In this day and age, a lot of people are working remotely. For many, it’s a new situation and have a hard time with not being in their usual office space. Are you one of those people who are struggling with remote working or are you just looking for some tips to optimize your remote working experience? Have a look at below tips.

1. Boundaries

   If you don’t live alone, talk with the people you live with about boundaries. Explain to them that just because you are at home doesn’t mean you are free to chat, to hangout or to help out with chores during your working hours.

2. Create a workspace.

   You don’t have to have a big home office in order to create a space for you to work. If you do have a home office, great! Designate a small area as your workspace in order to separate your work life from your personal life. This can be a small desk in the corner of your bedroom or maybe living room that is dedicated for you work only. Separating your work and personal life increases efficiency while working and also reduces stress in your personal life.

3. Identify and minimize distractions

   Working in your home is probably the place with the most distractions. And with no colleagues around to help motivate you staying focused, getting distracted is very easy. Identify things that distract you the most, be it your smart phone, iPad, game console or TV, and make sure you leave these things off or in another room. There are also apps you can download that sets a timer for a certain amount of time for you to concentrate on only work and then go off when it’s time to take a short break.

4. Organize your time.

   If you don’t have a set working schedule already, make one of your own. In order to get things done you need a schedule. Nothing too complicated, just a simple breakdown of your day.
   A schedule could look something like this⬇

   

   Having a morning and evening routine also helps. If you are not used to working from home, a quick walk around the block before you start working tricks our body into thinking you are heading to work because that’s what you would usually do. An evening routine can include prepping for any meetings or projects the next day, planning the outfit you’re going to wear and even meal prepping for your lunch. It is all about optimizing the time you have. Last but not least, do not wear your PJ’s, no matter how tempting it is! Being comfortable is good, but being too comfortable can make you lazy and unproductive!

5. Keep in contact with your colleagues

   Going from working in an office full with people to working from home is quite a drastic change. If you are working in a team it is important that you keep in contact with your colleagues and touch base every now and then. A great tip is to have a video meeting with your team every Monday morning. Discuss the challenges and successes of the past week and what’s the plan is for the coming week. Don’t forget the banter! Yes, you are working, but chatting and joking with your colleagues is important as it increases morale and will put you in a good mood.

6. Take advantage of remote working

   Just because you’re working from home doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work from home. If you can, try to change up your work location a few times a week if so that you don’t get stuck in a rut and feel trapped. Even if it’s just working from another room in your home, changing things up a couple of times a week really helps with not feeling stuck.