Colleagues and friends in the office will fantasize and assume working from home is a blissful, stress-free, pajama paradise that's free of managers, filled with snacks and Netflix binges, but in reality it's often isolating, distracting and unhealthy. The remote worker, telecommuter, entrepreneur, freelancer and other digital nomads face daily challenges, such as:

• feelings of isolation


• distracting pets


• distracting children


• chatty partners or housemates


• unpredictable or weak wifi in public spaces


• being overworked due to invisibility and habit


• weight gain

limit the issues that can prevent you from getting on with work

To limit the issues that can prevent you from getting on with work, consider the following 11 tips:

1. Before venturing out to a café, library or park, test the internet connection at a time you intend on working there.


2. Hire a desk at a coworking spaces every week or two. Coworking spaces aren't exclusive to startups and there's usually a wealth of information, skills and contacts to help you in your current job or next.


3. Display a Do Not Disturb sign on your desk or door of your workspace. It may seem rude at first, but human interruptions and interactions are the most attention-stealing distractions.


4. Set work hours. It's easy to work too long – or short – and lose the division between personal time and work time.


5. Inform people of your work hours. Sometimes being at home gives people the impression you're not really working. In the case of pets, be firm about playtime, but consider setting aside a 5-minute break to play or snuggle.


6. Devise a morning routine. Get ready for work like you would normally do, then go for a walk around the block, grab a coffee, and finally sit down at your workspace and set yourself up for the day. The ritual will give you a sense of being in a formal environment where you need to buckle down and get on with things.


7. Situate your home desk or workspace away from the living room. Having made this mistake ourselves, we can attest to how gloomy and pressurizing it can feel when it's not work time.


8. Bulk cook meals or order relatively fresh, ready-to-eat meals. Deciding, preparing, cleaning and/or picking up these two meals can take a huge chunk out of your day when it's not just a matter of grabbing take out from the cafe at the bottom of your building or buying a coffee and toast on the way.


9. Utilize the organization's chat application or encourage your team and stakeholders to use yours. This way you'll know when people are away from their desks and vice versa, but it'll also open up communication lines for quick answers and collaboration. Setting your status to ‘away' and ‘busy' when appropriate is most effective.


10. Inactivity is a common complaint of remote workers, so walk around the block or invest in a treadmill and pedometer. Use the treadmill, garden or neighborhood to replace coffee breaks, office or campus walks, as well as time spent walking to and from work. You'll feel better for it mentally and physically, amounting to greater focus and productivity.


11. Take a lunch break. Go outside, get away from your desk or workspace, join a nearby gym, and do the things you'd normally do at lunch when you go to the office.