It’s been a over a year since the start of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, and some of us are still working from home. It can be difficult to navigate your workflow while you’re at home, especially if you are accustomed to working in an office space or a similar work environment. For some people, working from home makes it easier for distractions to interrupt their usual work procedures. If that’s the case for you, here are some tips to help you remain focused and raise your productivity levels while you work from home:

Create a Schedule

A lot of times, your work schedule is much more rigid in the workplace. When you are no longer in the office, the lines between starting and finishing certain tasks, taking breaks, and snacking can all become quite blurred without a set schedule in mind. To keep yourself from slacking off, it might be helpful to take some time to create an organized schedule.

Your schedule could include:

• Work blocks

• Mealtimes

• Breaks

• For parents with children at home, any time that you’ll take to spend with them

Even after creating a schedule, it can be hard to stick to it. Make your schedule more effective by keeping it in a visible location and setting alarms that correspond with the events in your schedule.

Follow Your Typical Morning Routine

We know, we know. It’s tempting to stay in bed an extra hour, or to lounge in your pajamas, but that only makes it easier to let some of your assignments fall by the wayside. Instead, follow your normal morning routine. This will encourage you to get up and get going. It stimulates the work mindset.

Your routine could include:

• Breakfast/Coffee

• Getting dressed

• Making your bed

• Yoga, Meditation, or Workout

• For parents with children at home, prepping meals or school lessons

Be Intentional

Although you may be working remotely, you should make sure that you work with a purpose. Be intentional about how you choose to divide your work. Harder and more demanding projects should be done during the time of the day when you usually have the most energy, while easier ones can be done while you have lower energy levels. Remove distractions that you are aware of, if possible. If you know that having your social media apps accessible would be a bit of a distraction to you, lock those apps. Or perhaps, having the TV on while you work doesn’t work for you; turn the TV off when you start working. Additionally, you should do things outside of your work hours that will help you work more efficiently.

Here are a few things you can do to make sure you are intentional about everything you do:

• Pay attention to your level of focus and what raises or lowers it.

• Work on healthy habits (i.e. going to sleep on time, eating breakfast,etc.).

• Separate work from other activities (family time and alone time).