In November 2008 I was laid off from The Seattle Times, in the middle of a snowstorm that shut down the entire city. I spent my first week as a freelancer in a pajama-clad haze—playing Nintendo, writing letters to friends, playing even more Nintendo. But at 9 a.m. on the first day of Week 2, I showered, shaved, got dressed, went downstairs and began reaching out to old bosses, colleagues and distant associates in search of work. Soon enough I began to weave together a net of contract work and recurring freelance assignments, and through rain, snow or Nintendo, I worked those jobs out of my home for the next three years.

Due to the far-reaching effects of this unprecedented outbreak, many Las Vegans are likely working from home for the first time. Even if you’ve previously worked from home for a few days at a time, the COVID-19 prevention measures put into effect at the state level could keep you working from home for a month or more. I can tell you from hard-won experience, that kind of home-office time requires a different set of disciplines—and the current circumstances will make it more difficult, since we can’t escape to coffeehouses and coworking spaces.

So, I’ll tell you what allowed me—and others—to function and even thrive while working remotely. I’ve also drawn on the experience of Lisa Phillips, vice president of data governance at cloud computing services company Fastly; she’s been working from a home office since long before I ever did.

Act like you're going to work

“Get up and get ready as if you were going into an office,” Phillips says. “That means showering, putting on clothes that aren’t pajamas and doing your hair and makeup.”

The reasons for this are, above all, practical: You’ll probably be doing lots of video conferencing, and it’s easy to tell when someone’s phoning it in, figuratively speaking. You have to look presentable, at least from the waist up. (I won’t tell you not to wear yoga pants, or no pants at all, if you can pull that off without giggling.)

But there’s also a psychological component to dressing up, down to your shoes: It makes you feel like you’re supposed to be working. It keeps you focused and prepared for any shocks and surprises that might pop up. And dressing in work clothes during the week helps keep you to a firm work schedule. There’s nothing wrong with ratty T-shirts, pajama pants and bedhead, but save them for the weekend, when you can savor their comforts.

Additionally, keep your workspace orderly. Physical clutter has a way of getting into your head and bumming you out. Besides, you can’t easily wipe down a cluttered workspace for possible germs, as experts are recommending we do, even at home.

Keep the office contained

Like an elemental gas, work tends to expand to fill any container. If you don’t set firm and immutable boundaries around it, it will take over your entire home life. You’ll be pulling all-nighters to complete projects, and checking your email at 2 a.m.

For the sake of your mental and physical health, don’t allow that to happen. “Set boundaries on your work hours and feel good about keeping them,” Phillips says, adding that if you have a home office with a door that closes, use it. That way, at the end of a working day, you can shut that door behind you, or put your laptop back into its bag, and just be done. No more work until tomorrow.

Author Chuck Wendig gives similar advice in a recent post on his popular blog Terribleminds, and adds another tip: “If you drive 30 minutes each way into work, don’t add that into your work time. … Use it for books or audiobooks. For making yourself a healthy lunch. For playing video games, I dunno. Don’t give those minutes back to THE MAN, man.”

Can't focus? Pivot or take a break

If you’re stuck on a creative project or unable to compose an email, find another way to stay busy: a spreadsheet, a piece of documentation or simply cleaning the junk out of your email. It all adds to the same thing, and mindless work helps clear the way for the stuff that takes focus.

It’s tempting to put your head down and barrel through. Don’t. I try to factor a 10-minute break into every work hour—maybe 5 minutes on the half hour, or the full 10 all at once—to allow my brain to settle. (Your poor brain is doing a lot more work these days, what with the steady stream of not-so-great news pouring down hourly.) If you hit a wall, get up and take a walk around the house or neighborhood; do some dishes; straighten the house.

Phillips agrees. “If you’re working at home with family, be clear about when you are working and not available for any other expectations you may have at home—laundry, cooking, paying bills. On the other hand—if you can fit them in, these can be a great break in your workday.”

Look after yourself

If you’re a standing desk type, rig one up. Eat sensibly—fruits, nuts, veggies. Stay well hydrated. If you get a strong urge to talk to family or friends, do that. Remember to exercise; the better your circulation, the better you’ll feel. (Plus, “blood flow moves blood to your brain, and your brain is where all the thinky thoughts happen,” Wendig says.) Need to take a few minutes to freak out? Take them, and do whatever you need to calm yourself down.

Working from home is kind of like taking a long space flight: Things become atrophied. Every bit of you needs to be monitored, exercised and stimulated. And in a way, it’s easier to do that while working from home; no one will look askance at you if you get up and make yourself a loud blender smoothie, or strike a few yoga poses.

Make non-work hours count

Remember, life-work balance is a thing, so make the “life” part as rich and fulfilling as you can. Phillips begins her non-work hours with an exclamation point: “I like a closing ceremony of sorts—closing a door to the office for the night, taking a bath, calling a friend or having a glass of wine,” she says.

One last thing: Remember to be grateful. For every one of us with the ability to work from home, there are many more who can’t, and who have lost their jobs because of it. Take a moment each day to look for ways to help our displaced workers, from donating food to giving money. Many of the world’s most vital jobs can’t be done from a laptop—and we’re going to need all those folks back on the job soon, if we ever hope to return to the outside world.