Despite the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine and the subsequent mass vaccination around the world, many companies still insist that employees continue to work remotely. Whilst some people were still working remotely even before the pandemic, there are many challenges for those adopting the work-from-home lifestyle for the first time. It could be the need to change habits and routines, balancing between work and personal life, deciding what office equipment to use, or even communicating with colleagues.
If you came here looking for ways on how to collaborate effectively if your team is remote, this article is going to explore the challenges of remote work.
17 Tips for Working Remotely
#1. Plan your day ahead
The first step towards increasing your productivity when working from home is to plan your day in advance. Before you go to bed, ensure you have planned everything right from the small tasks to the biggest ones. This way, you’ll be able to apportion time effectively, ultimately increasing your productivity. And if you are wondering how to stay organized working from home, there are plenty of task management tools out there that you can use.
#2. Create a good remote working environment
One of the best perks of working remotely is the ungodly level of comfort. On the downside, however, it can significantly lead to reduced productivity and lost focus. Still, working in the bed or couch can be extremely challenging, with the temptation to sleep constantly sneaking on you. For this reason, it is important to set up a good home office that allows you to stay focused and get work done.
#3. Invest in the right technology
As much as working remotely gives you the freedom to work at your own pace, outdated systems or poor internet connection can be frustrating. This is especially the case if you are working as an IT contractor, where you need to have the very best technologies and hardware. For this reason, it is important to install the right tools and technology, as they will come in handy in improving your efficiency and productivity.
#4. Over-communicate
Another default advice for remote workers is constant communication, especially when dealing with multi-generational remote teams. Along with that, it is important to have modern multi-platform communication tools for connecting with your co-workers when you work remotely, as it helps everyone to stay on the same page, ultimately increasing the overall productivity.
#5. Take time for self-care
When working remotely, the line between “home” and “work” starts to slowly blur. As such, you may find yourself glued to the computer screen for many hours. Try to commit to a fitness routine, eating healthy, and even grooming. After all, a healthy body is like a well-oiled machine, and it will come in handy when working for extended periods.
#6. Take scheduled breaks
Whether you are employed or work for a company, it’s important to take a break from the computer during the day. Ideally, you should take a 1-hour lunch break and intermittent 15 minutes breaks after every 2 hours.
#7. Set ground rules for family and relatives
Your kids and the older generation family members in your family may not have the clarity on the concept of remote work. As such, they may assume that there isn’t any strict routine, so it is important to make them understand that you may not always have time to chop veggies for lunch or feed the pet.
#8. Request for help
Yet another tip to improve productivity is to ask for help if needed. If you work for tech companies that allow remote work, you can request equipment to get you started or improve your efficiency and productivity. These items might include an office chair, desk, monitor, keyboard, software, and so much more.
#9. Stick to the company culture
Even though working remotely changes the way you interact, one of the best working from home tips for success is to stick to the company culture as possible. This may include using work-appropriate GIFs on emails, Slack, and texts or even engaging in interesting topics like you would normally do by the office coffee maker.
#10. Schedule one-on-one check-ins
Just because you are working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t see each other. One of the best ways to foster team work from home is to occasionally schedule one-on-one meetings with colleagues through video conferencing or IM chat.
#11. Set daily and weekly goals
Although we had talked about planning earlier, work from home best practices dictates that you set small daily goals that you want to accomplish. You can then use the daily goals to build a foundation towards achieving larger weekly goals and so on.
#12. Ask for feedback
As you continue working remotely, you also need to ask for regular feedback from your managers and supervisors about your performance. This allows you to know where you are in terms of productivity and how you can improve.
#13. Start task batching
Task batching entails grouping together tasks that are of similar nature and handling them all at once. Splitting tasks into subtasks and profiling them is a great way to improve efficiency and productivity, as well as prevent you from feeling overwhelmed
#14. Track your time
Good time management is a plus, especially when working remotely. You are able to streamline your working processes leading to peak productivity. There are plenty of time tracking apps out there including Toggl, Harvest, ATracker, and so much more.
#15. Participate in online training
If your company employer offers your opportunities for career and professional development, you should consider taking advantage of the opportunity. Similarly, you should also consider looking for other online courses that can boost your skills and value on the job market.
#16. Get outside
Working remotely doesn’t mean that you have to barricade yourself in the house for an entire year. You need to get out and enjoy the outdoors and even get your creative mojo revamped.
17. Know when to “log off”
The last tip on how to work remotely effectively is to know when to stop completely. The multiple devices and technologies allow us to receive emails and chat notifications at any time of the day, which can be a major issue when team members live and work in different time zones.
To pick a leaf from the best practices for virtual communication and remote worker management, you should develop a routine of officially “logging off” and taking a break for the night.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! 17 productivity tips for working from home. Although some of them may not work for you, the key to staying engaged while working remotely lies in figuring out what works for you! And since you’ll be in charge of your schedule, you have plenty of time to experiment with everything and develop a pattern that you can sustain in the long haul.