Working from home and feeling stressed? Creating a work schedule can help.

Working from home can be challenging for many reasons. There might be noise, people, children, pets and other things that make it hard to focus. It can affect your productivity and lead to a stressful environment that affects your mental health. 

Fortunately, there are things you can do to separate those two areas of your life and have a good work/life balance, even when you work where you live. Creating a work schedule that fits your lifestyle is a good place to start.  

Here are some ideas that may help:

Schedule a beginning and end to each day. 

Resist the temptation to roll out of bed and go right to work. The time you used to spend commuting could be used as a transition to start your day. Get some fresh air, exercise, do some stretching or meditate. And wrap up your day the same way. Doing this will help you turn your focus away from work. 

Do your best to keep your new hours consistent or predictable each day. 

After you set your schedule, try to stick with it. That will help others learn when you are available for work or at home. 

Let people know your office hours. 

Try adding your new work hours to your email signature. And tell others in your life when you're working. Be clear about your work schedule by making a sign with your home office hours. Post your hours so others can see them. This lets people know when you need time to focus on work. You might also tell people in your home when you have break periods and you are available for them. 

Build breaks into your schedule. 

A short break will help you refresh. Try scheduling 10-minute breaks throughout the day. Use the time to stretch, go for a walk or check in with family or friends. Or when you need to take a break, try going someplace where you can close a door for a few minutes of quiet time. For example, go into a bathroom or a bedroom. 

Plan ahead but be ready to pivot. 

When things disrupt your scheduled work time, it doesn't have to derail your day. Make a list of things that must be done right away. Move tasks that can wait to another day. 

Reach out for help. 

If you find yourself struggling to be productive when working from home or feeling stressed, talk with your supervisor. Many companies provide resources to help you learn how to be successful, whether you work remotely or on site. Many also offer mental health resources you may find beneficial in learning healthy ways to deal with stress.