How To Be Productive When Working Remotely

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A remote position is a dream job among many of those who desire a flexible lifestyle. You can work whenever you want and wherever you want.

Remote jobs are becoming more prevalent in United States. In 2017, 43% of Americans reported working at least part-time remotely.

As the owner of Get Global Marketing, my work is completed remotely. I love the flexibility but there are hurdles. Remote work can be lonely with frequent distractions. If you do not know how to deal with these challenges than your productivity level can decrease greatly. There are many techniques to fight these challenges. Turn remote work into a dream job with these tips:

 

Have a Designated Work Space

Distractions escalate without a designated work space. Get a desk and create an office space in your home. The space should not be used for anything except work.

You can also rent shared office space. I rent a desk at Bend Tech. The shared office space provides a stimulating environment of business owners and freelancers who need a space to focus.

 

Take Breaks When You Cannot Focus

Sometimes, it can feel impossible to focus on our work. Our minds might begin to wander or the weather is so beautiful that we need to get outside. Take a break when you cannot focus. Your work will take double the time if you continue to sit in front of your computer.

When I started my business, I would try to push through every task. Now, I take a walk when I feel myself getting restless. Since I started taking breaks, my work days became shorter.

 

Workout in the Morning

Your body should be a top priority. Workout in the morning to get energized and improve your mood at the beginning of the day.

I practice yoga almost every morning. Sometimes, it can be difficult to drag myself out of bed but I find myself happier every time I do it.

Benefits of Working Out in the Morning

  • Working out speeds up your metabolism
  • Working out improves your mood
  • Working out helps you sleep better
  • Working out increases motivation

 

Create a Daily To-Do List

Sometimes, we start our week with an overwhelming amount of work. We might wonder how we are going to handle all of this work.

I outline my tasks at the beginning of the week in a planner. Yes, I said a planner. You heard right. This technique might sound old school but it allows me to visualize my week and cross off tasks as I complete them.

For example, if I have to post a blog article by Thursday, I schedule it into my planner for Tuesday or Wednesday. Website work is scheduled within the tasks that have strict deadlines.
My tasks seem more manageable from the beginning of the week.

 

Plan When You are Going to Start Working and Stick with It

It’s easy to get distracted and postpone our work days. After all, who is going to yell at us for being late? Our dog?

Unfortunately, this mindset will not set you up for success. Create a plan of when you are going to start your work the night before. Stick with that time when you start your day.

Remote work can create a flexible lifestyle. Incorporate these tips into your routine to establish productive work days.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Time Management Skills

Over the past year, I have made a strong effort to work on my time management skills. The effort began when I realized how much time I had been losing from disorganization. When you are busy, an hour is a lot of time!

An hour is a yoga class, family time, or even extra sleep! I am sure that I am not the only one that could use an extra hour to their day.

As a business owner, time management has been one of my most valuable skills to improve. If you want to put an extra hour in your day then consider trying these few steps:

Step 1: Find Your Purpose

The first step to mastering time management is to find your purpose. What would you do with an extra hour?

My purpose is not the same every day. Nevertheless, these are a few of my top purposes:

  • Go to a yoga class
  • Read a book
  • Mountain bike ride
  • Spend time with the family or friends
  • Watch the new episode of Breaking Bad

Finding your purpose is the motivation to developing time management skills. Don’t skip this important step! After you find your purpose schedule it into your calendar. Make it an important part of your day.

Step 2: Decipher Urgent Versus Important Tasks

Many of us have a long list of 10 minute tasks to complete every day. Distinguishing your tasks between “urgent” and “important” can help you prioritize your workload.

First let me give you the definition of “urgent” and “important”:

  • “Urgent” tasks demand your attention but do not have serious consequences if they are not done immediately.
  • “Important” tasks demand your attention immediately and could have serious consequences if they are not completed.

For example, an important task could be returning a potential client phone call. If you do not return the phone call immediately, you could lose the client to a competitor. An urgent task could be going grocery shopping. Unless you have a starving teenager, it can wait!

Review your task list and determine which are urgent or important. Get the important tasks out of the way first!

Step 3: Create a Schedule

Google Calendars is a blessing. I program my life in Google Calendar. If you do not have a daily planner then I recommend using Google Calendar. You can program tasks to the minute with lengthy descriptions on location, details, and attendees. The calendar can then be synced to your smartphone with alerts.

After you determine what tasks are urgent versus important, schedule them into your planner. Schedule the important tasks first. After determining the important tasks, add the urgent tasks and your purpose. The more you stick to your schedule, you will find out what works best for you. I am most productive in the morning. I need to get my work done first before I can do my purpose.

On the other hand, I know other business owners that work best at night. What works best for one person might not work best for you.

Tips:

  • Keep tidy
    A messy workspace can be very distracting. Keeping your workspace tidy can help you work more productively.
  • Don’t procrastinate
    Procrastination –we all do it! Unfortunately, procrastinated work can be sloppy and incomplete. Schedule out your tasks in advance to avoid procrastination.
  • Minimize your multitasking
    Sometimes our only option is to simultaneously juggle as many tasks as possible. By concentrating on one task at a time you can create better work.
  • Destress
    Find a way to keep your stress level down! I try to do yoga four times a week. Keeping your stress level down will help you juggle difficult tasks.

Improving my time management skills has been one of the best things that I have done for myself professionally. I am able to get better work done quicker. If you are trying to improve your work performance then you might want to start by evaluating your everyday work life.

When are you most efficient?

Do you habitually multitask?

Can you cut your Facebook time?

Better time management can leave you time to do the things that you love.