As a remote worker, you’re your own boss. You can work on a flexible time schedule and from the comfort of your home office, cafe or just about anywhere. But all this comfort can sometimes be detrimental to a remote worker’s productivity. With sceptics as it is looking for reasons to show remote work in bad light, lower productivity rates would undoubtedly give a bad rep to the wonderful new work culture.
So what’s a remote worker got to do?
Read this blog piece for starters. We’ve compiled a list of things you can do as a remote employee and achieve maximum productivity all the time, every time. Let’s get started.
Scheduling
Too many tasks that need to be taken care of? You think to yourself; you work remotely so things can be set aside for some time. The next thing you know, the deadline is just around the corner. You start panicking, and as a result, the quality of your work suffers. If you often find yourself in this kind of situation, you need a clear schedule that gives you time to prioritize tasks and also set agendas for your day.
Use your online whiteboard collaboration tool to put in place a Kanban Board for yourself. One quick glance at this simple scheduling board will give you a status update on your tasks. You can create columns as per your requirements that will list jobs as either ‘Done’, ‘Doing’ or ‘Planned.’ With clarity on task priorities, you can efficiently allocate your time for tasks that need immediate attention.
It will also be beneficial for remote workers to stick to a daily schedule where they start or stop working at predefined intervals. Having a fixed routine will wire your brain to be more attentive during your working hours, which in turn will boost productivity.
Create a working space
The human mind responds to visual cues. That is the reason why experts suggest having an office like set-up for your remote working endeavours. Get a sturdy desk for your home office and install an ergonomically designed office chair. This will give you a sense of working in an official environment and your mind will automatically get into ‘focus mode.’
Another hack that remote workers often rely on is to ‘dress the part.’ Wearing formal clothes that you would typically wear to work will trick your mind into the working mode. Plus, it will also help you feel great when you sit upright on that chair in your best shirt or jacket.
Get technology on your side
With so many applications and softwares being explicitly created for remote working, there is no real reason for not staying productive while working online. Using an online collaboration tool, you can easily connect with your peers and discuss ideas, strategize or even plan your annual team retreat.
The current crop of collaboration tools provide limitless possibilities where you can work online and also communicate efficiently within your group or organization. With the power of modern whiteboard technology, you can keep track of projects, set task timers, give feedback and conduct meetings without ever requiring another application.
In Conclusion
Working remotely has its fair share of advantages. However, like any good thing, there is a negative side to this great new trend. If remote workers can curb their procrastination and see remote working in the same light as regular office work, productivity will increase for sure. Till that time, you can rely on these tips and have a successful and productive remote working experience. Do let us know about your own productivity hacks in the comments section.
