When you work, it can be very difficult to separate work from your personal life. But if you work from home? It’s even more difficult! Since you work from home all day, the lines can begin to blur between work projects and home tasks. There’s so much talk about balance and separating work from home and make them both work smoothly, and it can be done with some deliberate action.

Although working from home will always be unique and lend itself to a different kind of workday, there are a few ways to keep your career as your career and your home life as your personal life.

Start and Stop

Have a set start and stop time. This is very difficult when we work from home, since we can get emails, hop on our computer, and complete a task. When you work in a traditional office, it’s much more difficult to go to the office, unpack your stuff, and get to work.

Secondly, keep your evenings for personal obligations and relaxation. It’s important to your mental and physical health keep your evenings open. If you work in a home-based job that is considered 2nd or 3rd shift, that’s different, but you still need a section of time when you aren’t working. As with traditional office jobs, there will be days when working late isn’t an option, but keep it the exception instead of the rule.

Designate and Separate

It’s a common tip with home-based careers, but that’s because it’s so very true. Do your best to designate a separate room for your work, meaning that you should avoid working on your living room or dining room, and make work feel like a work setup. This also makes tip #1 a bit easier, since you’ll physically have to leave your workspace to move on to the rest of your night.

Save the Housework

It’s so tempting to look around, see what all needs to be done in the home, and start to take action. While a few breaks when you pick up a few annoying items is okay, avoid full cleaning until you’re done with work. Again, this keeps you in “work mode” and allows your off work time to be much more productive. This should also make it easier to ignore those housework items that you just can’t seem to get to, since this way, they’re off limits when working anyway.

Working from home provides some challenges when trying to balance work-from-home and home life, but it’s not impossible! Do your best to separate the two, and take steps to make your day feel more like a traditional workday.