Since last week, the SVA community—from staff to students to faculty—is having to face a new reality. For many, that means working and learning remotely. Here are some tips from SVA staff on how to be productive at home.

1. Stick to your regular morning routine: shower, brush your teeth, change out of your PJs.

2. Don’t look at emails the second you wake up. Use the time you’d typically commute to campus to go for a walk, meditate, read or eat breakfast.

3. Keep to a schedule. Set a start and stop time.

4. Create a dedicated place to work. It’ll help you focus when you sit down at your workspace each morning, even if that’s a kitchen table.

5. Make sure you take a break for lunch. Log off of screens and put your focus somewhere else so you will be recharged for the afternoon.

6. Being at home means you can nap! But set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes. Longer than that can leave you tired rather than refreshed.

7. Social distancing shouldn’t mean social isolation. Call, use FaceTime, Skype or Google Hangouts—make sure you’re reaching out to friends, family and colleagues.

9. If you’re used to being in a busy environment and are suddenly plunged into silence, turn on the TV or play music in the background.

10. While we have to get accustomed to no-touch greetings, there’s no evidence so far that COVID-19 can be transferred to pets. So if you have a furry friend at home, make sure to take advantage of the extra snuggle time. Below are some of our new cute colleagues.

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From the SVA Community