Working remotely has become commonplace for most professionals—regardless of their area of expertise. Whether they’re working in sales, healthcare, or something else, they need to work remotely in some form. Although there are definite perks to working remotely, working remotely is no easy task. So it makes me wonder, how do you work remotely in an effective way?
Remote working is successful when you are clear about your expectations yet remain flexible and adaptable in your remote workplace. Ensure that you have the necessary tools to perform your job well.
Working remotely has become a common practice for many professionals. The benefits include flexibility, less stress, and better productivity. But working from home also comes with its challenges.
Working remotely means being able to work at any place or time. It allows you to choose where you want to spend your day, whether at home, in the park, or even in a coffee shop.
All too often, remote workers tend to get distracted easily because they lack boundaries. They often struggle to focus on their tasks due to distractions such as family members, pets, social media, and other habits.
It would be best to communicate effectively with your team members to work remotely. You will need a reliable computer, a good internet connection, and a comfortable place to sit. Use video conferencing tools like Google Meet or Zoom.
In this article, I’ll go over some of the key ways to make remote work effective, keep it productive with time management and collaborate with your remote team. So stay tuned and keep reading; you won’t want to miss it!
Can You Make Remote Work More Effective?
Yes, you can make remote work more effective by using Slack, Zoom, Trello, Basecamp, Google Docs, and Skype for Business. These tools help you collaborate better and keep track of what everyone is working on at any given moment. They also allow you to communicate effectively with your team members.
Another thing you need to remember is to prioritize your goals because when you are working remotely, you shouldn’t just sit there and stare at your screen. Instead, it would help if you looked for opportunities to contribute to your company, organization, or project.
Moreover, You should be aware that you might get distracted while working remotely. So, you need to set a time frame where you can mute notifications. Also, it would be best if you told your colleagues about your plans before you go off-grid. This way, they won’t bother you unnecessarily.
Besides all this, Here are some tips that will enable you to work remotely effectively:
- Set Boundaries
When you work from home, you don’t have the same boundaries as those in an office. That’s why you need to set clear boundaries for yourself.
For instance, you can put up a sign saying “Do Not Disturb” on your door so that people knock before entering your house. Or you can turn off your phone during certain times of the day.
- Use Tools
If you want to work remotely effectively, you need to use tools to keep yourself organized and productive. Some of them include:
- Slack – A tool used to communicate with your team members. You can send messages, files, and links to your team members through Slack. You can also create channels for specific topics.
- Trello – An online task management tool that lets you plan out your projects and manage your tasks. It has features such as boards, lists, checklists, and cards.
- Basecamp – Another tool that helps you manage your projects and tasks. You can add comments, attach documents, and even schedule meetings.
- Google Docs – A cloud-based productivity suite that allows you to edit Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs.
- Keep Yourself Busy
It’s important to stay busy because it keeps your mind from thinking too much about work. When you are not busy, you tend to think about work.
- Stay Connected
Even though you are working remotely, it doesn’t mean that you should disconnect completely from your friends and family. You should make sure that you spend quality time with them whenever possible.
- Take Care of Your Health
Working remotely means that you don’t always see your doctor or dentist. Therefore, you need to take care of your health by making regular visits to the hospital. If you notice any changes in your body, you need to visit a doctor immediately.
- Don’t Neglect Your Family
You may feel like you neglect your family when you work from home. But, it’s the opposite. Because you spend more time with them than usual, you can easily talk to them whenever you want.
- Get Enough Sleep
You need to make sure that you get enough sleep every night. Otherwise, you will become tired throughout the day. And it will affect your performance at work.
- Be Positive
To be effective, you need to remain positive. If you start feeling negative, you might do something irrational. For example, you might decide to quit your job because you feel stressed.
- Find Ways To Reward Yourself
Sometimes, we forget how good it feels to have a break after a long period of hard work. So, it would help if you found ways to reward yourself. Perhaps, you can go shopping or watch movies.
