The current Covid-19 situation has forced far more people than ever to work remotely.

There are lots of advantages of working from home – no travel, being in your own environment, perhaps sitting in your garden for lunch etc. Having spent many years working this way I have learned how to approach it in order to keep work and home separate. It is really easy at first to see working at home as a bit of a break from work, but the reality is you still have a job to perform and if you are employed, your employer will need you to commit wholeheartedly to the task in hand. This is particularly important at this time when businesses will be under huge pressure to stay profitable.

Below are my simple tips which should make the transition to remote working much easier to deal with:

• Stick to your standard work routine as much as possible – get up at the same time and as far as possible work your standard working hours.

• This may be more difficult in the current situation due to schools being closed and many people having to balance work alongside caring for others.

• Many employers are being flexible and allowing people to flex their hours to suit their personal lives but will still want employees to deliver.

• Sometimes you might think it would be good to do something around the house during the day, and then extend your working day to make up the time, but it is important to try to not get into this habit, otherwise there is no day and evening differentiation.

• Don’t be tempted to stay in your PJs for the day, however tempting it may be. It has been proven in many companies who have dress-down policies, that productivity changes when people attend work in ‘home clothes’.

• Not all homes are designed for home working and therefore posture can be affected adversely by the environment in which you are working.

• Take regular breaks periodically so that you can stretch out muscles which may have been held in the wrong position.

• Start the day with some simple stretches or take part in the many fitness/dance lessons which lots of celebrities are currently providing.

• Also, use breaks to make a drink or do small home chores, such as putting a load of washing in.

• Home working can often feel very isolating, particularly if you live alone or where you are used to working alongside others.

• So, wherever possible use phone communication with colleagues and clients rather than defaulting to emails to keep in touch.

• Keep an eye out for your colleagues who may be struggling with isolation – reach out more than you might do when in the office.

• It is essential you make sure you look after your mental health well being at times like this. Take this time to catch up with friends and families and send those emails you’ve been meaning to do for some time or even write letters!

• Use FaceTime rather than making calls so that you can actually see people.

• If you work in a team, set up a WhatsApp group so you can communicate the ‘non work stuff’ but make sure this channel is not used to communicate work matters and only respond during your breaks.

• My final tip and probably the most important – keep away from daytime TV!! In my early days of remote working I was convinced I could become a property developer and my general knowledge grew as a result of the plethora of quizzes which span the day – If you want to keep up with these programmes, record them and use them to break the day and evening.

Good luck as you embark upon a new way of working, enjoy the change and the challenge, but remember, at some point in the future normality will return and you will have to transition back into normal working life. Therefore, see the current situation as temporary and adapt accordingly.