1. Stay focused

According to some studies, we begin to mentally tire after 45-60 minutes of deep focus. So it is no surprise that retaining that focus at home becomes even harder. When we work from home, it can be tempting to play around on your phone more or have music playing and a TV on in the background while you work, but all of that does nothing but slow down your productivity. And if you have pets at home, they can be even more distracting than all of the rest combined.

At home, there is no one to keep you accountable for staying focused except yourself. Do yourself a favor and put the phone away, shut the TV off, and close out any tabs on your computer that aren’t solely for work. If you need some more incentive to help you stay focused, for every assignment you complete or task you finish, allow yourself to grab your favorite snack or take five minutes to check your phone. It won’t hurt you to give yourself rewards, but be careful not to abuse that system.

2. Have a set workspace

If you’re really struggling to stay focused, it can help immensely to have a set space to work. Avoid doing anything in your bed and make sure that you’re in a quiet space before you get started. On really nice days, it can even be nice to grab your things and do some work outside for a bit.

Wherever you choose to work, make it your everyday spot to help create some routine. Once that routine is established, you’ll feel more focused and ready to work in that space.

3. Keep networking

As an intern, networking with your supervisors and other interns is incredibly important and can be a huge help to you when you finally enter the job market. Unfortunately, it won’t be as easy to network with these people without getting the chance to see them in the office everyday, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be trying to network with them.

However your team has chosen to communicate, use it to your advantage. Find these people on LinkedIn and connect with them. Send nice emails and messages to your supervisors and even simply ask them who else it would be helpful for you to introduce yourself to. If you take the initiative to get to know these people, it won’t go unnoticed. For more tips on connecting through LinkedIn, check out this article.

4. Communicate

Another obstacle presented by interning remotely is not having others easily available to answer questions or concerns you may have as you complete tasks. By taking it upon yourself to reach out to your supervisors and your fellow interns, you’ll set up an open communication that will only benefit you.

Your supervisors will respect you taking the initiative and you can help yourself and others by communicating with the other interns when you have questions or want to present new ideas.

5. Remember why you’re there

An internship is a great way to gain experience and build your network. Not to mention, you should be learning about the industry and the professional world during your time there. We know that it’s summer and that you may be working remotely, but neither of those is an excuse to goof off or not do your work to the best of your ability.

Take every opportunity you can during your internship period. You never know, maybe it will land you a job offer or even help you realize that you want to change your career focus. Either way, as long as you use your time wisely and work hard, good things will come. For more tips, you can check out another article here.

By Emily Provost

Emily is BrandResumes' Content Specialist and is an Associate Resume Writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Publishing Studies with double minors in Marketing and Journalism from Hofstra University. She has had editorial experience working as an editor for various publications from Hofstra and worked as a writing tutor for undergraduate students.