The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced people to make a number of changes. For many, that means shifting from working in an office setting to working from your home.

Trying to recalibrate and figure out the new way of doing things can be tricky, so we put together a number of helpful tips to assist you with the adjustment.

1. Establish a Work Space and Working Hours

Create a work space

Find a place in your home that allows you to create a calm and focused atmosphere. Ideally, such a space would have four walls and a door you can close — but any room that is quiet, out of the way and has Internet would work.

Avoid high-traffic areas where you’re likely to get distracted.

Finding a dedicated working space will allow you to work peacefully and without interruption, and you’ll be surprised just how much it will increase your productivity, too!

Pro Tip: When you’re in this room, limit your access to non-work-related media like TV, radio or podcasts. Social media can also be a tempting distraction — many at-home workers find it helpful to turn off all social media-related notifications on their mobile devices during work hours and in workspaces to help minimize these potential distractions.

Set your work hours – and stick to them

Just as you would in the office, begin and end your workday around the same time each day. Many times, when working from home, it can be tempting to sleep in or to stay up into the wee hours of the night to finish certain tasks.

Unless it is a true emergency, try to maintain as normal hours as possible. This will make you more efficient and help you avoid burnout.

Pro Tip: Communicate with your leader and team members about work hours. Everyone’s situation and environment is bound to look a little different, and good communication is the foundation of making this delicate balance work.

2. Structure Your Day for Success

Use your calendar to plan work

Maintaining a good structure for your workday is essential for success. Using some kind of calendar to break up tasks and plan personal projects can be a great way to ensure that you’re creating the kind of schedule that fulfills your work and personal needs.

In this scenario, it’s also helpful to set aside chunks of time for each of the smaller and larger tasks you need to accomplish, like checking and replying to emails, preparing for meetings, calls, researching, creating, etc. This way you can have the satisfaction not only of staying on top of your responsibilities, but also successfully checking them off at the end of the day.

Build in breaks

Make sure you add breaks to your calendar. When working from home, the usual markers of your day, like having a lunch with colleagues or the typical afternoon chat in the break room are missing.

It’s sometimes all too easy to just work obsessively for hours without taking the time to properly eat or drink something. Plan in a short 5 to 10-minute morning and afternoon break to grab some water, coffee or tea and a healthy snack. Make sure you take the time for a proper lunch, too.

Planning in these breaks in a structured way will help keep you more focused and productive.  

Stop when it's quittin' time

This is the most crucial step you need to take to maintain a balance between life and work.

Resist the urge to continue working simply because its there. When you reach the time where you would normally stop working, close your computer and stop working — completely.

Leave your workspace and don’t return until the next working day. The switch helps your brain recognize when work time is done and its time to relax.

Pro Tip: Many remote employees have a ritual that helps them wind down from work and transition from work life to family life, even if the two are physically much closer than they previously were. Going for a 10 to 15-minute walk or bike ride outside (while maintaining safe social distancing), doing some yoga or stretching, taking a shower or watching some TV are all simple and easy ways to help you switch from work mode to family mode.

3. Communicate Clearly and Often

Communication is key to success

We say it so often that it almost sounds cliché, but research shows that individuals, teams and leaders that communicate openly and often with one another not only stay more productive, but also enjoy their work more.

Check in with your leader and team

Even when working from home, it’s good practice to check in with your leader and fellow team members at least once or twice a day, either through email or through another method of communication you’ve agreed on.

It’s very helpful to be proactive here, so you can get a good idea of how you all can work most effectively together while still taking into account the changing nature of projects during these times.

Log your work and progress together

Whatever you’re working on — whether independently or as a team — find some way to assign, log and share tasks and progress. Update this on a daily basis as well so your team members and leader can rest assured that important tasks are being completed.

Remember, they don’t have the luxury of physically stopping by to say hi, but you can replicate this feeling to some extent through using a good project management platform like Trello or Monday.com, along with regular video meetings through Zoom or Crowdcast.

Pro Tip: Adapt your communication for the new home office environment. Nowadays, there are a lot of good team communication tools — like Slack, Google Hangouts Chat, etc. — that allow teams to interact and exchange information just like they would in the office.

4. Practice Caring for Your Mind and Body  

Just as you plan your workday using a calendar or another time-management device, make sure to also plan in time to care for your mind and body. Especially in an age of social distancing, this is more important than ever. This can be done in the simplest of ways and doesn’t cost you anything!

Care for your physical health

Even though you’re not going to the office, maintain an easy routine of getting ready in the morning. Resist the urge to lounge around in pajamas all day long. Take a hot shower, brush your teeth and get dressed. Not only will you feel physically fresher and ready to take on the day, but you’ll also have a more positive mental outlook from practicing a bit of physical self-care.

Also build in a little bit of time for daily exercise. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise every day for adults. This could be walking, running, swimming or anything that gets your heart rate up a little bit.

If you can’t fit in a 30-minute chunk of exercise, think about breaking it up into two 15-minute or three 10-minute chunks. This way, it will fit into your schedule better and you’ll still see the benefits of taking care of your health.

Care for your mental health

Last but certainly not least, caring for and maintaining good mental health is the linchpin that holds together all successful and productive work.

Make sure that you’re spending some time outside every day (practicing safe social distancing, of course). Fresh air and sunshine make all the difference, and going for a short walk or sitting outside for a bit can help to refocus and quiet your mind.

Maintaining social connections is also important during these times of social distancing. Have a Zoom lunch with friends or co-workers, play with your children and set aside those mobile devices to just be present in the moment with yourself or those you care about.

Pro Tip: Now is a great time to start practicing yoga or some other form of exercise that focuses on a balance between the mind and body. Free videos for all levels are available on YouTube that make it easy to practice presence and relaxation in just 10 minutes. Adding this to your daily routine as a wake-up activity in the morning or wind-down activity in the evening can do wonders for your mental outlook and helps keep you limber in between your time at your desk.