If you have employees working remotely for personal or health-related reasons, helping them to stay productive and focused while at work is important. You want them to feel relaxed and quite literally at home, while still making their projects and tasks the center of their work day.

Here are a few ways that your remote workers can stay alert, efficient, and on top of their jobs while enjoying a coffee from their dining table or home office.

This may seem basic, but keeping distractions to a bare minimum is crucial for staying successful and focused while working remotely. Distractions these days are often digital, but can also take the form of turning on the TV, reading personal emails, and talking on the phone to friends and family.

Keeping your phone on airplane mode may be the best way to keep distractions minimal. Allow a handful of emergency contacts to filter through via your phone’s settings, and let everything else go to voicemail. Silence text messages except for similarly important contacts, and turn off all notifications on your phone’s apps.

This can help you stay on-task while keeping your energy levels higher as you avoid multitasking. Another way to keep energy levels optimal when working from home? Take small breaks.

We all know from Jack Torres’ ill-fated vacation to the Rockies what all work and no play does. Just because you’re focused and tuned in to your work doesn’t mean that you need to put in eight or more straight hours with no gaps.

Be sure to take small breaks now and then to help your muscles relax. Grab a coffee, have a cup of yogurt, and take the opportunity to refresh your mind, clear your inner slate, and have a look at something besides a screen. These small breaks will keep your mind sharp, your spirits happy, and your willpower more resolved.

This will also give your eyes a much-needed break from your computer screen and will keep your energy levels, focus, and motivation at higher levels, boosting productivity and overall well-being.

This is an obvious yet sometimes very difficult-to-accomplish rule. It is undeniably tempting and absorbing to get pulled into Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, or TikTok for hours on end. Your phone’s notification settings can help with this, as can blocking access to certain apps during work hours with features like Apple’s “Screen Time” in Settings.

It may be helpful to have a work phone near you with no social media apps while keeping your regular phone in a drawer. Switching to a dumbphone can be another excellent choice, allowing you to stay connected without being distracted.

Natural lighting is good for the eyes, and good for the mind, as well. Make sure your workspace is well-lit by sunlight, and away from any loud noises, distractions, or complex domestic unfoldings. Plan your day so that food prep for dinner is allocated to a certain time slot, while work can get done during the remainder of the time.

Wearing earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, or even headphones with pleasant and quiet music can maximize productivity, as well. Some remote workers do best with silence, others need some Chopin, Moby, or Bjork to set the tone. Music is alright, as long as it helps you get down to work and tune out those things, sounds, and distractions that you don’t need to be latching onto.