Zero second commute to work sounds great in principle, doesn’t it? In the connected world working from home all of the time, or some of the time, is a reality and an increasingly popular way of employers reaching greater talent pools.

Whilst working from home can sound easy in theory in practice it’s not as straightforward as it may first appear. It takes discipline.

Distractions, pressure (sometimes imposed by yourself) and the lack of co-workers to bounce off can bring feelings of isolation that can take time to adjust to.

So what does it take to make it work then? From our experience and conversations with candidates and clients we’ve collated a selection of traits and tips that may help productivity soar when working from home.

Trait’s to boost productivity when working from home:

Be organised and manage your priorities. Use systems to schedule your day as you would in the office. There is a raft of tools and apps out there that can help you with this. The Pomodoro technique is a favourite of ours. Being in control and well-planned will help you work effectively and efficiently.

Be motivated. Set objectives and deadlines that’ll ensure you’re making progression and getting tasks of that to do list.

Be communicative. Be connected. Just because you’re not physically with your teammates remain in communication. Ask their opinion, check over the work you’re producing and be proactive to sound out situations rather than feeling isolated and the sole decision maker.

Be tech savvy. You may not be lucky enough to have an IT department at your fingertips to assist you with technical issues. Make sure you are seamlessly effectively set up, laptop, connection, phone, access to internal systems.

Tips to boost productivity when working from home:

• Have a set work space – make it a dedicated area to get into the work headspace.
• Set working hours that are effective for you. You will need to allow yourself to switch off and on as you would within the office environment. The lines between personal time and work time may blur, but working from home doesn’t mean that you are now working all the time when you are at home.
• Avoid distractions – the home can be full of distractions. No dog or cat on your lap, no personal calls and no constant trips to the fridge.
• Stay connected – Make sure you are available to your team mates as you would be when in the office, you’re a team that needs to pull together effectively. 
• Take breaks – why change your habits just because you are working from somewhere else? Stick with you regular routine. Go for a lunchtime walk, make a coffee. Allow time for breathers.
• Get out of the house – just because you are working from remote doesn’t mean that you have to work from home all the time. Try a change of scenery: a co-working space or a cafe. Nowadays, all it takes to make that happen is a laptop and Wifi.
• Maintain a healthy balance – If lunchtime yoga works for you, stick with it. Make sure that your home doesn’t become an “always on” space. Make it a work only space sometimes and a home only space at other times.

Obviously, this is just a small collection of traits and tips. We’d love to hear what works for you. Also, the nature of your job will have a huge impact on what else it might take to make this arrangement work.

This piece previously appeared on the ADLIB Blog.