Today, more and more people
are getting the opportunity to work from home,
which is great. But sometimes, like
what's happening right now with the coronavirus,
certain circumstances may actually force
people to work from home. And while working from home
does come with a lot of perks-- you get to work in your pajamas. You have no commute. You get to hang
out with your dog. I love you. It also does have
some real challenges. Because there's less structure,
you may actually work too much and focus too hard
and get burned out. What's the answer? The second is actually
kind of the opposite. It might just be hard to
focus and get as much done as you really want to do. The key to overcoming
both of these challenges is to set boundaries
around your time and space. So when you're working,
you're working. And when you're not
working, you're not. Here's how. The first thing you're
going to want to do is give yourself a
dedicated workspace away from distraction,
meaning away from the TV, away from any music
or the kitchen. One thing that's really helpful
is to be able to shut the door, so that you're out of sight. [SAD MUSIC PLAYING] The second thing you want
to do is make a schedule and stick to it. And it may sound
silly, but you actually want to pretend that you're
not working from home. So get up as you normally would. Pour yourself a cup of coffee. Sit down with your computer. It's good practice to
play out for yourself what's acceptable
and not acceptable to do during office hours. So for example,
when you're at work, you're not going to play with
your dog or listen to music. [MUSIC PLAYING] So don't do them while you're
at home actually focusing on your work. Finally, you're going to want
to quit at quitting time. Even if you're in the
middle of a project, put it down, because
it will help you get jumpstarted the next day. Do you want to get
me sipping my coffee? [LAUGHS] The third thing you're going to
want to do is set boundaries. The people or
animals in your life are going to see you
at home and think you're taking the day off. But that's not the case. Buddy, I need you
to listen to me. I know what this looks like,
but it's not what it seems. You're going to want to explain
to them, unapologetically, that you're working from home. We'll go on a walk at lunch. We'll go to the park. And the more they see you around
the house doing your thing, the more they're going to
begin to understand that this is your time to focus. So at the end of the day,
you might feel like you just didn't get enough done. This is pretty normal,
and a lot of people feel this way when
they work from home. That's why the last thing
that's really important to do is celebrate your wins. Maybe write them
down and go over everything you did that day. These daily reminders
are really good, because they can create
a virtuous cycle. And the next time you work
from home, [DOG BARKING] you might feel a little bit
more focused and just better about your day when it's over. Because it's not easy. [MUSIC PLAYING]
