Working from home can be a weird experience, blending together two familiar things — working and being at home — that are usually very separate. In practice, remote and hybrid work are now mainstream: U.S. survey data show roughly 28–30% of paid workdays are done from home, well above pre‑2020 levels (WFH Research), and 34% of employed people worked at home on days they worked in 2023 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ATUS). Many employers expect some teams to work remotely part of the week as hybrid becomes the dominant model.
But that transition doesn’t always come easily. Outcomes improve when teams set explicit norms (core hours, response SLAs, async‑first), managers are trained for distributed leadership, and tools and access are secure by default—patterns echoed in the Microsoft Work Trend Index and remote‑work best practices playbooks (WFH Research; Gallup 2024).
“One of the most challenging aspects of transitioning from office work to working from home is staying focused on your job,” says Anna Thurman from Real Ways to Earn Money Online. “It can actually be difficult to get work done when household responsibilities, your children, pets, and other areas of your life are staring you in the face when that’s not something you deal with in the office. You will get more done if you set ‘office hours’ and ensure your whole family is aware this is not a time to disturb you — whether in-person or through phone calls and texts.” To support that, set clear availability windows and quiet hours, use do‑not‑disturb during focus blocks, and agree on response expectations with your team—approaches linked to better well‑being and reduced “always‑on” pressure (APA 2024; WHO/ILO policy brief).
Reviews.com writers and editors have been working from home for years, so we asked them to share their best tips for making the WFH life easier. The evidence is encouraging: in a large randomized hybrid trial, 1–3 WFH days per week produced no performance loss and cut quits by about 35% (Trip.com RCT). Results are strongest when work is redesigned for hybrid (async documentation, purposeful in‑person time) and when security basics—phishing‑resistant MFA, least‑privilege access, and healthy devices—are in place (Verizon DBIR 2024). Tool choices should also consider interoperability, governance, and AI features (Okta Businesses at Work; Work Trend Index).
1. Find a dedicated workspace and optimize your internet connection
A dedicated work spot helps your brain distinguish work time from home time. Place your setup near your router or use wired Ethernet for stability, and verify your connection fits real‑time needs: remote workers should optimize for reliability, low latency/jitter, and adequate upstream—aim at least 20–35 Mbps upload for HD multi‑participant calls and large uploads (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024; DOCSIS 4.0). Primary options include fiber‑to‑the‑premises for symmetrical 300 Mbps–1+ Gbps and excellent stability; upgraded cable (DOCSIS 3.1/4.0) with improving uploads; 5G fixed wireless with typical disclosed speeds around 70–300+ Mbps (T‑Mobile Home Internet; Verizon 5G Home); and LEO satellite where terrestrial links are limited (Starlink). If uptime is critical, consider dual‑WAN failover (wired primary + 5G/LEO backup), a small UPS for modem/router, and QoS for conferencing traffic (Ericsson Mobility Report 2025). Protect access with zero‑trust principles—verify identity explicitly (prefer phishing‑resistant MFA like FIDO2/WebAuthn), enforce device health checks (MDM/EDR, patching, disk encryption), and apply least privilege for data (Verizon DBIR 2024).
You might be tempted by your couch’s cushioned comfort, but a desk or table is the more ergonomic option. Fit and adjustability matter more than any “perfect” posture: set elbow height near 90°, keep wrists neutral, and place the top of your screen at or slightly below eye level about an arm’s length away (HFES 100‑2024; HSE DSE). Follow the 20‑20‑20 habit to reduce digital eye strain (AAO) and vary posture with microbreaks every 20–30 minutes; sit–stand and multicomponent approaches reduce workplace sitting by about 60–100 minutes/day without harming performance (Cochrane Review). If you’re self‑employed and your workspace meets the “regular and exclusive use” test, you may qualify for a federal home‑office deduction; W‑2 employees generally cannot claim a federal deduction through 2025 under TCJA rules (IRS Topic No. 509; IRS simplified method). Some states differ—California, for example, allows certain employee business expenses on the state return (CA FTB).
