Working remotely can be rewarding if practiced well. By keeping your productivity up, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and by staying in constant contact with your colleagues and clients, working from home can be fruitful for any professional.

But a strong and realistic routine is vital. Here’s how routines can help professionals working from home, along with a few tips to keep you as productive as possible.

Stay Consistent

Setting a morning routine, one that you can stick to easily, is essential when attempting to remain productive when working from home. What time will wake up and get to work, for example? Aim to pick a time and stick to it as best as you can.

A great perk of working from home is being able to wake up naturally without the noise of the dreaded alarm clock. If you’re not too deep of a sleeper, then this could be beneficial, but make sure you’re up with enough time to get everything done before you log-on and start working. Establishing a solid sleep schedule is a great start to your working day.

Morning Routines

Exercise increases your productivity, so consider working out once you’re up out of bed. It can be as intense as you wish, but just 10 minutes of exercise can increase oxygen to the brain, lower your stress, and can improve your mood greatly.

Next up, breakfast. Your first meal of the day replenishes the energy and nutrients in your body you lost while you slept. A healthy breakfast can contribute to better memory and concentration, something that almost everyone needs help with, plus it can lower the chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight.

Set Up a Work Station

Working from home means that you’ll need to create your very own office. A great routine for productivity is to have a designated room or at least a desk that you can work at, hopefully undisturbed.

Pick a quiet part of your house with less distractions. Lots of natural light, some plants, and enough space are great to have in order to feel comfortable. Also, try to limit distractions like your phone or things not pertinent to your work day, as this will help overall productivity.

Get Into Good Habits

Give yourself adequate time during the day for breaks. Be sure to step away from your desk and go for a walk, get some fresh air, and drink plenty of water. Don’t hesitate to reward yourself either – when you’ve done a good job or completed a task, make yourself a coffee, or simply take a 10 minute break before moving onto the next task.

Another useful habit to remain productive when working from home is to create a to-do list for each day. It’ll help you to stay focused and give you a measurable indication of how well you’re performing.

When will you start your day and when will you finish? Try ending your day the same way you started it – with an end-of-day routine. Choose something relaxing and rewarding that you can look forward to at the end of every workday.