We’ve all been home A LOT this year. So you may think you have your work from home routine on auto-pilot. But the holidays add a little extra to just about everything… and that includes added distractions for the many people working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whether you have more family in the house than usual, routines have changed — or maybe a seasonal sugar-high has you unable to sit still and stay sharp — productivity is just as paramount at the end of the year. 

Ensure you remain a model employee (or employer!), aren’t slacking, and are keeping your projects on track with these tips from a Work From Home productivity pro.

“Working from home creates a different psychological vibe from the all-business environment of a brick-and-mortar office setting, and that feeling is magnified during the holidays,” says Cynthia Spraggs, remote-work veteran, CEO of Virtira, and author of How To Work From Home And Actually Get SH*T Done.

“The holidays bring new challenges to getting work done efficiently at home, and at the same time, employers have concerns about how the holidays can affect workers’ productivity in a home setting. It can cause tension between managers and employees.” 

How can Work From Home employees overcome holiday distractions?

Create a mental commute and brain warm-up, says Spraggs. A morning routine can help clear the mind and prepare for the working mindset. 

“The drive to the office used to create a mental separation between home life and work life and give the worker space and time to prepare for the day,” Spraggs says. “A similar separation time is vital at home, especially in a holiday atmosphere, in order to focus on the work tasks ahead. Develop a routine, such as reading or exercise, that warms up your brain.”

She also suggests that you create ‘must-do’ lists. The holidays might be filled with gift lists, parties, family obligations, baking plans, and other tasks that aren’t usually on the everyday agenda. Or 2020’s plans might look vey different, but still very daunting.

 “When these distractions make it difficult to focus,” Spraggs says, “it helps to start the day with a list of work tasks that must be completed that day. Prioritizing them makes it more likely they’ll get done, even if your mind does veer off into visions of sugar plums.”

Keep your office space a quiet place, and show everyone the door.

“Establishing a clear boundary is a must,” Spraggs says. “I strongly advise you to put a door between you and the rest of the household, and keep it shut. Otherwise, the home holiday cheer will break your concentration as people and pets stream in.”

Employers: How Can You Keep Work from Home Workers From Slacking During Holidays?

Trust, don’t micromanage, says Spraggs. Some businesses go so far as screen- or mouse-tracking software on company-provided devices to check in on their workforce. But Spraggs says that type of micromanaging can be counterproductive as employees feel distrusted and overly pressured. 

“Such a management practice during the holidays comes across worse,” she says. “Managers can find less intrusive ways to help employees stay on track. Set targets and measure results, preferably using online dashboards with status reports. This makes it easy for employees to earn your trust. The more you trust those who have earned it, and don’t hound them, the more they will produce.”

But daily check-ins promote discipline. Remote managers should establish either a daily one-on-one call or team call with their employees. In the holiday season, Spraggs says, extra efforts should be made in communication to compensate for people taking time off and getting projects completed. “A regular routine of calls provides a forum for the employees to consult with the manager and each other,” Spraggs says, “and the manager can track performance in real-time.”

Set holiday goals and rewards. “Your quarterly goals can be augmented by special holiday goals and rewards for meeting them,” Spraggs says. “These dangled carrots incentivize working diligently at home during the holidays and give them a bonus. Making it fun and competitive, the productivity goes up.” 

Whether you’re at home trying to build your business or just trying to be an exceptional employee, work from home is tough enough and holiday work from home is even more to handle. But with the right environment and these tips, we know you can get work done from home on a holiday high.

Says Spraggs, “It’s all about discipline and knowing how to protect the work side of your home from the fun side during the holidays.”