Many companies are sending people to work from home “indefinitely”, present company included. These are learning opportunities for many of the country’s organizations. Opportunities to better develop business continuity plans, how to accomplish more virtually than we do in person, and how they have created a monster when all their employees won’t want to go back into the office.

While the jury is still out for me on this whole “working from home indefinitely”, I have come up with some helpful tips on how to not lose your mind and how to be productive.

• Set dedicated working hours.
  • With your computer just arms reach away it will be tempting to reply to each email your boss fires off at 8pm. RESIST.THE.URGE. Setting these boundaries allows for better work life balance, which is essential under normal circumstances but even more so during these isolation periods. I like to use a planner to lay out my day and what I would like to accomplish, like this one.

• Set a dedicated work space.
  • Having a dedicated space in your home also helps to keep work life balance. This space will signify to your brain that when you are there, it’s time to get to work. It also means when you leave that space you can leave your work there until tomorrow. Even a simple desk in a part of your room will do the trick. Here is the one I have.

• Hydrate
  • I am totally guilty of this, I just get so involved in what I am working on that I forget to drink water. My water has to be ice cold, and the bigger the better (chortle chortle chortle). This is my favorite one, even my husband has one!

• Get Ready For The Day
  • I have to say, this was not always something I followed. When I would occasionally work from home I would literally roll out of bed, maybe brush my teeth, and get right to work. But I recently started getting ready, like hair and makeup (alert the press) and I have to say it really makes me feel a lot more productive. Don’t get me wrong, I take some short cuts, like LOADS of dry shampoo and using a curling iron that keeps my waves for days.

These are the things that work best for me, right now. They could change though given the current circumstances. Stay tuned for updates as I try other tips and tricks! Tag me on instagram @laurenletter if you try some of these.