Leaving the corporate office to work in the comfort of your own home has many perks, especially the ability to design your day around your peak productivity hours, says Dawn O’Connor, director and productivity ninja with Think Productive in Calgary.

But whether you work from home full-time or on an occasional basis, maintaining a business-like focus in your domestic environment can be a challenge. While your home office may isolate you from chatty co-workers, you’ll be dealing with a whole new set of distractions, such as family members, pets, the TV and that pile of laundry that needs folding.

Many at-home workers participate in “productive procrastination,” O’Connor says. For example, some of O’Connor’s clients say they feel compelled to clean the kitchen before they can sit down at their desks. Others may feel lonely and will seek human contact through social media.

If you work at home, try these three strategies to increase your productivity:

1. The Pomodoro Technique
A trademarked time-management tool, the Pomodoro Technique encourages you to work toward “mini deadlines.”

To begin, set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and use that time to complete a single task. When the timer dings, it’s time to take a five-minute break.

This technique forces you to plan your day according to what you can accomplish in short time frames, O’Connor says. Longer tasks, would be spread across multiple Pomodoro sessions.

The five-minute break is key, O’Connor adds. Ideally, you would use this time to stretch or walk around, adding more physical movement to your day.

2. Create daily routines
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of emails and phone calls you might receive throughout the day.

To avoid stopping and starting tasks every time you get an email, schedule two or three times per day to check and respond to messages.

Similarly, you should schedule time for lunch and coffee breaks. The downside of getting lost in your work, O’Connor says, is that you can forget to take the time to refuel through food and rest.

3. Invest in your office space
You might be tempted to spend the day lounging on the couch with your laptop. But your work flow — and posture — will benefit from a well-equipped office with an ergonomic chair, O’Connor says.

And don’t underestimate the value of a brightly lit, aesthetically pleasing office space, O’Connor adds. “If anyone is resistant to going to work at home, you can often dig down and just find out they don’t like their physical surroundings.”