Remote working enables you to work from anywhere, but work and personal space and time can quickly blur without physical separation.

When working from home, there are many aspects of separation between work and life that can be lost. When distractions interrupt work, it can be easy to try to make up hours working long into the night. When routine and sleep are disrupted it can be easy to sleep in and let your schedule slide. Mental and physical health suffer.

These are just a few of the ways that I've been trying to maintain in my life as I adapt to remote work.

Now, let's dive in.

Create a separate space for work:

Like people say only sleep in your bedroom, you should only work in your workspace.

When you isolate work to your workspace, it becomes a habit to switch into work mode as soon as you sit (or stand) at your desk. Conversely, if you only use your couch when it's time to relax, you'll be able to switch off effectively. Keep distracting personal items out of the space.

Create a work hours schedule: 

One benefit of commuting to an office is the routine it gives you.

The more ad-hoc your schedule, the easier it is for the lines to blur between work and personal time - especially when the sun sets at 4pm. If you don't have a schedule in place you'll quickly find yourself working late and making up crazy hours.

Having a consistent start time also means you'll have a consistent wake-up time.

Take a walk:

A commute also provides physical distance separation in your day between work and personal time.

If you would normally have a routine in the morning before work, find some way to fill that time. Don't just sleep in. I like to replicate this by taking a walk to a coffee shop near my house. The same as I would on my way into the office.

Another benefit of taking a walk in the morning is getting the sun in your eyes helps to wake you up in the morning pre-caffeine. source

Whatever your morning routine would be, try to replicate it at home.

And otherwise, take care of yourself!

Being alone a lot can make it hard to know how we're doing. We rely on other people for feedback. It can be easy to forget that when we're alone.

It's important to be extra mindful of all the signals of physical and mental health.