b'Keep you scheduleand dont do housework!3.While this tip might seem silly, everyone from home faces this challenge: theres a big pile of dishes in the sink, and it seems imperative to clean them right now!Todd Martin, CEO of the Heres a secret, thoughthats a distraction.Independent Professional Dont do house chores as an excuse to not do work, KliegerSeed Associationsays. Its easy to say Im going to finish the laundry or clean up around the house.Klieger says its easy to procrastinate with housework, espe-cially if you like a neat space. When you are at work, you cant worry about the state of your house, she says. Its easy to stop and say, Oh, I need to do some laundry! Oh, I need to walk the dogs! Martin says. Act like youre in an office to try and minimize the distraction of being in the house. EveryoneMichelle Klieger,working from home, even pros, say they suffer from the samepresident of thing. But youve got to maintain focus and keep your schedule. Stratagerm ConsultingIts easy at home to work all the time, and itshard to get away from it. But, at some point youCoordinate schedules to minimize distractionshave to say theres a time where things need to wait5.One thing to noteworking from home during COVID-19 is still different than working from home in until the next day.normal conditions. There are more distractions in theTodd Martin house, due to more people being present, which can cause dif-ficulties in productivity.I worked from home for two years before COVID, Klieger Make sure to know when to turn work off says. I found it challenging to suddenly have my daughter and 4.At the office, its easy to know when your designatedhusband home with me. There were more schedules to coor-work hours are. Most employers dictate the specificdinate and competing conference calls, plus the new schedule hours employees should be working at the office.was difficult for our dog. Suddenly, she was always awake and Think about your standard nine to five jobsyou know exactlybothering me.when youre working and when youre getting done. But work- While Klieger says theres no way to fully eliminate distrac-ing from home can cause that line to blur.tions, shes found that coordinating schedules has helped these When you get done, close the door to work, Martin says.new challenges. Its easy at home to work all the time, and its hard to get awayMy husband and I sit down each night and talk about what from it. But, at some point you have to say theres a time wheremeetings we must attend or what has to get done, she says. things need to wait until the next day. We work together to make sure each of us has the time we Martin says one of the big difficulties with this is the issue thatneed. Other than that, I recommend a lot of patience!most peoplebe it customers or co-workerswant an imme- Martin notes that on his most productive days, hes had to diate answer from you, because our technology has advanced tofully plan out his days. the point where we can get immediate responses.I make blocks for busy dayseach activity has its own time Everything is not I need to get this done right now, he says.block, he says. Its easier to stay on task when youre busy, but This is important for work-life balance. Sometimes, you need toits hard to stay on task when the day is slow.put your phone away and pay attention to the people around you. Thats where blocking off time and coordinating his schedule Klieger agrees.has really helped. I work in my office and dont bring my laptop to the familyI really have to work on my time management skills on slow room at night, she says. If I make an exception, I use the dyingdays, Martin says. If I havent blocked off my day to accomplish battery as a limiter a proxy for a one hour timer. Once the bat- things, Im going to get distracted. It all goes back to setting a tery dies, Im done working for the night.schedule for the day. SWSEPTEMBER 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /5'