Everyone dreams of working remotely, right? The ability to work anywhere you want, whenever you want, and still, get paid for your work is an ultimate goal for many people.
However, remote working comes with its unique set of challenges and rewards. If you’re thinking about becoming a remote worker or are already there and need some helpful tips, check out our tips for remote employees below.
What do you Need to Work Remotely?
If you want to work remotely successfully, these are must-haves:
● A Good Internet Connection
To complete your work, you need a fast internet connection speed. A slow or unreliable connection will make it difficult to get anything done and leave you frustrated with a lack of productivity. Plus, if there’s a problem with the internet connection, it can be challenging to get in touch with anyone to help fix the issue.
● A Great Cell Phone Plan
One of the essential things a remote worker need is a reliable cell phone plan. This will help you stay connected when you are away from the office and need to do something quickly. Many companies provide phone plans, so research the different options before choosing one.
● The Right Work Environment
It’s also important to have an ergonomic workstation with comfortable seating that supports your lower back and offers proper wrist support if using a computer keyboard and mouse. You’ll also need an office desk or table with plenty of space to store paperwork, files, and other supplies. A room for snacks and coffee if you work from home full-time.
Tips for Managing Your Time While Working Remotely
Being a remote worker comes with its challenges and benefits, such as freedom from the 9-to-5 office grind and the ability to work in more comfortable environments.
But it can make staying on task challenging when you’re not in a traditional office with co-workers around you. To help you manage your time and stay on task while working remotely, here are tips to ensure you stay productive even when no one else is watching your clock.
1. Keep a Schedule
Set a time to be productive and avoid procrastination. Schedule downtime to help fight the waste of time. Prioritize your tasks by importance, urgency, and length of work time required.
Keep an electronic calendar or to-do list handy to stay on top of all your tasks. Log off when you need some peace or are stepping away from your desk for lunch or a break. This will keep you focused when you get back to work. Keep a positive attitude, even if things don’t go as planned.
2. Learn how you Spend Your Time
It’s easy to fall behind on your work when you’re working from home. It’s also easy to take too much time for personal tasks if you don’t track how you spend your time.
One way to manage your time is to use a timer. Setting a timer and following it can help you stay on task and get everything done. You’ll also need to ensure the clock is visible; otherwise, it won’t do any good.
Use the Pomodoro Technique. Once again, breaking up large chunks of time into smaller intervals will allow you to manage better what needs to get done during those periods. The Pomodoro technique suggests 25-minute increments with 5-minute breaks between intervals. However long or short your work day may be, these steps will allow you to monitor your progress and start getting things done faster.
3. Have a Dedicated Workspace
Find a dedicated space for your work, and keep it free from distractions. Consider whether you will have a home office or find a co-working space. If you have kids, make sure to schedule time for them too.
When you’re working remotely, the temptation can be there to work all day long and on weekends. It’s essential not to account for your hours of availability regarding when you are available but how much time each task will take to stay on top of what needs to be done.
4. Minimize Distractions
Don’t let distractions, like social media and TV, distract you from your work. When you’re at home, use the “Do Not Disturb” feature on your phone so that notifications don’t pop up on your screen. Turn off all notifications on your computer or laptop so you can focus on what’s in front of you without distraction.
Close any other programs running in the background so they don’t steal precious time away from getting things done. If you have difficulty focusing when it’s quiet, try listening to music while working. But remember not to turn the volume up too high.
5. Understand Your Productive Hours
Your productive hours are usually the hours that you feel energized and ready to tackle a task. This can be different for everyone and will vary depending on your lifestyle.
If you’re unsure what your productive hours are, start by tracking how many hours of work you get done each day from 9 AM to 5 PM and see if there’s an hour or two of time where you’re more productive than others.
You might also find that after a certain point in the day, your focus will start to diminish, and it’ll be harder for you to concentrate as well as before.
6. Set Clear Boundaries
Work-life balance is essential, so set clear boundaries and stick to them. Set limits on how many hours you’ll work each day, when you start, and when you stop. Add buffer time for eating and any other personal needs.
Consider this as your schedule for the day: 9 am — start working 12 pm — break for lunch 3 pm — take a coffee break 6 pm — end of the day.
Take a weekly inventory of tasks completed. To establish boundaries, take an inventory at the end of every week. Think about those tasks that need to be done in the upcoming weeks. Reflecting on what you’ve accomplished in terms of your productivity will help with setting goals for future weeks.
Conclusion
Working remotely seems like a glamorous alternative to the office environment, but nothing is perfect. You need to be organized and self-motivated to maintain your productivity. To help you out, check our list above of tips that will make your remote work experience much more enjoyable:
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