Top 5 Best Remote Work Tips
Check out our top 5 remote work tips on how to work from home.
Due to the Coronavirus, more Americans are working remotely than ever before. For most, working from home cuts down on productivity. These top remote work tips can help you do your best work while away from the office.
It’s only natural that those working remotely for the first time aren’t completing as much as they would in the office. After all, our personal lives present many distractions that are kept to a minimum in an office environment.
With all the panic going around, it can be nice to keep our work going at the same pace as it would otherwise—adding a bit of normalcy to a world that seems to have turned upside down.
Even when there’s no virus making its way through the country, these tips can help those who work from home on a regular basis to use their time wisely and be as productive as possible.
1. Get out of Your Pajamas
It can be tempting to dress more comfortably at home than you would for the workplace. After all, if you aren’t leaving the house, why change out of your pajamas at all?
While slippers and pajamas are cozy, they’re not conducive to a quality work environment.
Changing into different clothes everyday and putting shoes on can be an easy way to help your mind distinguish between your workday and your personal life. Even the act of getting dressed in the morning can be an important part of your routine that lets your body know that it’s time to be productive, not lounge around.
2. Designate a Workplace
It may sound exciting to choose a comfortable place to work from: your bed, the couch, the kitchen table. However, choosing one place to work and sticking with it can be another important part of establishing a routine and recreating your workplace environment at home.
It’s important to choose a location that’s similar to what you would use in the office. A chair that supports your back and a desk or table is ideal. Background noise from an open window or the television turned on low can replicate the noises of an office building.
Once you’ve chosen a location and set the environment, try to limit your time in that area for anything other than work.
3. Stay in Touch
Anyone who works in an office can think through just how many conversations they have in a day. Some of these are more work-related than others, but all are an important part of a workplace feeling normal.
The same kind of camaraderie between coworkers can be achieved from a distance if everyone is willing to be creative and put in the work.
Employers can communicate with employees via mass text messages, voice broadcasts, and email blasts. Employees can communicate with each other via texts, calls, video chats, and social media.
Everything from employee notifications to water cooler chat is important, so making the effort to communicate with others during your workday is vital to a successful remote work strategy.
4. Make (And Stick To) a Remote Work Schedule
When you have the whole day before you, it’s easy to decide to do your work at a more convenient time—after this episode, this chapter, or this meal, for example. However, you’ll likely be most productive when adhering to a normal work day.
It’s not only the hours that matter though. Breaks are just as important as time spent working. A schedule will add structure to your day, and make it easier to set goals based on priority and due date.
The schedule you set for yourself should include: waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, starting work, lunch breaks, other breaks, and the end of your workday.
Not only will this schedule help you get things done, but it will ease the transition back to office work when or if that day comes.
5. Separate Work Life and Personal Life
When work and play happen in the same place, it can be easy to blur the lines that separate them. This makes it particularly important to stick to your work schedule and respect the boundaries you set for yourself.
For example, it’s easy to keep working at the end of the day, or to start working earlier than you should, simply because your computer is out or your phone is on. Turning off work notifications outside of work hours is a great way to make sure you’re respecting your rest time.
Of course, the flip side is true too. During work hours, you shouldn’t be making long personal phone calls or folding laundry, even if there’s no one there to check in.
These boundaries allow you to be productive during your work day and enjoy your personal time.
Start off on the Right Foot With Remote Work
Of course, the road to a successful working from home regimen will look a little different for everyone. But these top five remote work tips can serve as a guide to get you started.
If you’re working remotely, either consistently or temporarily, these steps can set you up for success.
