According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 35 million Americans are working remotely in some capacity. That’s about 22% of the U.S. workforce navigating their careers while simultaneously managing barking dogs, laundry cycles, doorbells, needy spouses, and overly curious children. Welcome to the jungle — or, more precisely, your living room.
Remote work is no longer a pandemic-era novelty. It's a lifestyle. And while there’s undeniable joy in a 30-second commute and mid-day laundry, staying focused and engaged from home is like trying to write a novel in the middle of a kid’s birthday party — chaotic, loud, and somehow covered in peanut butter.
So how do you shut out the chaos, stay present, and actually get stuff done? Pull up your (home office) chair. Let’s talk strategy.
First, get dressed. Yes, really. You’ve heard it before, but we’re saying it again because people are still showing up to work in pajamas: stop it. Take a shower. Put on real pants. Yes, pants with zippers. Wear shoes. Brush your teeth. Ladies — yes, even the bra counts. Your vibe follows your wardrobe. If you dress like you just rolled out of bed, your productivity will stay there too. You don’t have to go full “boardroom chic,” but at least aim for “coffee shop presentable.” If your delivery driver wouldn’t blink, you’re good.
Next, kill the distractions before they kill your productivity. The vacuum is not urgent. The dishwasher can wait. The laundry will survive without your nurturing touch for one more hour. Turn off the TV. Shut the door (if you have one). And if you don’t have a home office, find a quiet corner — the basement, a closet, a nicely padded shed — wherever you can focus. Distractions don’t knock. They barge in and steal your time. Lock them out.
Put the phone away. Unless your job requires it, your phone should be in a drawer, in another room, preferably behind a door you can lock. If you’re scrolling Instagram every time a spreadsheet makes your brain hurt, you’re not working — you’re just phone-ing it in. Ask yourself: “Would I be doing this if I were in a real office?” If the answer is no, drop the phone and back away slowly.
Set boundaries. Working from home doesn’t mean you’re available. It doesn’t mean you can help your sister move, listen to your best friend rant about her mother-in-law, sew buttons for your spouse, or referee toddler wrestling in the living room. Tell your family: unless there’s blood, bones, or fire, it can wait. You’re at work. At home. But still at work. Treat it — and demand it be treated — like the real job it is.
Schedule a real lunch break. Eat. Stretch. Water your plants. Yes, you can throw in a load of laundry — on your break. The flexibility of remote work is a beautiful thing. Use it wisely. Getting a chore or two done mid-day means reclaiming your Saturday for actual fun (remember fun?). Just don’t let your “break” turn into an accidental half-day. Set a timer. Respect it.
Be a Zoom star, not a Zoom zombie. Zoom fatigue is real, but so is the fact that your camera is on and everyone can see your glazed-over expression while you answer Facebook messages during a quarterly update. Sit up like a professional human. Turn your camera on. Look at the screen. Don’t multitask. Pretend you care — or better yet, actually care. It’s called being present, even when you’re not physically in the room.
The bottom line is that remote work isn’t going away, and it’s not always easy. But with a little structure, a sprinkle of discipline, and the ability to say no to folding socks mid-meeting, you can thrive in your pajama-free, distraction-free, productivity-filled remote world.
And the best part? It’s totally okay to pet your dog while you work. They need love too.