Think working from home is easy? Think again. Sure, you may enjoy not having to commute every day or deal with traffic jams and bad weather, but unless you can separate your remote work and home life, you’ll always be knee-deep in chaos.

Can you imagine being repeatedly distracted because your family keeps asking you to run errands or do chores? Or that you can’t stop working even if it’s already late and you want to sleep?

Welcome to working from home.

If you’ve ever struggled with these real problems, don’t worry. We’ve been there too and have a few tips on how you can keep these aspects of your life apart.

Create a dedicated workspace

An effective way to separate your remote work and home life is by physically disconnecting them through a room or area that you’ll use exclusively as a workspace. This is necessary because:

• A dedicated workspace will help avoid distractions.
• It lets you get into the proper work mindset.
• Leaving the workspace tells you you’re no longer working.

Avoid leisure activities (e.g. watching Netflix, surfing on social media) when at your workspace. Why? Because they’re a) distracting and b) habit-forming, which will almost certainly result in unproductive time while you’re supposedly working.

Having a room with a door is best, but any spot in a quiet corner of your home will do. Delineating the space with a folding screen or curtain would help too.

Set your work hours

If you’re part of an offshore staffing firm like Remote Workmate, then your schedule is pretty much set and you wouldn’t have to worry about deciding on a schedule. You’ll simply log in during the scheduled hours and put in the work. Once you reach the end of your shift, log out.

Piece of cake.

If you’re a freelancer, you must establish your own hours. But that’s easy enough; the challenge is that you have to be disciplined enough to consistently follow your work schedule, otherwise you:

• Won’t get anything done, or;
• Not have any personal time left.

Inform others about your schedule

Friends and members of your household will likely think that because you’re home and wearing sweatpants (or pajamas – or whatever it is you wear at home), you’re available. But this isn’t always the case if you’re a remote worker, and it’s precisely why you need to tell them about your schedule.

You also have to make them understand that you need to be uninterrupted during these hours. As a result, you won’t be able to do chores or any other activity until after your work.

Schedule rituals before and after work

Another way to help you transition between home and work (and vice-versa) is to regularly perform rituals before your day begins and right after. For example, before punching in, you can:

• Take a morning run, and/or;
• Get dressed for work.

It’s like flipping a mental switch that puts you into the right mindset. Likewise, at the end of your workday, you can regularly:

• Attend a workout class, or;
• Go out for groceries.

It doesn’t matter what activity you schedule. What’s important is that it compels you to end work at a specific time. Or else, you might just keep going, and that’s not good.

Switch off your work devices

See to it that you shut down your work computer when you’re done; your workday won’t end until you do. If you use a laptop, hide it for good measure. Not seeing your device will further reinforce that your work time is over.

If your work involves dealing with after-hours issues, create a separate email address for such occurrences, then tell colleagues or clients to contact you there only for urgent situations. For your peace of mind, check it only once – after you end your work for the day.

Take time to unwind

Once you’re finished working, take the time to relax. Why? Because it lets you cope with stress more effectively. According to the Mayo Clinic, relaxation provides a number of benefits like:

• Lower blood pressure.
• Reduced muscle tension and chronic pain.
• Improved sleep quality.

You don’t need to spend a lot to unwind. Some quick and easy techniques include meditation, listening to music, massage, deep breathing, yoga, or having a warm cup of tea.

Get out of the house regularly

To put some more distance between your home-based work and personal life, make an effort to get out of the house during or after work. There are two compelling advantages:

1. It lets you work in a different venue outside your home.
2. It breaks up the isolation that remote work brings.

Here are some ways to do it:

• Work at a cafe.
• Have lunch with other remote workers.
• After work, engage in physical activity outdoors.

You might think that working remotely might give you more time for yourself, but if you’re not careful, it can demand more than a regular job would. By incorporating these tips to your daily routine, you can stay productive while enjoying all the benefits that working from home provides.

Yes, if you do it right, you can have your cake and eat it too.