When I first began working at home, I couldn't believe I was getting away with such a racket.

No one told me what to do or where to be! I could work in my bed, go to the grocery store in the middle of the day, and my clients were none the wiser. Even though I was a freelancer, I was constantly looking over my shoulder and expecting to be reprimanded by someone.

But my elation wore away when I realized I wasn't quite alone at home: My anxiety was there, too.

Now. I'm an anxious person, even in the best of times. But these days, it seems like we're all anxious. An anxiety is another ingredient - like Zoom calls, overloaded wifi or howling children or pets -  that needs to be factored into your days, your productivity and your time management.

Some days my anxiety drives me to perform at an Olympic level, with no task undone and no email unanswered even if I have to work until midnight. That is overwork - a common way that many of us anxious people deal with our feelings - and I'll return to it later.

Other days, anxiety creates a background buzz in the form of intrusive thoughts and fears about the future. It can also make us distracted and unable to focus, so another common way of dealing with anxiety is avoidance ( more later on this one too). For example, while I was writing this piece, I baked banana bread, made a half- hearted attempt at the exercise bike, fed the cats their pre-lunch snack and wandered around my house looking for things that needed my attention.

Working from home can be wonderful, but when you're anxious, it can be difficult to concentrate and stay on task. How do you stay accountable to yourself and get work done without driving yourself to exhaustion?

Here are some tips based on what I have learned from 15 years of mangaging my anxiety while also working form home: