To successfully work from home, I follow some simple rules allowing me to stay focused and productive.

Notifications

1. Silence all acustical notifications
2. Disallow all optical notifications

Work, Meetings and Time-Boxings

1. Make a To-Do-List and work accordingly
2. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t get all tasks done from your list – review them, schedule them for the next day, adjust
3. Don’t do back-to-back-meetings
4. Keep time-boxings for meetings
5. Turn your camera on and focus on the meeting
6. Take notes

Breaks

1. Take regular breaks (like 5mins every hour)
2. Allow yourself to get distracted once in a while, don’t punish yourself for it – in the end, we’re all humans, aren’t we?
3. Get outside, when the weather allows for it, walk around, enjoy the nature

Infrastructure

1. Invest in your infrastructure – if not already present, buy a good monitor, a good keyboard and perhaps (although currently overpriced as hell) a good webcam
2. Invest in your meeting equipment – if not already present, buy a comfy headset, don’t use in-ears for longer meetings
3. Invest in your interactive equipment – buy a good keyboard and a good mouse
4. Invest in your working zone – get a good desk and a professional chair

Family-Life

1. If your significant other is working from home as well, then use separate rooms, if possible
2. If your kids are at home, then don’t punish them for being kids – just take the time for them, involve them, give them tasks if necessary, introduce them, wrap your day around them
3. Take your time for your family

I try to work and live according to these rules. To me, this works out.

Hope, it does for you as well.