With the lockdown restrictions and the adoption of hybrid work models all across the globe, remote work is not an unfamiliar term. Its popularity is at its peak. Remote work is the latest trend in the corporate world, and it is estimated that it will be the preferable mode of work in the future. Many factors are concluding its popularity, economising travel expense and time are one of them. Also, employees like to do their work from the comfort of home. But how comfortable it may sound, it sometimes leaves you feeling closeted, distracted and detached from the world. You might feel unmotivated and lethargic by being at home all day. Other than that, there are issues of overworking, communication gap and lousy health with remote working. Here are some tips for working remotely that will help you to overcome these feelings and make you more productive
Follow a Schedule
Try making a schedule according to your availability and follow it as much as you can. Working parents often have to face problems with handling children and working together. In that case, maintaining your schedule according to their typical school day might help. The best part about working remotely is flexible working hours which lets you accommodate your needs in your plan. If you are not sticking to a schedule, you might end up overworking or procrastinating for hours and not get any work done. One of the ways to implement this is by using an app or using a planner. This will help you maintain your work-life balance.
Find a Corner
You may be working from home, but you need a space where you can work quietly without any distractions. This space allows you to keep yourself away from the chaos around the house. It is not always practical to have a separate room for office use. A desk is sufficient for that purpose. Ensure that you have adequate light in the space and good network connectivity, which is most important for working remotely. Please talk about your schedule with your family and designate boundaries to make the most of your office time. Avoid indulging in any other activity during this time.
Communication
Working remotely can hurt colleague relations. Companies provide ways to socialise to create a sense of team among employees and maintain a harmonious workforce. Since there is a minimum to no convene, you need to take an extra step to communicate with your co-workers. It generates trust between employees. Some of your colleagues might be well experienced in their field, and talking to them will help you learn many things. Be empathetic towards your co-workers. Good communication goes both ways. It would be best if you become an excellent listener to achieve a healthy relationship with your colleague. While working on a project as a team, communication is the key to making the best output by sharing your ideas and considering others’
ideas. By communicating enough, there will be minor misunderstandings and more clarity in your work. Also, contact your manager or head regularly to discuss your work and get feedback. Listen to your co- workers, help them if they need anything, build a good relationship with them. It is always helpful to have people who have your back at the workplace. Other than phone calls and emails, many apps help you communicate, such as skype, slack etc.
Take Regular Breaks
Working continuously for hours can be tiresome and lead to mindless gazing at the screen. To avoid this, you should take breaks regularly. Taking a break refreshes you and helps you continue working efficiently. We find ourselves chatting with a co-worker at their desk or the coffee machine or during lunch break in an office. Taking a break to get away from your desk will compensate for these small time-outs. Like scheduling your work, you can also design your holidays or take them whenever you feel like it. Overworking or working without breaks does not guarantee completion of work; it only leads to a waste of time. Get away from your workspace during your workspace and engage in something else.
Start Working Out
Maintaining good health has become quite a task with remote working. You don’t need some heavy equipment to achieve that; start exercising to keep your body and mind active. Go for a jog or walk instead of lying around the house while maintaining social distancing and following covid protocols. There are many other in-house activities you can involve yourself in, such as yoga, a dance workout or Pilates. There are many online classes that you can enroll in to learn new activities. As it is said, a healthy body has a healthy mind’, be attentive to your body, stay active and healthy.
Be Attentive
It is easy to lose concentration during long meetings. But staying sharp increases our engagement and performance. To be more concentrated, you need to get rid of all distractions such as social media. Having a designated workplace helps a lot. You should get a pen and paper to write all the essential details and stay curious during the meeting. Ask a question or two to encourage the speaker or start a conversation. Avoid feeling the pressure to be ‘present’ in the meeting. Try avoiding endless meetings and have breaks to refresh yourself. All these things will help you take out vital points from any meeting.
Maintain a Progress Report
While working on a project or in general, try keeping track of your progress. It helps reduce work stress and overworking. If you are the team leader, check the progress of all the people working under you. Set time boundaries, split up the work and work under the least pressure to gain the best outcome. Ask for feedback from your seniors at work to improve your work. Try maintaining a list that records the advancement of any project that you are working on. Make a shared document with a real-time updating feature that will record all team members reports and share them with the team. It will be great for the team and tell if any team member needs help with their work. Keep your goal in mind and work consistently towards it.
Invest in Your Workspace
When you are working remotely, your in-home office is your workspace. It keeps you away from distractions and provides a working environment. To make the best workspace, you need to invest in it. Everything is done online in work from home mode, so update your internet package to obtain high-speed internet to avoid network-related issues. Also, you might need to sit in a place for several hours, so invest in a good chair that does not leave you with backaches. In the long term, this can leave you with chronic back and neck problems to avoid xhoosing one of your seats consciously. Manage the lighting in the room for video calls. Arrange everything you need in that space to prevent any uneasiness.
Develop a Hobby
Other than work, develop a hobby which keeps you occupied after work. Think of it as a refreshment, something you look forward to in a day. During the lockdown, people entertained themselves with various activities such as baking, painting etc. Some also tried to carry on with their previous hobbies. In short, try picking up a new hobby or indulge in any activity with your kids which will keep them occupied. Otherwise, you can use this time to sharpen your skill or learn a new skill with various online courses presented online. Many companies have provided their employees with upskill programs. This will also help you to better your work. At last, take advantage of the perks that come with remote working.
Focus on Yourself
Set boundaries with your office work too. Communicate with your manager in case you have been given too much work. Start saying no to co-workers if you have enough on your plate right now. Do not work after setting ‘office-time’. Overwork is not a thing that should be applauded. It causes stress and affects mental health. It also ruptures your work-life balance. When it feels overwhelming, know how to log off. Talk with your family members and colleagues to ward off stress. If you do not feel okay, take sick leave. Please do not feel guilty about removing yourself from work; it sometimes gets hard to continue to work remotely. Do not get tempted by working through illness; get better and be active with your work again. All the above-written tips for working remotely may or may not work for you. As you start working remotely, try to get hold of the situation and figure out what works best for you. In that way, it will be more effective.