Here's how I stay productive working from home in a tiny NYC apartment with my husband and 2 kids just a few feet away

The key to working from home is taking your work day just as seriously as if you went into the office. I get dressed in the morning and I go to work just like anyone else, starting my day around the same time each morning and — with the exception of a lunch break — remaining focused until I "punch out." Focus is especially important in small spaces and when you have kids.

To keep myself honest and on task, I plot out my days in Google Calendar, deciding sometimes as far as a week in advance how I'll divide my time. Between writing assignments, appointments with students and other administrative duties, my days are busy. I stick to a schedule. And, for the most part, so do my kids. Like most work-at-home parents, I get the majority of my work done when the kids are napping.

Of course — as any fellow work-from-home parent knows — kids are unpredictable. There's always a nap strike on the same day I have a time-sensitive assignment due.

When this happens, I've learned to go easy on myself. A truly family-friendly workplace ought to be understanding, especially during times of extenuating circumstances.

A challenge of working from home — particularly in a small space — is that you're surrounded by distraction. In addition to the children, there are dishes to do and laundry to fold and a million other chores in your sight line more easily forgotten if you worked from an office.

To avoid procrastinating, I do chores before or after working hours, just like employees with traditional jobs — or else I'll put these tasks on my calendar (such as time to exercise). That said, it sometimes makes more sense to go for a mid-morning run or have an impromptu phone call with a friend in the middle of the day. That's the benefit of working from home.

Our "home" is more than the four walls that surround us: It's our fire escape, our stoop, our block. It's the park three blocks away, and our favorite brunch spot. It's the grocery store, and the gym. Living together in a tiny one-bedroom, my family has learned to take advantage of third spaces in our neighborhood. Most afternoons, you'll see me hard at work on my computer at my local cafe, my son napping beside me in a stroller and the newborn strapped to my chest.

With the coronavirus, a lot of these places may become off limits — but not all of them. As the days get warmer, you can take your work to the park. I will often write on my phone while I walk the dogs or push a stroller.

Don't panic. Stretch out, and enjoy some fresh air. Then, get back to work.