I’ve had the opportunity and the pleasure of working from home for quite a few years. Over that time, I’ve had to figure out what works best for me, my colleagues, and my clients. There are clear benefits to working from home, such as not having to commute and the ability to sleep in an extra hour. Conversely, there is a downside. You get lazy and just roll out of bed and into your desk chair without showering, dressing for the day, or eating a bit of breakfast. By the end of the day, you are still in your pajamas and unwashed. Sure, you roll right back into bed, but after a few days of that, you will look and feel awful. You will get lethargic. You won’t be on top of y our game professionally or personally. Even if you do get up and prepare for the day, you may blur the lines between the workday and your personal time. You may start working into the nights. Your colleagues and your boss may begin expecting meetings “after hours.” You become a slave to work. You may think, “Why not? There’s nothing else to do.” Trust me, there is. You need downtime, family time, fun time, and working all day and night is not those things. Here are my top ten tips for successfully working virtually. 1. Establish Working Hours If you work from home temporarily or full time, it is essential that you identify and communicate your working hours. This sets clear expectations for your colleagues and clients as to when you will be available for calls, meetings, emails, etc. Be firm in these hours; keep the schedule. Don’t set the expectation that you are available and responsive at any hour. If working from home is temporary, you don’t want to train yourself or your colleagues into a new work pattern. If you usually work 9 am to 5 pm, or 10 am to 6 pm, keep that schedule. Eventually, you will be returning to the office, and it will be easier to adjust to that return if you minimize any changes to the way you work now. 2. Build lunch and breaks into your day and block your calendar Just because you are in self-quarantine doesn’t mean you are chained to your desk. Get up, for a walk (with or without the dog and/or kids/partner), use that treadmill. Do something to break up the day’s routine. You will be more energized and focused if you take breaks 3. Block Focus Time into your calendar Focus time is the time you need to get actual work done. As a courtesy to your colleagues, let them know if you can or cannot be interrupted. This is done by putting a note into the time block name, “Can be moved,” “Ask before scheduling,” “Do Not Schedule Over,” etc. Discuss with your team to determine the best way to approach and indicate dedicated work time. 4. Set up your home office in a place where interruptions will be minimized I know this is easier said than done, but you need to try. Your family isn’t going to be used to having you home during work hours. They won’t know how not to interrupt you. If your partner is also working from home, you may inadvertently get in each other’s way or be too loud when on conference calls. You may want to think about setting up your temporary work area in a bedroom where you can close the door. Or let your partner have the bedroom, and you set up in the living room. I have no idea how to contain the kids. The key to working at home is to find a place to work without distraction. 5. Do not turn on the television If you need the TV on for the kids, find a place to work elsewhere in your home. TV is one of the penultimate distractions. You will not be productive with the TV on unless your job is to watch TV. 6. Shower and dress every day It’s so tempting to wake up and roll out of bed and “go to work,” but it won’t feel good. The routine of showering and taking care of yourself before you sit down for work will help you start strong and stay strong. It will help keep the division of the days clear, one day won’t run into the next, and you won’t have to retrain yourself once you return to the office. 7. Clean up your work area at the end of every day This sounds a bit like overkill, but cleaning your work area will do a few different things for you. The ritual will be a firm signal to you that the workday is over. It will facilitate setting up for the next workday and help you keep your house clean and organized. If you also use your work area for gaming or other personal time on your computers, this puts work away so you can enjoy yourself. 8. Prioritize ruthlessly Working from home is going to be new, not only for you but for your colleagues as well. There is going to a natural tendency by some to want MORE meetings. This is driven from the need to connect with other people, have a sense of control, and create a sense of security that everything is working as it should. This is going to be a challenge because if you aren’t careful, your entire day will be lost to meetings. So, if you are invited to a meeting, consider if it is essential to attend. Ask the meeting organizer. If the agenda and objectives aren’t included in the invite, ask what they are. Help your co-workers by always adding a meeting agenda and objectives. 9. Maintain your office working relationships “Out of sight, out of mind.” It’s too easy in the virtual world to forget about people or neglect to involve them where you usually would. If you are left out of meetings, you may start to ascribe dubious or negative intent to their actions. If you don’t need “everyone” in the meeting, be sensitive to the fact that the person you leave out may feel neglected, overlooked, and even undermined. So, it may be a good policy to reach out to that person or persons and tell them about the meeting and what you need to achieve and ask them if they need to be there or would rather have that time back. If you need to be at a meeting and haven’t been invited, don’t assume it was a slight. It could be an error, or the meeting owner didn’t realize you should be invited or is trying to be sensitive to your time. Your best course of action is to ask the meeting organizer to include you. Also, make sure to reach out to your co-workers on a personal level and don’t be “all business.” The personal connection is very important to retain when working remotely. 10. Watch What You Eat Let’s face it; we aren’t going to be as active as we usually are since we are, in essence, confined to home. Going for walks and doing exercises can help, but we should consider our nutrition. People tend to eat more during times of stress. They seek comfort in their comfort foods. Try to reduce caloric intake. Try to avoid excess snacking. Try to replace your sugary or high carbohydrate snacks with healthier ones. It’s easier said than done, but I think you will feel healthier for it. I am not saying deprive yourself. Just practice moderation. Add to your schedule time to enjoy your favorite things, perhaps as a reward for getting through the week. Just watch the amount of your special treat! Finally, in this time of Covid-19, Shelter in Place order, uncertainty as to when this will all be over and concern for loved ones, remember that everyone is stressed to one degree or another. You don’t know the details of your colleagues’ personal situations, so be patient. Extend Grace, understanding, and compassion.