2. Find the things that keep you in the zone
Home distractions are different—household chores, a full fridge, pets, kids. Guard your focus by agreeing on core hours and response expectations with your team and household, and use status indicators plus do‑not‑disturb to protect deep‑work blocks. Clear boundary norms and a “right‑to‑disconnect” stance help curb after‑hours pressure and reduce burnout risk (APA 2024; EU‑OSHA).
Our WFH veterans suggest comfortable, non‑restrictive clothing and a good headset. Noise‑canceling headsets can improve call quality and reduce fatigue; combine them with notification pruning and scheduled focus time to cut “digital debt,” a common problem in distributed work (Work Trend Index). When a topic doesn’t require a meeting, use asynchronous updates or AI‑generated recaps to stay aligned without constant context‑switching (Slack AI; Zoom AI Companion).
3. Save time with quick calls
Working from home means you can’t just walk to someone’s desk. Default to async, but if a chat needs more than a couple of back‑and‑forths, jump on a 10‑minute audio/video call. Use 25/50‑minute defaults to leave buffer time, and record or share written recaps and decisions so colleagues in other time zones can keep up (Work Trend Index). Modern tools can auto‑summarize and surface action items—evaluate options based on interoperability, transcription accuracy, admin controls, and compliance (Okta Businesses at Work; new Teams performance; Slack AI; Google Workspace Gemini).
Recurring meetings can be trickier at home. If you live with others, try to schedule key meetings during quieter periods and set visible “do not interrupt” signals. Publish agendas and pre‑reads, invite decision‑makers only, and practice inclusive facilitation (camera/audio parity, hand‑raise tools, live notes). Rotate times for global teams and share recordings/notes afterward to keep everyone in the loop (Work Trend Index).
4. But still talk to people
Remote collaboration works best when social connection is intentional. Check in about more than tasks—belonging and manager support are strong drivers of engagement and performance (Gallup 2024). Design for connection to offset isolation risks that can arise in remote settings (WHO/ILO; EU‑OSHA).
Ask teammates about their day, add light rituals (stand‑ups, demos, AMAs), and pair folks through buddy/mentoring systems. Mix virtual moments with purposeful in‑person “anchor days” for onboarding, kickoffs, or conflict resolution, and share outcomes so those remote are included. Hybrid approaches often sustain performance while improving retention (≈35% lower quits in a large hybrid trial), especially when paired with async documentation and clear norms (Trip.com RCT; WFH Research).
5. Make a to-do list
This is useful anywhere, but at home it’s essential. Capture your plan in a shared system of record (doc/wiki/issue tracker), link tasks to measurable outcomes/OKRs, and use short written updates instead of status meetings. Document decisions with owners and due dates to keep work visible across time zones and locations (Work Trend Index).
It also helps to communicate what’s on that to‑do list. Set channel‑specific response SLAs (e.g., chat vs. email), reduce always‑on expectations with delayed send/quiet hours, and use AI recaps to keep stakeholders informed without adding meetings. When choosing tools, weigh suite integration and governance (retention, eDiscovery, DLP) against best‑of‑breed depth (Okta Businesses at Work; Zoom Workplace; Slack AI; Google Workspace Gemini).
6. Stay active
Working from home can compress movement into the bare minimum. Build short activity into your day: quick workouts before or after work, walking breaks between meetings, or alternate sit–stand periods. High‑quality reviews show sit–stand and multicomponent approaches reduce workplace sitting by roughly 60–100 minutes per day without hurting performance (Cochrane Review). People also save substantial commute time on WFH days (about 72 minutes on average across countries), allocating roughly 40% of that time back to their primary job—so protect some of the remainder for recovery and movement (Nature Human Behaviour).
It’s also a good idea to get up and move around throughout the day. Use prompts to take microbreaks every 20–30 minutes, stretch, or take brief walks. Ease digital eye strain with the 20‑20‑20 rule and good lighting control (AAO; HSE DSE), and give yourself boundary‑protected downtime to reduce overwork risk (APA 2024).
