How To Work Remotely And Still Be Productive

SET YOUR OWN SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

One of the first things people working remotely experience are friends and family members viewing them as having much more free time than they actually have. Especially if your job gets done primarily through your laptop. There’s just something about watching someone sit on a couch with a laptop that makes others think you’re not working. In an office building, you’d look hard at work. At home, you look like you’re simply internet surfing. If you set a schedule every Sunday and let your family and friends know your office hours they will be more likely to respect your work time.

CREATE A PROTECTED WORKSPACE

If you live alone it’s a lot easier to treat any area of your home as a workspace. But you’ll still need to make some type of separation for your own sanity. Consider decorating one area or room so that it has nothing to do with work. This could be your bedroom or sitting area. You’ll need to feel like you have somewhere to unplug. If you live with family, having a home office room is ideal but not always possible. Discuss and commit to an area that you can work from without interruption.

PROACTIVELY REACH OUT TO CO-WORKERS, LEADERS AND CLIENTS

Don’t rely on them to connect with you. It can be easy to get pulled into the bliss or misery of isolation, depending on your social preferences. But the reality is, when working remotely, people need to be shown you are thinking of them. If you don’t have a cause for regular engagement with key people then you should schedule reminders to reach out with an email or call.

UPDATE ON PROGRESS MORE THAN USUAL

Since this is a new experience for everyone, you should err on the side of over-communicating, especially with work progress, until remote working norms are established. Send updates to your manager and clients vs. waiting for them to ask you for them. Ask them what preferences they have around frequency, content and form of updates.

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE

Take advantage of the fact that you don’t have to be tied to a desk. Check out local coffee shops, libraries or diners that you can work from if your house isn’t a place that helps you concentrate. But make sure you…