Remote productivity advice tends towards routines and rituals. The real difficulties are structural and a few of them have straightforward fixes.
The boundary problem
Without a commute, work has no defined beginning or end, so it expands. Most people working from home work longer than they did in an office, not shorter.
What helps is an artificial boundary – a walk before and after, a different room, changing clothes. Any ritual works; the point is that one exists.
The interruption problem
Household interruptions are more frequent than office ones and less socially costly to make. A closed door and explicit hours help, and only if the people around you take them seriously.
The isolation problem
The one most likely to cause someone to quit, and the one least addressed by productivity advice. Working alone for months affects most people, and it appears as demotivation rather than as loneliness, which makes it hard to identify.
What helps is deliberate contact – a regular call with a colleague that is not about work, a coworking space occasionally, anything that puts you near people.
The visibility problem
Remote workers are promoted at lower rates. Not because they produce less but because they are thought of less when opportunities arise.
The fix is unpleasant and effective: make your work visible. Summarise what you did. Speak in meetings. Have a relationship with your manager that is not only about tasks.
What does not matter
Getting up early, the specific app you use, and most of what is sold as a productivity system. Consistency beats optimisation.