Unless you were already a remote worker when Covid hit, you were thrust into a whole new way of working at the flip of a switch. You didn’t receive any training. You were expected to keep on going as if nothing had happened, despite the fear and chaos of living through a global pandemic. And despite how sudden the switch was and how fraught it was with all kinds of challenges, we didn’t do so bad in keeping it together and continuing to get our work done. At the same time, you adopted some unproductive habits that persist today. We thought the great WFH experiment would last a few weeks. But it didn’t.
Bad Habits Persist And They’re Impacting Your Personal Brand
Almost six years on, many of us continue to work from home at least part of the time, and almost as many maintained the bad habits they established when they started taking the hallway to work instead of the highway. This hybrid environment has become the new normal. And here’s the twist: many of the habits we formed in survival mode followed us to today.
If you WFH for at least some of the time, adopt some productivity habits to enhance your success. One of the best times to adopt new habits and make them stick is when other changes are happening. As we are close to the start of a brand new year, it is time to adopt new habits that can help you be your best in 2026. Consider eliminating these three bad habits.
Bad Habit 1: The Inferior Office Environment
Your workspace is either supporting your success or sabotaging it. One big challenge is that most of us never set ourselves up with a workspace that’s inspiring or energizing. More than half of Americans who work at home don’t have a dedicated home office.
You don’t need a renovation or an Instagram-perfect office to make real improvements. The biggest opportunity to enhance your productivity is your office chair. Your spine has been filing quiet complaints for years. Data show that we spend more time sitting than doing anything else. Yet, 42% of people are using substandard seating, like a sofa, bed, or dining chair to do their work. Investing in a proper ergonomic chair is one of the most impactful things you can do to enhance your remote work environment, according to Dr. Teresa Bellingar, principal ergonomist at Haworth. Through her research, she has obtained over five billion pieces of data that she uses to help her organization build desk chairs that offer real comfort while preventing injury and keeping you from turning into a question mark by Friday.
Your chair is either boosting your performance or slowly breaking you. Bellingar cautions, “Prolonged sitting in chairs that don’t have the proper support or ergonomic design can cause cumulative trauma disorder. And it’s not just about comfort. It’s also about movement.” In addition to having an ergonomically designed chair, Bellingar suggests, “Getting out of the chair and moving around at least 5-10 minutes every hour.” A survey from Upright shows that home office workers are physically less active than their in-office counterparts. In fact, 54 percent of remote and hybrid workers say their movement during the workday has shrunk by 50 percent or more. It’s time to upgrade your chair, then, commit to spending less time in it.
Bad Habit 2: Not Getting Ready For The Office – Grooming
You probably wouldn’t show up to work in stained sweatpants or bare feet, but you wouldn’t think twice about doing it for an entire day when you’re working from home. After all, no one sees you from the waist down on Zoom. The challenge is that a too casual mindset spills directly into how you show up.
Dressing professionally signals your brain that you’re in work mode. That, according to Indeed, helps you focus. There’s no need to put on a suit or wear pumps, but making an effort to put yourself in work mode will impact your performance. It also helps increase your confidence while enhancing your personal brand, according to research from FlexJobs.
People notice. Admit it: you’ve been in Zoom meetings thinking “They just got out of bed,” or “It looks like so-and-so had a bad night last night.” The Team at Digital Defynd recommends these actions:
- Define Your Wardrobe Comfort Zone. By establishing this comfort zone, you’re not only setting a physical standard but also a psychological one. This helps your brain distinguish between work mode and weekend mode.
- Invest in Quality Basics. This creates a foundation for a functional and stylish wardrobe. Clothing like a classic white button-down shirt, a pair of dark denim jeans, or a little black dress is versatile and can be dressed up or down. These basics also ensure your professional image is consistent, even on screen.
- Wear Smart Footwear. Opting for smart, comfortable footwear can make a big difference, especially if you have a standing desk or move frequently during the day. Proper footwear also psychologically instills a sense of readiness and professionalism.
- Commit to Regular Grooming. Grooming habits like managing your hair and skincare, and ensuring clean, trimmed nails are essential. Grooming affects how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you.
- Dress for Your Day. On days filled with meetings, a more formal outfit might be appropriate, while a lighter schedule might allow for more casual attire. Adapt your dressing strategy to mentally prepare for the day’s tasks.
- Incorporate Personal Touches. Personalizing your work wardrobe with items that express your unique style enhances your job satisfaction and visibility during video calls. This is an easy way to make your personal brand more visible in every meeting.
Bad Habit 3: Not Officially Ending Your Day
One of the biggest challenges with working from home is that you never leave work. Sure, regardless of whether we work at the office or at home, we’re all working 24/7, or at least it feels that way. With international calls at night, checking our phones before bed, it seems that we never leave work. But there’s a difference between working at the office and at home. When you work at the office, your commute creates a natural separation. But when you work from home, that punctuation mark, the moment your workday ends, disappears. That makes you feel like you never get away from work. Even if your office is a few steps away from your couch, here are practical ways you can leave work at work. To end your day, Deanna Richie at Calendar.com suggests:
- Create a Dedicated Workspace. Set aside a dedicated workspace in your home to tell your brain: This is where I focus. Your office doesn’t have to be private. A corner of a room with a desk and chair can suffice.
- Establish Clear Start and Stop Times. Reinforce boundaries with reminders, alarms, or even a digital calendar. Eventually, your body and brain will adjust to this rhythm, allowing you to shut down at the end of the day.
- Apply a Shutdown Ritual. End-of-day habits act like off switches. For example, take a few minutes to write tomorrow’s to-do list, shut down your computer, and tidy up your workspace.
Another way to end the day is with some positive punctuation. The Feel-Good Trifecta™ is a simple tool that helps you close the day with acknowledgement, appreciation, and accomplishment. At the end of each workday (decide when your workday officially ends), take time to document your response to these three questions:
- What did I accomplish?
- What did I learn?
- What am I grateful for?
This ritual serves two functions. First, it signals that the work day is over. Second, it helps you acknowledge progress, which can sometimes feel elusive when days run into each other.
Replace Bad WFH Habits With New Ones To Grow Your Personal Brand
Working from home comes with lots of benefits. It can also prevent you from being your best and bolstering your personal brand. Commit to eliminating these three unproductive habits now and set yourself up for a more meaningful, more joyful, and more successful 2026. And once you have eliminated these habit, teach your WFH colleagues how to do the same. Teaching is one of the personal branding trends for 2026 and a powerful way to build relationships.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, author, and personal branding pioneer. He speaks on branding, leadership, and thought leadership. Learn from him and Deborah Riegel How to Amplify Your Thought Leadership Without Burning Out in this complimentary video.
