We're living in strange times. Working from sofas, guest bedrooms and patched-together, makeshift home offices is a challenge. But there are still ways to find joy in work, get things done and feel the satisfaction of accomplishment - even if you are WFP (working from pajamas).

Here are the top tips to stay productive while working remotely from Team Trint.

One of the habits of almost all successful CEOs is ruthless scheduling, so take this tip from them and make sure you're using your time effectively. Working from home is like running your own business, which means time is your most valuable asset. No one else is going to plan your day for you. 

Schedule meticulously, plan maniacally and then stick to your plan. Your calendar will help you set and define bite-sized goals and then accomplish them step by step without the distraction. Need to get through a stack of emails? Schedule 20 minutes dedicated just to reading and replying. Need to prepare for a virtual meeting? Block out 15 minutes before the meeting starts to set yourself up for a successful use of everyone's time. Need to do a lot of writing? A 45 minute power session when your brain is at its peak probably won't happen unless you plan for it.

You should also schedule breaks to give your mind a chance to rest. One study suggests 17 minutes of rest for every 52 minutes of work to stay your most productive all day long.

When you're all by yourself in your home office, it can be easy to forget that there are other people out there in the same situation. Regularly reach out to your colleagues to check in - and don't always make the conversation about work. A quick message to see how someone's day is going will go a long way, and can even end up lifting your own spirits. 

Of course, you'll want to spend most of your virtual conversations on work-related subjects. Speak to people on other teams about projects you're both working on - cross-pollination often breeds the best ideas. Update your manager on how your own work is going - they'll always appreciate knowing you're staying on top of your duties, and it will help them focus better on their own tasks.

There's a myriad of tools today that help us stay connected, so whether it's a Slack message, a Zoom call or the old-fashioned email, reaching out can take lots of different forms. Just make sure you connect with the outside world regularly to remind yourself you're still part of a team, even if you're not sitting next to them.

One of the advantages you have by working from home is that you can create the ideal space for the way you work: most offices are built for the ways most people work, but working from home gives you the chance to build the best office space for you and only you.

Even if you don't have a lot of space, you should make it a priority to create the most productive home office you can. This will set you up for an efficient, productive home workspace and get you flying through your task list. If you work better with background noise, make sure there's a bluetooth speaker or radio you can play nearby. Ensure you've got a good ergonomic chair to sit in - you'd be surprised how quickly eight or nine hours can take its toll on your back. And if you need a blank canvas to let your mind build a new idea, use a desk or table with a lot of room to spread out.

It's also important to keep your work space separate from your living space. There's a reason offices don't come supplied with a bed next to the desk: the two are like oil and water. When you're working in the same place you're relaxing, the line between the two can get blurred really fast. If possible, keep all of your work in a separate room - and make sure there's a door you can close when the day is done. And if that's not possible, then pack your work (laptop, notebooks, etc.) away at the end of the day; the ritual of packing it up reminds you that the work day is done and evening has arrived.

Although working from home can help you do some of your most focused work, two heads are often better than one. Involve members of your team in your work in some way. Whether you want to sense-check an idea before submitting it to your boss, brainstorm ways for improving a proposal, or work across departments on a big project, involving other people will almost always improve your work.

To make collaboration as easy as possible, your tech stack should have collaborative tools already baked in. For example, Trint's speech-to-text platform lets users work together on the same document, building ideas and creating conversations with Comments, pointing out interesting or important themes with Highlights or noting important moments in an audio/video file by adding Markers. Having collaborative tools like these at your disposal will help you and your team create better work that gets out the door faster.

Trint unlocks the power of speech. Our platform uses A.I. to automatically convert speech to text, making it easy to find the moments that matter in audio and video files. We connect teams for seamless, fast and secure content creation. Start your free 7 day trial today.