Working from home presents a variety of opportunities.

For me, I get to have my two big fluffy dogs cuddled up at my feet while I work. I mean, I can also do laundry on my breaks and maintain the house, sure. But for me, the best perk is seeing my fiancé on his days off and having my dogs as coworkers.

Adversely, working from home offers a lot of distractions.

There is no one to tell you not to go on social media and probably no one to keep you company while you work, no one to speak with like you would in an office. So, as V.A.s (virtual assistants) we have to find another form of sound to keep our minds active without distracting us.

No TV! I don’t suggest watching television while you work. Even if it is a show that you have seen a hundred times, it is natural to be distracted by moving images. This is why video is so effective for social media and why fewer pictures are being consumed. Personally, I love rewatching shows like Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders, but despite the numerous times I’ve seen these shows, I still want to invest my time in watching them. I want to see the Doctor run around with Rose saving the day on alien planets, but that is my activity while I cook dinner.

If you want human voices speaking to you, I recommend opting for Podcasts. As the podcasts from Terry Miles and Minnow Beats Whale says, “it’s television for your ears.” There are just as many podcasts to satisfy people’s different tastes in a genre as there are in television nowadays. So drop the TV shows and opt for podcasts to stay more productive. I enjoy listening to “Dungeons and Dragons” podcasts or story podcasts like “Rabbits.”

Maybe you want something with a beat, maybe you want music. Now, of course, I don’t recommend playing music videos, because the moving images are distracting. I also find myself unable to concentrate on harder tasks or reading when I listen to music with lyrics. Orchestral music is usually high energy without the distracting lyrics to sing along to. Disney has a great collection of their music in piano and orchestral form. Myself, I listen to a lot of soundtracks. My recent favorites have been the soundtracks to Witcher 3 and Cirque Du Soleil. I also like to play ambient sounds. Ambient Mixer is an app that allows creators to produce atmospheric or environmental sounds to give the listener the impression of being in Hogwarts or sitting in Jurassic Park. I find these to be extra magical on rainy days!

Finally, when you work from home it can be easy to fall into a sedentary lifestyle. Don’t forget to stand up and stretch every so often. I have my watch to remind me to stand up for 1 minute every hour. I hope these tips help you stay productive while working from home.

Introducing Virtual Assistants University (VAU)