“A morning routine helps us to start our days well. We should play a certain playlist of songs as we get ready for the day. Breakfast is important, and we should eat something healthy. We should dress up as if we’re going to the office.”
How to Keep Productivity High – Managing Your Time When Working Remotely
First, you need to understand what makes you productive and what causes you to lose focus. Then, you need to figure out how much time you spend working. To do this, you need to track your activities. For example, you can write down everything you do every hour. Then, you can divide each activity into three categories: work, socializing, and relaxing.
Once you know how much time you spend on each task, you can decide whether or not you need to take breaks. For example, if you spend most of your time working, you probably need to have a break. But as a remote employee, if you spend more than an hour socializing, you probably don’t need to take any breaks.
Managing time while working from home is difficult because you don’t have office hours. The best way to manage time is to set aside specific times for work, such as 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. And If you need to do something outside of these hours, schedule it into your calendar. Also, try to avoid distractions while working, like watching TV, surfing the web, or talking on the phone. And here are seven tips to stay productive and manage your time wisely while working remotely.
- Set Goals
Setting goals helps you stay focused and productive.
- Get Organized
It would be best to organize your desk to access all the items you need easily.
- Create a Schedule
A good schedule will help you plan your day and stick to it. It’s recommended that you write down what you need to accomplish during the day. You can then prioritize your list based on the importance of the task.
- Use Technology
Technology has made our lives easier. You can use technology to save money, increase productivity, and even communicate better with others.
- Be Flexible
Flexibility is an important skill to master when working remotely. Being flexible means being able to adapt to changes to your time quickly.
- Take Breaks
Taking breaks is crucial to maintaining productivity. When you work too long without taking breaks, you may start feeling tired and unfocused. Try to take short breaks throughout the day to keep yourself energized.
- Stay Connected
It’s easy to get caught up in your world when working remotely. Staying connected by communicating with coworkers, friends, family, and clients keeps you motivated and engaged.
How Do You Collaborate Effectively If Your Team Is Remote?
If you work remotely, then you need to be able to collaborate effectively with your team. It means that you must communicate well and work together efficiently. The best way to do this is to use Skype for video calls, Google Hangouts for group meetings, and Slack for internal communication.
Here are six ways to collaborate effectively with your remote team:
- Have a Clear Communication Strategy
The first step to effective collaboration has a clear communication strategy. Before starting a project, ensure everyone knows who their stakeholders are and what they want. Then, create a document that outlines the steps needed to complete the project. This document should include everything from deadlines to deliverables.
- Establish Regular Meetings
Establishing regular meetings is another key factor in ensuring that your team stays connected. Regular meetings allow you to discuss projects, problems, ideas, and anything else that needs to be addressed. They also give you a chance to catch up with each other and share information.
- Communicate Frequently
Communication is essential if you’re going to collaborate effectively. Even though you might not see each other face-to-face, you still need to communicate frequently. For example, email is great for quick notes but doesn’t provide enough context for complex conversations. Instead, try using instant messaging or phone calls to ensure that you have the right level of detail.
- Keep Milestones Simple
It’s easy to lose focus when collaborating with people who aren’t physically present. To avoid getting distracted:
- Keep projects simple.
- Break them into small tasks so that you can stay focused.
- Don’t overwork yourself.
- Set aside some time every day to relax and unwind
- Focus On What Matters Most
Collaborating effectively requires you to focus on what matters most. Don’t let distractions distract you from your goals. Instead, choose one task at a time and stick to it until it’s completed.
- Use Technology
Finally, use technology tools to help you collaborate more effectively. For example, if you need to send an important file, use Dropbox instead of emailing it. It will save you time and prevent any delays.
Final Thoughts
Working remotely requires more focus than working in an office environment. If you find it difficult to concentrate when others surround you, then you may struggle to get things done when you’re alone. However, it isn’t impossible to achieve productivity while working remotely. You can become more effective if you follow the tips above.
