Top Tips for Working from Home

When you're used to driving to the office every day, sitting through long meetings, and sharing a community microwave, working from home can sound pretty darn good.

It's a nice option to have, but working from home takes a special kind of discipline and flexibility. This is especially true if your spouse is also working from home or if your kids are out of school. If you're new to home-office life, here are a few tips to help it go smoothly.

Eat and drink—the right stuff at the right time
It's easy to get caught up in work and forget to eat or stay hydrated during the day. It's also easy to take too many trips to the kitchen for snacks and overdo it on the potato chips. Try to stick to your usual mealtimes, and stock up on healthy food to resist the temptation to snack all day.

Build in exercise
Working from home means you're out of your regular routine. You're not moving around your office or stopping at the gym on your way home. Make exercise a part of your new routine. Schedule it on your calendar or set a reminder on your phone. There are tons of ways to get in a workout from home—especially now, since a number of gyms and fitness experts have put their workouts online for free.

Be one with the mute button
It might be cute to hear the dog or kids in the background of a call—once, but don't make a habit of it. Even small noises, like ruffling papers, can be amplified over a cell phone. Get used to hitting mute when you're on calls from home to eliminate the background noise and embarrassing interruptions.

Designate a work-only space
This may be easier said than done. In some homes, there just isn't space for a dedicated home office or even a bedroom with a door you can close. Do what you can to find a private space you can make your own while you're working from home. It can increase productivity, and it also allows you to separate work from your personal life.

Make a schedule
Set a schedule, and stick to it...most of the time. Clear guidelines for when to work and when to call it a day helps many remote workers maintain work-life balance. That said, one of the benefits of remote work is flexibility, and sometimes you need to extend your day or start early to accommodate someone else's time zone. When you do, be sure to wrap up earlier than usual or sleep in a bit the next morning to make up for it.

Be social
Working from home can feel isolating, especially if you get energy from your regular workspace and colleagues. "One undeniable loss is the social, casual ‘water cooler' conversation that connects us to people," said NPR. "To fill the gap, some co-workers are scheduling online social time to have conversations with no agenda." Use chat and video apps if you miss real-time interaction.