With the recent Coronavirus concerns, a lot of people have suddenly found themselves having to work from home as a precautionary measure, and a lot of these people will be doing this for the first time.
Today Mairead chatted to Lorcan Nyhan, head of careers at the Communications Clinic, about what challenges and distractions you might experience and to give some tips on how to work effectively from home.
The first thing to do is to try to replicate your office as close as possible - get yourself set up on a hard seat and not where you normally relax, so avoid working from bed or your comfy couch! Lorcan also said that it's important to wear work clothes too, not pyjamas or a tracksuit, so you can get in the right frame of mind for work.
Another good tip is to set your working hours and stick to your normal routine as closely as you can. This might mean leaving the house in the morning and going for a short walk, or getting your usual morning coffee before going back home and getting to work.
You will come across different distractions at home and it'll be very tempting to stick a film on in the background, so set targets for yourself so you can stay on track and be as productive as possible.
And most importantly, tell your friends and family that just because you're working from home, it doesn't mean you're free for them to drop by for a coffee and a chat! Set boundaries and be strict about it.
You can hear the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.
