This article was originally published by Front Office Sports. 

Working from home is much more common today than it once was. It’s a luxury that companies realize can make their team’s work more productive. But, how can you make sure you remain on task and don’t allow you to become your own worst enemy?

Routines! I’ve written previously that “Routines Are Good” and I still believe that. Even if your daily routine includes just one thing that you enjoy . . . Do that one thing! Then do it tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. If you do that one thing that makes you feel good, you will be on your way to routine that keeps you at peace. You may think one thing can’t possibly be enough to consider it “a routine,” but you’d be wrong.

You will be amazed once you’ve accomplished your one thing, you will feel like you’ve accomplished something big. Your day will feel complete; you will feel fulfilled! Then, you begin to stack those “one thing” accomplishments on top of one another, and before you know it, your outlook on your circumstances is better.

You’ll soon have achieved a month’s worth of “one thing” accomplishments, and your attitude will have improved. I have taken this approach as a remote worker in my career. Below, I’ve compiled a few work-at-home tips and tricks from my time spent as a remote worker which hopefully can help you develop a routine that will keep you productive!

Have A Plan

In my last post for FOS, I wrote about planning and making your Mondays productive. I learned many of those mindfulness and productivity tips from my time working at home. It’s important to plan your day much as you would if you were at an office. While you will begin to find that you get tasks accomplished faster at home than at work, this structure and planning will keep you focused and productive.

Start Early

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a morning person. But, it’s important to remember when you work from home, you’re not losing time in the car commuting. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends 25 minutes commuting both to and from work each day.

That’s nearly an hour of your day behind the wheel or on the train. It’s hard to be productive during commuting. With that time now freed up, plan accordingly to get your work day started and finished when others are commuting. Answer emails, get those easy tasks done on your to-do list, etc. I always felt my days were off to a good start when I knew my pending communications could be handled while my coworkers were still on their way to the office.

Have a Door

I can’t stress this one enough. Having a door for your home office or work space is a must! It will become increasingly difficult to follow your plan and stay on task if you face interruptions from your family or roommates. When working at home, you’ll begin finding that conference calls will be a large part of your weekly routine. There’s nothing more annoying than being that person on a conference call who has the noisy dog in the background or other interruptions that can derail the call. When planning your home office work space, be sure it has a door for privacy.

Get Away From Your Desk

Out of the five tips I’m providing here, this may be the most important. You may begin to feel trapped and isolated if you’re working your plan each day and not stepping our of your home office or leaving the house. Getting away from your desk can involve a variety of things such as a workout on your lunch break, working from Starbucks or Panera on occasion and especially eating your lunch away from your desk.

Sixty-two percent of professionals typically dine “al desko” which leads to messy desks, sticky keyboards, etc. As you know, I’m a big proponent of meal planning so you’ll stick to your healthy eating goals. A helpful way to make sure your plans come to fruition while working at home is eating these meals away from your desk. Eat at your kitchen island or family dinner table. Even if you eat on a TV tray in your living room, do it somewhere other than your home office.

Pick a Definitive Ending Time

While working from home I found it really easy to let work life and tasks bleed into my personal life and family time. I had to use discipline to develop habits to ensure that I was fully present when my family or friends needed me. Boundaries are important, and this applies to both halves of the equation. When you are setting up your weekly routine, also schedule in a definitive “quitting time” for each day and then communicate those times to the important people in your life.

If you set clear expectations for yourself and your family, your work will be more productive, making you more fully present for personal commitments. My routines and plans are a major stabilizing force for me at this stage in my life. When you can plan your work week and commitments ahead of time, it takes much of the pressure off of your circumstances.

What tips do you have for being productive while working from home? Share with us in the comments, tweet us or drop us a line. We want to hear your feedback!