Updated from May 19, 2016— While working from home may sound sweet, it also takes a lot of discipline to stay focused. COVID-19 has sent industries and employees into a spiral, with some being thrust into remote work life. Not to mention, many have the additional challenge of helping students learn virtually while managing their daily workload. As with anything, there will be challenges; some days will be better than others. Here are tips that make things a bit smoother:

CREATE A NICE WORK AREA

Not everyone has an extra room or large space available for a home office, but it is still essential to have a comfortable, ergonomic space to perform your duties. A cozy couch or small desk/table with a chair usually does the trick. It really doesn’t need to be fancy at all! However, I would not recommend working from the bed – it is a recipe for nap time.

SET BOUNDARIES

Let your friends and family know that telework days are not days off! Therefore, you will not be available to do an airport pickup, go to the grocery store, run endless errands, etc. I believe there is a common misconception for individuals that work in their homes. Just because someone works from home doesn’t mean that they are not “working”.

START ON TIME

Listen, if you are going to drag your feet and get off to a late start, why not just commute into the office? Teleworking should be convenient in that you are not running around with your head cut off and completely frazzled from the commute. Take advantage of the “head-start”, get up and get started! If you are lucky, you can knock out the most important things before your colleagues even step foot into the on-site office.

HAVE AN AGENDA

Having a plan definitely goes a lot further than aimlessly moving from task-to-task. Pick a few major (or minor) things that you wish to get started or wrapped-up for the day and stick to them as much as humanly possible. Surprises are sure to come up but adjust accordingly. The most important thing is to simply have a plan in place.

DON’T GET DISTRACTED WITH TECHNOLOGY

This is the biggie, folks. You will be tempted to answer every ring from your phone, check social media, turn on the television, blast loud music, and make several trips to the kitchen. For example, I am one of those people that has trouble working in pure silence. I may put on a television show or some music to help me get through my work. And that is totally fine as long as you can concentrate on the work. However, social media will distract you in the worst way, especially while working from home. This is why refraining from checking your accounts until your lunch break is recommended. The difference is that one may be able to work and listen to music, but you certainly cannot work and check social media, simultaneously.

TAKE A PROPER LUNCH BREAK

I struggled with taking proper breaks while working from home for the longest time. I would make a sandwich, get back to my home office and continue working. That is not a break. But if you prefer to do just that, knock your socks off. But your lunch break is the perfect time to take phone calls, check social media or run a quick errand. OR that shower that you put off from morning…just a thought.

END ON TIME

Work hard, play hard. After you finish crushing the day, go on and enjoy what’s left of it without the added commute time back home.