Following the impacts of global lockdowns, various businesses were forced to switch to a temporary remote environment. Although, not long after, many of these businesses realized the notable benefits of implementing remote workforces. There is no doubt that the world’s remote workforce is here to stay as more and more businesses note benefits such as a massive cost reduction in terms of premises rental, enhanced productivity, and some others.
So if you are among the many professionals that will be carrying out your career from the comfort of your own home, here’s how you can ensure a smooth transition to a remote environment.
Create A Functional Workspace
One of the most prominent challenges remote employees face is a lack of boundaries. And this challenge is relevant to those recently entering the realm of telework and skilled remote workers. Ideally, you should avoid using your kitchen table as a workspace as you won’t have domain specificity that will allow you to calibrate productive behavior.
Creating a functional workspace means designating a particular area of your home to work specifically. You will need practical furnishings, such as a desk and a chair that supports good posture. In addition to this, it is also essential to keep a stock of office supplies. A quick online search for ‘office supplies near me‘ will help you find the most convenient way to shop for work essentials. There’s no doubt you already know what kind of equipment you need to be productive from home, although it is essential to focus on a high-speed internet connection that is stable to reduce frustrations.
Practice Techniques To Minimize Procrastination
It is far more straightforward to be productive when a supervisor is lurking over your shoulder. However, you won’t have any tangible supervision when working from home. Minimizing procrastination can be challenging as some professionals consider themselves chronic procrastinators. Fortunately, there are a few techniques that can help you push through your work despite distractions.
Techniques to practice are relatively simple, and merely counting to five or backward from ten can help clear your mind. Controlling your breathing is another method of avoiding distractions and ultimately be more productive during your working hours.
Craft A Strict Schedule
Time management is essential to productivity, so crafting a strict schedule is a daily requirement when transitioning to a remote working environment. Because you won’t be able to rely on supervision and management pressure, you will ultimately have to become your own supervisor.
It is best to craft a daily schedule at the end of your workday for the following day. This action will also make every workday as transparent as it should be, minimizing the chance that you might overlook certain tasks. You can also make use of time management tools such as mobile apps. These apps are great as they will help you stay on track with your day by sending reminders and notifications, which your paper desk organizer can’t do.
Keep Up Your Usual Weekday Routine
It will be tempting to decide to work from the sofa or simply stay in your pajamas all day when working from home. Unfortunately, changing even the smallest details about your usual weekday routine can hinder productivity. Instead of searching for extra benefits of working from home, such as not getting dressed for the office, it is still essential that you do.
Keeping up your usual weekday routine will keep you in a productive mental mindset, while choosing to work from the sofa will have you working slower as there will be more distractions. For this reason, you should maintain your regular wake-up time, even if the missing morning commute will give you an extra hour or two to sleep in. What’s more, you should also keep to your break-times and lunchtime strictly to stay in the mindset required for productivity.
Note The Pros, Identify The Cons
There are pros and cons associated with both traditional office environments and remote work environments. Being overly optimistic about working from home is not the best idea as you will unknowingly be disregarding the disadvantages that will require your attention. Some of the downfalls of working from home can be a lack of a socially functional environment, feelings of isolation, procrastination, and others. By identifying the downfalls of working from home, you will be able to challenge these negatives, find solutions, and ultimately be a successful remote employee. You could consider writing down all the pros and cons to find solutions for potential issues while also looking forward to the many advantages you will be able to enjoy once you have settled into your new remote environment.
