For many people working from home is something to be fantasised about, unlike others who would prefer to stay in the office. However, for those few who dream of foregoing the daily work commute in favour of more sleep or of spending more time with your family, whatever your reasons working from home can be challenging. The benefits are plentiful, as you get to stay home, but it can be detrimental to your working life as it can be harder to focus on your workload than getting things done around the house. It can also be hard on businesses, as working remotely introduces obstacles such as not knowing where your employees are and what they’re doing, which is why it’s crucial for companies working remotely
to have a variety of performance management tools in place. Not to mention remote working can quickly become depressing for those who thrive in a social office environment, and it can be a lot harder to get help when needed.
Continue reading for some of our tips to manage yourself and stay productive while working remotely.
Maintain a Sense of Routine
When working remotely, it’s vital that you still maintain a certain sense of structure, similar to how you would do in a physical office, to help keep yourself organised and prevent distraction. This could be as simple as setting your alarm early, even though you know that you’ll just have to roll out of bed the following day. Having a shower and getting dressed, even though you know that you’re working remotely and the chances of human interaction are slim. Maintaining these minor aspects of your everyday work routine will help you structure your day more effectively and help to put you in a working mindset.
Remote working allows you to be flexible with your working hours. Still, it can also be tempting to overwork, especially if you’ve got a deadline looming or are behind, opening us up to burnout if you don’t give yourself time to rest. It can be tempting to work more at home to progress your work, but doing so can affect your health and wellbeing, so make sure you plan accordingly and schedule yourself set breaks like you would in a physical office. At the end of your working day, make sure to set up an ‘out of office’ alert for your emails and applications and use your after-work time to relax and spend time with family /friends.
Take Scheduled Breaks
Like you would in a physical office, make sure that you schedule breaks throughout your working day, as it’s imperative to allow yourself time to relax. As over-working can lead to burnout or crashing later on in the day; and it’s widely acknowledged that breaks can significantly improve productivity levels and prevent these things from happening. In relation to this, if you’re a business owner, it’s essential to utilise performance management tools, especially if your team is working remotely. Any issues will not be as visible as they would be in a face-to-face setting. If you’re interested in implementing these, take a look at the tools that StaffCircle provides and browse a variety of services that will help you promote a healthy work environment and allow your employees to feel and perform their best.
Create a Home Office
Another tip for working remotely is to set up a designated work area or a home office; this will enable you to separate work life from home and maintain a productive and motivated mindset.
It’s essential to design a designated area for you to work, as although we all crave the comfort that sitting on a couch or bed provides us, a designated workspace will prevent you from becoming distracted and is much healthier for your body. Separating yourself from areas of your home that you don’t associate with work will prevent you from becoming preoccupied with other tasks. Such as that ironing pile that suddenly looks more appealing than your upcoming deadline or a quick catch-up of your favourite T.V show. Try only to associate work with your designated ‘work zone’; otherwise, you may end up working at unscheduled hours to catch up or overworking.
Find Ways to Communicate
Suppose you are someone who thrives on the social interaction of the office; working from home can be disadvantageous and make you feel isolated from the rest of the workforce. However, you can combat this by using alternate communication tools to maintain those connections, such as group chats, video conferences via Zoom and Skype, or socials. Although it’s essential to manage the conversation to be work-focused, you can also use this time to check in with colleagues and have brief catch-ups. Alternatively, to help you fill the socialising gap, if you have a colleague who lives near, you could always schedule days when you can work together if you’re feeling the need to chat with someone.
