No work attire. No boundaries. No balance.

Not everyone has adjusted to working remotely and it shows.

With more companies extending remote work indefinitely or at least until the end of the year, it’s time to get serious about how to work remotely the right way.

We did a little research and compiled a list for you on how you can be the best remote worker during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are our top eight tips for working remotely the right way:

Wear Work Clothes

You heard the news.

Employees are getting caught not wearing or partially wearing work attire.

If you’re on the clock, dress as if you were physically at work.

This will help you maintain your work routine and keep your home routine from intertwining with your work life.

When your workday is over, go ahead and slip back into your comfy pajamas.

But until your workday is over, dress like you’re going to work.

Communicate with Your Team

Being away from the office doesn’t mean you can’t be social and connect with your colleagues remotely.

Take advantage of the technology that’s available to us (Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams etc.) to help you stay in contact with your team and your co-workers.

Create a Workspace

It’s not going to feel like you’re at work if you don’t have a designated workspace.

This is a huge productivity killer.

How can you be motivated to work if you have nowhere to work?

Make sure you designate a spot in your home as your workspace.

Not everyone has access to another room that can be used as a home office, but that’s okay.

Get creative. Make a workspace.

Pick your favorite spot in the house and designate it as your space.

Follow Boundaries

This is going to be your biggest challenge because sometimes it’s hard to set work boundaries at home, especially if your children are home with you.

You will have to set and stick to these boundaries and make it clear to everyone in your home that you are not to be disturbed while working. Some people have started using signals that they are in a meeting so that their family knows they definitely cannot be disturbed like turning on a specific light.

You should also consider a way for people to let you know there’s an emergency if they need you while you’re working.

Make sure you stick to your working hours.

This will help everyone at home adjust to your set time for work and make your boundaries easier to follow.

Know Your End Time for Work

You need to know when you’re going to work and when it’s time to end your day.

You had an end time when you were physically at work. Keep that going when you’re working remotely.

It’s easy to get out of your normal work routine when you start working from home.

Try not to fall into new habits that end up ruining your productivity.

You’re home, but there’s still work to be done.

Don’t Sleep In

Did you sleep in every morning you had to get up for work?

Probably not.

Stick with that morning habit of waking up for work.

It will keep you in your daily routine and prevent your body from adjusting to a new poor habit of sleeping in every day.

Take Advantage of Your Commute Time

Since you’re at home, you don’t have to drive to work each morning.

Depending on how long your drive was to work, you can use your commute time to do other tasks around the house.

Fix yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Get that load of laundry into the washing machine.

Even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes, you’ll be surprised how much you can get done in the time you would have spent driving.

If you’ve never worked from home before, it can take some getting used to. But don’t worry!

We know these tips can help you to avoid some of the common issues that arise from working remotely.