Working remotely has never been easier because of modern technology. It is expected that in the following years the number of remote workers will surpass those working from fixed locations. But working remotely is far from being easy – many people struggle to stay productive without supervision and with plenty of distractions around.
It is not mission impossible though – read on to find out the best tips on how to stay productive while working remotely.
Separate personal and work-life
The most common problem when working remotely is to keep your personal and work life separate. When you work at any time from anywhere, you can soon find yourself working all the time, everywhere.
The solution is setting up a designated office or at least a work area. Use this area for working and nothing else – no eating, sleeping, or relaxing. Leave your office at a certain time each day so that you stick to a regular schedule. And make sure that you keep a list of all the tasks you have to accomplish during the day – this will keep you organized and boost your productivity.
Communicate and collaborate more effectively
Being connected to your team is important to stay productive. Keep your communication channels open and regularly participate in remote meetings. This way you will be up to date with things that need to be done, and be able to provide and receive feedback on the work that has been done.
With the help of tools like 24Stack, or GoRemote, it is easy to stay connected and collaborate more effectively.
Limit your social media use while working remotely
Social media can be a huge time waster – it is difficult to stay productive while constantly checking notifications and scrolling through all your networks.
Turn off notifications – you will not miss anything important and you will be able to get more work during the day. You can also install a dedicated web browser to use only for work and without logging in to social media networks. There are also different time trackers you can use to monitor what you do on your computer and know exactly how much time you spend on each task – some of the most popular tools are Toggle, Everhour, Hubstaff, DeskTime, and RescueTime.
Take breaks during the day
Taking breaks during the day is key to stay productive – but this does not include watching a couple of episodes on Netflix. Instead, focus on doing healthy things – like a 10-minute jog, a short yoga session, a walk with your dog, or a couple of minutes of exercise in your living room.
No matter how fast the deadline is approaching, do not sacrifice your breaks if you want to stay productive and work more efficiently.
Change your eating habits
Your body and brain are fueled by the food you eat so make sure that you feed them properly. If you have a heavy dose of carbohydrates for lunch – like a pasta dish – will make you sleepy for the better part of the day. Instead, eat a protein-rich meal with plenty of vegetables.
Since you will probably not have enough time to cook for lunch during the week, spend a couple of hours on Sunday to prepare a week’s menu of ready meals to keep in your fridge and freezer.
And do not forget to drink water – hydration is important to keep focused and productive.
