Being remote and working from home may be your new normal. This change can improve your work-life balance, reduce commuting costs and help contribute to good health. Unfortunately, being remote can include distractions and other challenges that affect your success. If you notice that your focus and productivity aren't as sharp as they could be, try these tips.

From chirping email notifications to barking dogs, you'll face dozens of potential distractions when you work at home. Take time to eliminate as many of your specific distractions as possible.

Start with a list of the visual, auditory, sensory, and other distractions that affect you. Then, create a detailed plan to reduce anything that keeps you from focusing on your job as you work from home.

Every time you switch tasks, your productivity could decline. Multitasking can increase creativity, but context switching also reduces your ability to focus on your current task.

With block scheduling, you commit to working on one project for an extended time. This time-management strategy helps you stay engaged until you finish a project.

While you work down the hall from your children and pets, you need boundaries. Otherwise, you'll spend valuable work time meeting your family's needs instead of meeting your work deadlines.

Set regular office hours to create a boundary around your time. Always take a productivity-boosting lunch break, too. While you may need to get creative, you have the power to set your own schedule and create work-life balance.

You may save money on clothing now that you work from home. What you wear can influence your productivity, though.

The term "enclothed cognition" describes how your body and mind respond to the clothing you wear. When you dress for work, you tell your brain that it's time to get busy, and your productivity could increase.

When you hear your cellphone ring or see your television on the wall, your mind wanders to what you might be missing. Removing non-essential digital devices from your workspace could boost your productivity.

Your child's sports game and the pile of unfolded laundry can distract you from work. Add these tasks to your daily schedule to make time for everything on your to-do list. Like you schedule meetings and work tasks, plan your family and household activities. Schedule time for family activities, household chores, errands, and other tasks that affect your focus when you work.

All work and no play can drastically reduce your focus and productivity. With a reward system, you motivate yourself to work hard and relax every day.

Whatever the reward, set achievable goals so you stay motivated to maintain your focus and productivity as you work from home.

Working from home is a rewarding yet challenging endeavor. You're more likely to achieve success when you stay focused and productive with these tips.