These days, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and some companies are opting to have employees work from home or different offices outside their primary location.
With this, remote work has opened up new opportunities for people who live in certain areas where there might be a lack of jobs locally or just want to be closer to home.
However, while there are many advantages to having an office space that is not confined by geographical boundaries, it can be difficult to build the right environment for yourself.
If you’re struggling with your remote work setup, here’s a list of tips that might help.
1. Create a Designated Work Space
Creating a dedicated work area is important, especially if you are working from home. Because it is easy to get sidetracked by the TV, your bed, or other distractions in your house, having a specific place for you to do your work will help keep you focused and motivated.
Alternatively, if you are the type to work remotely from the beach, coffee shop, or other odd locations, you can also create a remote office bag set up.
In a single bag, you can include all the necessary tools for you to do your remote work, such as laptops, earphones, microphones, keyboards, laptop risers, mouse, external hard drives, and so on. With this, you can bring your remote office around, anywhere you decide to set it up.
2. Set Boundaries With Family and Friends
Just because you are working from home does not mean that your personal life should stop. However, it is important to set boundaries with the people in your life so that they understand when you are available and when you are not. This can be tricky, especially when they see you working in pajamas.
Thankfully, there are little things that you can do to be more assertive. For example, you can have a sign outside your door, so family members know when you’re in a meeting. On the other hand, you can also have a light that you can switch on when you’re recording content and don’t want to be disturbed.
3. Create a Routine
Routines can be helpful when working from home because they help you to stay focused and organized. If possible, try to wake up at the same time each day, have specific times for lunch and breaks, and establish a quitting time.
To help manage your routine as a remote worker, you may want to try apps that incentivize you to follow them. From Habitify to Habitshare, there are several options that can help you to stay on track and avoid working all day long.
4. Use Technology to Your Advantage
There are many technological tools that can help you be productive while working remotely. As a remote worker, you’ll have different needs than people who work primarily in-office.
Aside from project management tools like Asana or Trello, you may also invest in task management apps that can help you keep track of your work and home life. Depending on your line of work, you may also need additional software to help with collaboration, such as NVIDIA’s Omniverse for 3D creators or Figma for user experience designers.
In addition, you may also need password managers, task management apps, and VPNs to help protect your device when you are working outside the office.
5. Stay Connected With Your Teams
The experience of working remotely can be a lonely one, especially if you never meet your teammates in-person.
For this reason, it is important to stay connected with whatever methods are available, such as using video conferencing software, setting up regular conference calls, and using messaging apps like Slack.
Aside from this, you should also create channels wherein you can freely speak or chat with your teammates, such as a dedicated water cooler channel, chat group, and so on. By staying connected, you will be able to collaborate better, ask for help when needed, and stay up-to-date on project progress.
6. Take Scheduled Breaks
Working from home can be great, but it is also essential to take breaks throughout the day. Get up and move around every so often, and try to set specific times for breaks so that you can get into good habits.
To help remind yourself to take breaks, you can use the Pomodoro method, which can help segment your work into 25-minute intervals. In addition, it’s good to do something relaxing and enjoyable during your break to help clear your mind.
7. Limit Distractions
With our new mobile society, it is very easy to be distracted by the world around us while we are working, especially when we’re working remotely. Part of this is keeping your remote office space clear of clutter, like old receipts, take-out containers, and other items that are not necessary for your workflow.
Aside from this, you can also turn off as many notifications as possible while working. You can also make use of different focus mode features on your mobile phone.
In addition, you can invest in apps that incentivize you to remain focused. For example, the Forest app plants trees in exchange for doing deep work and overcoming workplace distractions.
8. Get Comfortable
If you’re going to be spending most of your days staring at a screen, you should make sure that your space is comfortable enough for long hours. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to make your workspace more comfortable.
Whether it is investing in a standing desk, wrist pads, laptop risers, or lighting, optimizing your workspace for comfort can keep your stress levels down, even when work is becoming too much.
In fact, there’s nothing stopping you from buying little things that elevate your home office experience altogether, such as scented candles, decorations, and so on. After all, it’s hard to hate remote working life when it lets you have little joys.
Make Working Remotely Work for You
Working remotely can be a great way to save time and money, but it can also be difficult to stay productive. Compared to working in the office, there is a lot of additional thought that goes into making the experience work.
However, by following these tips, you can create a remote work office set-up that is perfect for you.
On the other hand, just because you’re a remote worker, doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to holidays. Don’t forget to leave a professional out-of-office email while you’re away.
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