. Your “work trigger” is the door. Enter = start. Exit = finish.

If you don’t have a separate room

You can still create separation. The trick is consistency:

  • Same table
  • Same chair
  • Same side of the room
  • Same “start ritual” (coffee, headphones on, laptop stand open)
  • Same “end ritual” (close laptop, pack away, wipe desk)

It sounds small, but it trains your brain to switch states faster.

Organise your space like you’re not the only one using it

Even if you live alone, treat your workspace like it belongs to “future you”.

The checklist calls out decluttering and using simple organisers or shelving so work materials are accessible and not visually distracting. Working_From_Home_Checklist

A messy workspace doesn’t just look messy — it creates constant micro-distractions:
“Where’s that note?” “Which cable is this?” “Why is this here?”
That’s attention tax. You pay it all day.

2) Invest where it counts (hint: it’s not always the laptop)

If you work from home regularly, spending a little money strategically can be the difference between a good month and a slow-motion injury.

The checklist explicitly recommends investing in ergonomic basics: a chair and desk that support posture, with chair height and desk surface adjusted so arms and wrists are comfortable while using a keyboard and mouse.

Here’s a realistic priority order.

The “non-negotiables” (if you sit for hours)

  • A decent chair (back support, stable height, doesn’t force you forward)
  • Screen at eye level (monitor or laptop stand)
  • External keyboard + mouse (if you’re on a laptop most of the day)

The “worth it if you’re remote long-term”

  • Headset with a good mic (reduces meeting fatigue and improves clarity) Working_From_Home_Checklist
  • Second monitor (massive productivity lift for many roles)
  • A small desk lamp if lighting is inconsistent

The “nice to have”

  • Footrest
  • Document holder
  • Webcam upgrade

The point isn’t gear for gear’s sake — it’s removing friction that slowly drains you.

Overcoming the top 4 challenges of working from home

3) Build a safe workspace (because WHS doesn’t stop at your front door)

This is the part that many organisations gloss over.

In Australia, work health and safety duties still apply when workers are at home. Safe Work Australia is explicit that WHS laws apply to working from home, and employers (PCBUs) must ensure health and safety so far as reasonably practicable. This applies under the harmonised model WHS laws that most states and territories have adopted — Victoria operates under its own OHS Act 2004 rather than the model WHS Act, so Victorian employers and workers should check WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance specifically.

That doesn’t mean a dramatic home inspection. It means being intentional about common risks.

Quick home workspace safety scan

Use this as a simple internal check (and it pairs neatly with the downloadable checklist):

  • Trip hazards: cords across walkways, loose rugs, clutter near chair movement
  • Electrical safety: no overloaded boards, no damaged cables, stable power source
  • Lighting + ventilation: avoid glare, avoid dark corners, keep airflow reasonable
  • Noise control: if possible, avoid high-traffic areas (or use noise management tools)

If you want a solid reference point for how regulators describe these risks, Safe Work Australia’s working-from-home guidance covers this for most workplaces, and your state or territory WHS regulator can point you to anything jurisdiction-specific. (Comcare’s guidance applies specifically to Commonwealth public sector employers and licensed corporations.)

4) Get your tech sorted (so you’re not fighting your tools)

Remote work falls apart fast when the basics aren’t reliable. If you’re constantly dealing with Wi-Fi dropouts, dodgy audio, or missing access, you’ll spend more time troubleshooting than working.

Use this quick checklist:

  • Internet: Stable connection that can handle video calls and cloud tools
  • Access: You can log into the systems you need (VPN/SSO if required)
  • Hardware: Laptop/PC, monitor, keyboard/mouse set up for all-day use
  • Audio: A headset or mic that makes you easy to hear
  • Apps: Teams/Zoom/Slack/email ready to go — and notifications under control

Quick test (takes 2 minutes):
Can you join a call in under 30 seconds? Can people hear you clearly? Can you access your key tools without asking for help?

If the answer is “no” to any of that, fix it early — tech friction is one of the fastest ways to kill focus.

5) Create a routine that protects your focus (and your energy)

Working from home gives flexibility — but it also removes structure.

No commute.
No colleagues packing up at 5.
No “meeting room booked” forcing an endpoint.

So you need to replace office structure with lightweight personal structure.

The checklist recommends setting work hours, building a daily/weekly schedule, minimising distractions, and scheduling breaks to prevent burnout.

Here are three routines that work well for most roles.

Routine A: The “start strong” routine (best for deep work roles)

  • Start with one meaningful task before checking messages

Routine B: The “structured day” routine (best for mixed tasks)

  • Time-block your day: focus blocks + meeting blocks + admin blocks
  • Put breaks in your calendar so you actually take them

Routine C: The “meetings everywhere” routine (best for managers)

  • Batch calls into defined windows
  • Protect at least one uninterrupted block daily

And yes, breaks matter. Safe Work Australia’s workstation guidance encourages movement and stretching to reduce injury risk from long periods at a workstation.

