Whether you’re a student in London, or normally work in the city, a lot more of us are working from home at the moment.

We know that turning your home into a place of work or study can be tricky, as it can be super hard to separate life and work when they’re happening in the same place.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you! Here are a few things you can do to try and effectively work from home and reduce the stress of this changing situation:

1. Get changed out of your pyjamas

Getting dressed and wearing normal clothes will get you into the right head space for getting some work done and make it feel less like a day off.

Why not try wearing shoes to make it feel like you’ve left your house? You wouldn’t normally be wearing fluffy socks at uni or in the office!

2. Pick one or two dedicated work spaces

Assigning certain areas of your house or student accommodation for working will help you concentrate on the day’s assignments and make you feel more like you're at uni or in the office.

All Chapter rooms come with a study desk perfect for catching up on your reading list, so you’ll be sure to find a position that suits your working style.

If you can, try and keep your bed as a sacred place for sleeping and relaxing, as this will help make the work-life divide a little clearer.

3. Wake up more than 5 minutes before your workday starts

We’re sure you don’t roll out of bed and walk straight into uni or work (there’s usually a commute), so try to avoid doing that just because you’re working from home.

Give yourself at least half an hour before you log on to prepare yourself both physically and mentally for a day of working from home.

Have a shower, a nice breakfast, read the morning news, or whatever your normal routine before work is… then set yourself up for the day.

4. Set yourself an agenda for the day

At the start of each day, write yourself an action list with all the tasks you want to tackle that day. Break it down into digestible chunks so it will be super satisfying to tick things off as you go along.

Not having a set agenda for the day can leave you open to distractions and procrastination – something that can be far too easy to stumble into when working from home.

Make life easier for yourself and try and keep on task!

5. Define what hours you’re going to do

It can be difficult to keep track of time when working from home. Sure, this can be a good thing if it means the day flies by, but overworking can also be a real issue.

If you clearly define what hours you’re going to be working (whether you’re a morning person, like the classic 9 to 5, or prefer a lie in) then you can keep your workload as close to a normal day at uni or in the office as possible.

Then make sure you sign out and turn off all work notifications at the end of the workday to give yourself a break - you deserve it!

6. Create some background noise

Your uni or office can probably be quite lively sometimes, and you’ll be used to working around other people and in a busy environment.

Listening to music or even just having the TV on quietly in the background can help you focus, since working from home can sometimes be a little too quiet and that can be a distraction in itself.

Check out this WORK FROM HOME PLAYLIST on Spotify for some inspiration.

7. Take frequent breaks

Sitting by yourself working all day can really burn you out, so make sure you take frequent breaks to take a moment away from the work.

Whether it’s grabbing a cup of coffee, reading a magazine, or calling your friend for a quick catch up… remember, you’re probably not working 100% of the time when you’re at uni or in the office anyway!

This also includes taking a proper lunch break where you don’t look at anything work related, just as you would do at uni or work.

8. Keep in touch with your friends and colleagues

Try to stay in regular contact with the people you work with, whether that’s your colleagues or your uni project group.

It’s good to know how everyone else is getting on, and this will also make sure that you’re actually ‘working’ from home so you can keep up with the conversations.

Socialising after work is a good idea as well - even if it’s just a group video call with friends, ensuring you're not spending too much time on your own and to keep the loneliness at bay.

9. Try not to do household chores throughout the day

Just because you’re at home, that doesn’t mean you should be catching up on household chores randomly throughout the day.

It might seem convenient to do your laundry or wash the dishes since you’re at home, but this can be super distracting when you’ve set time aside for work.

Instead, schedule in a specific time for your chores so they’re not eating into your work from home schedule.

10. Stay active

Getting a bit of fresh air after being cooped up all day will do you wonders, even if it’s just a quick walk around the block for your daily recommended exercise.

Take some time in the day to keep active as well. As you probably can’t make it to a fitness class or gym right now, there are plenty of effective workouts you can do at home.

Check out some NHS recommended 10-minute workouts HERE  or Chapter's online resident experience platform HERE with live workout sessions scheduled every day for you to join from the comfort of your home.

There we have it: Chapter's handy guide on effectively working from home, we hope you've found it useful. All that's left to say is good luck - we know you'll smash it!