Have you ever worked remotely? If so, you certainly know that this is not as easy as it may seem. A soft sofa, coffee and comfortable slippers are just waiting when you will devote yourself to sweet laziness. How to make remote work more effective? We have some tips for you that will help you become a true master of concentration.
Proceed as if you were leaving the house
Of course, this is not about a perfectly ironed shirt, full makeup or polished shoes, but about performing the morning activities that you usually do before leaving the house. Eat breakfast, drink coffee, and start work at the same time as the other employees in the office. These small steps help you switch from home to professional mode.
Organize a workplace
When working at home, you must have a separate space (preferably a room) where you will be able to do your tasks freely and in silence. Do not work while lying on the couch - it's lazy. Try to eliminate all distractions - by looking at the TV or taking a break for other tasks.
Keep a calendar
If you work remotely, you must control all the tasks entrusted to you. Write them down, just like the phone calls you need to make or attend a conference meeting. Set working hours and observe them every day. Working from home does not mean that your computer should be turned on 24 hours a day.
Avoid time eaters
You can lose a whole day browsing websites, reading emails, Instagram or Facebook posts. When you sit in the office, you are restrained by your supervisor's eyes, at home - you must take over this role and be the boss for yourself. If you keep distracting yourself from your current tasks, you won't be able to concentrate on them.
Do not deal with private matters while working
It really knocks you out of your work rhythm, often preventing you from returning to it until the end of the day. If you have to do something, take a lunch break, for example. Make your household members aware of the principles on which you work. Just because you are at home does not mean that you have time off and you can get away from your tasks at any time.
Take short breaks
While taking breaks may seem unproductive, research shows that taking short breaks can actually increase productivity and creativity. By working without interruption and taking on more tasks than you can do, your performance will drop and you risk being burned out.
You can easily avoid this by taking a short break of up to 5 minutes. It's best to take a break of 5-15 minutes for each hour of work. During this time, leave the workplace. Make yourself something to drink, stretch, eat something, look out the window, go out to the balcony or to the cucumber if you can. Do not work during a break. When the time for the break is over, go back to work.
Work in a different place once a week
Working at home prevents you from being in direct contact with others, which can make you feel worse. So in order not to isolate yourself from others and have constant contact with reality, visit your company from time to time and work there. If you do not want or do not have this opportunity, go with a laptop to a cafe, where you will meet people working similarly. Coworking offices, in which people working as freelancers, are also becoming more and more popular.
Remote work means - satisfied employees
Employees value the opportunity to work from home. The undoubted advantage is saving time for commuting, more flexible working hours, the ability to work focused without distractions that occur in an office environment. And also easier to combine professional duties with personal life. Remote work is one of the benefits desired and expected by employees, which the employer offers. Research and surveys among employees show that employees who have the opportunity to work remotely more often declare that they are satisfied with their work than employees who do not have such opportunity.
Remote work is also a challenge, but you can deal with it
Of course, despite the many advantages of remote work, you must also remember that remote work also presents some risks and challenges. Remote work requires employee self-discipline and good organization not to procrastinate and focus on tasks. Lack of direct contact with colleagues can negatively affect relationships and teamwork. Sometimes there is also the problem of blurring the boundary between work and private life. In turn, employers are concerned that employees who work remotely may be less productive and instead of doing their job duties, they do activities unrelated to their work, which causes them to lose business. There are also threats related to data security and confidentiality. However, these are issues that can be dealt with by establishing and implementing clear principles and good practices for remote work. The tips described above can definitely help in this.
Remote work is a great alternative to working in the office. Learn about best practices for remote work, choose the ones that best suit you. Start using them in practice to improve your daily remote work and increase your productivity.
Posted on Apr 21, 2020 by Anna
