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If you have been working from home throughout the pandemic crisis you may have struggled to stay motivated but you are absolutely not on your own.

Many of us started the beginning of lockdown assuming that we would be working from home for a number of weeks and now following the recent government announcement last week it’s looking like we are set to remain working from home for the next 6 months.

Working from home is even more challenging during COVID-19 with extra stress, news and distractions from family and home.

The good news is that there are a few steps you can take to help keep you motivated!

1.Create a schedule:

Without a structure to your working day time will get away from you. Resist the temptation to start working later in the day as you will end up working later in the evening meaning your family or down time will be encroached with work. Keep the boundaries with your time to keep a work/life balance.

2.Have a dedicated workspace:

It’s tempting to work from the comfort of the sofa but the chances are that you won’t be as focused as you would from the table or a desk. Try and position yourself somewhere bright and face away from things that are likely to distract you.

3.Work in blocks of time

Break your day up so you have clear strategy to the tasks you want to complete and the time given to them. Make the to-do list more bitesize and set an alarm for an hour to see what you can achieve in this time.

4.Limit your distractions

This can be the hardest step to put in to place when you’re working remotely but it’s essential to effective time management. Really limit your distractions, this means placing your phone away from you and turning off your emails for a set time whilst you complete that task you have been procrastinating on. If you’re working from home with family around you then setting some ground rules could work so they know when you can and cannot be interrupted.

5.Practice self-care

If you’re not working, then nothing will so look after yourself, so you’re not exhausted and running purely on caffeine and sugar! There have been numerous studies on the benefits of sleep and productivity so try and catch those ZZZs and eat a balanced diet. If you’re feeling particularly stressed then fresh air will really help, go for a walk or run on your lunch break to help feel restored.