Your boss has said you will be working remotely. You get excited to stay home, do what you want, not dress for the office, and be home with your pet or family member. What you come to find out is that working remotely can be difficult as well. From time management to dealing with loneliness, there are new challenges you may face. Here are seven techniques for working remotely.
1. Time management:
Write down in a daily calendar how you will schedule your day and try to stay to it. Sticking to a schedule will help your productivity. Scheduling allows you to focus completely on your work.
2. Exercise Breaks:
You may find yourself sitting more and becoming less active. Instead, spend at a minimum 30 minutes a day doing an activity that gets your blood flowing. This is not only good for your health, but helps replenish your energy to help get you through your day.
3. Go outside:
Spend time outside during a break or even take your laptop outside. Getting fresh air and sunshine will help your mind and body. Get some valuable vitamin D, and relieve your strained eyes.
4. Have a routine:
If you have a routine where you spend the morning doing emails, then starting into the daily work, then lunch, phone calls, it helps keep your day moving.
5. Plan social events during the week:
Working remotely can be isolating without that daily interaction of people. So during the week, schedule a day or two to meet with other people. Schedule gym time with friends or just get out of the house to do some shopping.
6. Have a quiet place for work that is just for work:
Working in the kitchen or in front of the television sounds great, but having a space just for work will help you keep your work in focus. There won’t be distractions this way, and your mind will associate your workspace with work.
7. Be flexible:
It can be more difficult working from home because you seem to be more available. To your coworkers, they can’t see that you aren’t in your office, so they may contact you more often. To your family, they see you around and assume you can help. So be flexible and kind to others as you navigate this new work style.
Conclusion
Working from home is a new reality for many people. To most, it is a new and unique experience and can be difficult to navigate. These tips are just a few things to help you take control and ensure your work life will continue to be successful and productive.
