My undergrad is finished! Also I have a job, two actually, in the field I went to school for. In Michigan’s economy saying that is a miracle I think. I am lucky enough to be in the group that has a job in their field immediately after graduation. And the best part about it is I do it all from home.

Working at home can be both a blessing and a curse. Luckily for me it has been a blessing. Whether you’re like me, a new college grad. with a virtual job or you’re self-employed or freelancing we all know that procrastination and other distractions can happen.

So how do you stay productive? Here are a few tips I find to be very useful.

#1. Separate work from home. This helps you get in the state of mind “I’m at home” to “I’m at work”. Unfortunately for this recent college grad I don’t have a separate room to dedicate to work. But how I do this is I NEVER NEVER NEVER work in or on my bed. My desk is my “work” and my bed is my “home”. But some day when I have the luxury of having an extra room I would make it my office.

#2. Set hours, and stick to the schedule. Since you have everything right at your finger tips this is easy to lose track of, but you know what you have to do and how much time you have to do it, so make a schedule and stick to it. If you deviate once in a while it won’t be such a big deal.

#3. Close the door. I know alllllll to well about having distractions especially with roommates. Having the door closed means business and helps you not to be bothered during the day for unimportant things, like chit chat.

#4. Keep your desk clean and organized. Am organized workspace helps keeps things in order which helps make your day more productive.

#5. Don’t Facebook, Twitter, IM, text, etc. I know it is sooooooooo tempting to Facebook stalk all day long. Don’t do it. Turn off AIM and silence you cell phone. It helps, believe me.

#6. Have a good chair. If your going to be sitting in it all day it’s worth spending some money to get a nice and comfy one.

#7. Give yourself breaks. Don’t lock yourself in the room for the whole day. Give yourself a 15 minute break every once in a while. This gives your mind time to rest and let’s you get a good stretch in.

#8. Drink lots of water. This may lead to frequent bathroom breaks, but it keeps you hydrated.

#9. Track your time. Even if you log hours on sites like Active Collab have an excel sheet for yourself. It is a great way to check and re-check hours.