6) Communication and boundaries: the remote work skill nobody teaches

Remote teams don’t fail because people can’t do their jobs.

They fail because:

  • expectations are unclear
  • communication becomes either constant or absent
  • boundaries get blurry

The checklist focuses on staying connected with regular check-ins, setting boundaries around availability, being mindful of time zones, and keeping online communication professional.

A simple boundary rule that works

If it’s urgent, call. If it’s not urgent, don’t expect an instant reply.

That one rule reduces anxiety and message-checking loops.

Australia-specific note: the right to disconnect

Australia now has a “right to disconnect” under the Fair Work Act — meaning an employee can refuse to monitor, read or respond to out-of-hours contact unless that refusal is unreasonable. The right is now fully in effect, having phased in from 26 August 2024 (non-small businesses) to 26 August 2025 (small businesses).

You don’t need legal complexity here — just a team norm:

  • What hours are “standard”?
  • What counts as urgent?
  • What channels should be used for true urgency?

When those are clear, remote work becomes calmer instantly.

7) Wellbeing isn’t a side quest — it’s part of performance

Remote work can quietly create two issues:

  1. sedentary workdays
  2. social isolation

The checklist explicitly calls out healthy habits (sleep, nutrition, hydration), physical activity, social connection, and disconnecting outside work hours.

A realistic wellbeing baseline (no wellness theatre)

  • Drink water before your first meeting
  • Take one walk or stretch break daily
  • Eat something real (not just “coffee + vibes”)
  • Finish at a defined time most days
  • Get at least one human interaction that isn’t a Teams call

Wellbeing doesn’t need to be dramatic to be effective.

Your how to work from home checklist

Download the printable work-from-home checklist

If you want the one-page Working From Home Checklist, you can download it below:

Download: Tribal Habits Work From Home Checklist

It includes the same key pillars we covered above — workspace, connectivity, routine, boundaries, and wellbeing.

How this connects to training and onboarding (where remote teams often struggle)

Working from home is rarely the problem.

The problem is what happens around it — especially when you’re onboarding new starters, rolling out policy changes, or trying to prove compliance across a distributed team.

In a lot of growing organisations, training ends up scattered across:

  • PDFs on the intranet
  • slide decks in shared drives
  • “just message Sarah” knowledge
  • a handful of recorded calls no one can find again

It works… until it doesn’t.

Because once your team is remote or hybrid, consistency becomes everything:

  • Are people getting the same induction experience?
  • Can you track completion without chasing?
  • When a process changes, can you update training once — or do you need to resend files and hope it sticks?

If you’re heading down that path, the fix isn’t more documents. It’s a system that makes training easy to deliver, easy to repeat, and easy to prove.

That’s what Tribal Habits is built for: guided onboarding and internal training that’s consistent, trackable, and simple to maintain — even without a dedicated L&D team.

Want to see what that looks like for a remote or hybrid workforce? Book a quick demo and we’ll show you how teams turn scattered docs into structured, trackable learning.

Franchisors training screens

FAQ: Your how to work from home checklist

1) What should a work-from-home checklist include?

At minimum: a dedicated workspace, ergonomic basics, connectivity/tools, a daily routine, boundaries/communication norms, and wellbeing habits. That structure is reflected in our downloadable checklist.

2) Does WHS apply when employees work from home in Australia?

Yes, under the model WHS laws that apply in most states and territories. Safe Work Australia states WHS laws apply when workers work from home, and employers must ensure health and safety so far as reasonably practicable. Victoria runs its own OHS Act 2004 rather than the model WHS Act, so Victorian employers and workers should check WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance.

#) What equipment should employers provide for working from home?

It depends on the role and the risk profile, but most organisations cover the basics: a safe workstation setup (chair/desk guidance or equipment where needed), the right technology for the role (laptop/monitor/headset), and secure access to systems (VPN/SSO if required). For a practical baseline on managing work-from-home safety and setup, Safe Work Australia’s working-from-home guidance is a solid reference for most workplaces (Comcare’s guidance applies specifically to Commonwealth public sector employers and licensed corporations).

4) How do I stop work bleeding into my personal life?

Set work hours, communicate availability, and create an “end ritual” (close laptop, tidy desk, change environment). Australia’s “right to disconnect” guidance also reinforces that out-of-hours contact can be refused unless refusal is unreasonable.

5) How often should I take breaks when working from home?

Regular movement helps reduce strain from prolonged sitting. Safe Work Australia’s workstation guidance recommends moving and stretching to avoid injury from long periods at a workstation.

6) What’s the easiest way to reduce distractions at home?

Make your workspace consistent, silence non-essential notifications, and work in single-task focus blocks. The downloadable checklist includes “minimise distractions” as a core routine practice.

This information is general in nature and doesn’t constitute legal or compliance advice. Requirements vary by state, sector and organisation, so we’d always recommend checking with your regulator or professional adviser before relying on it.

Further Reading

Originally published Jan 21, 2020