In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us were pushed to adopt a lifestyle of remotely working from home. While this has being a step towards safeguarding our welfare and for our better interest, the transition to remotely working hasn’t been an easy one. In fact it has taken employees weeks to get into the habitual nature of remote working.

Most of us are used to the routine of going to an office to work, hence, getting quickly accustomed and well transitioned in the remote working lifestyle is key. It is absolutely doable to make the change and the following tips and tricks will guarantee to make remote working customised for you!

1. Time management

It is easy to get distracted in the comfort of your home and with less supervision from your managers as it would be in your work place. One of the best tips is to start early. Get up early and start off your day by making coffee, going for a quick run or a shower. This will help channel your mental and physical energy towards starting work. 

To stay on track of your work obligations set a schedule or a to-do list. Jot down your goals for the day and plan for the week ahead. One of the best ways to do this is to maintain a calendar diary or an online calendar. Google Calendar helps you to create personalised events and keep track of your reminders. This will help you to visually monitor your progress. 

There are times during the day when you  are in the right headspace and feel more productive, capitalise this period and work on accomplishing your harder tasks then. 

2. Set-up your workspace

To get into the rhythm of remote working some of us need to feel like we are the office and one way to do this is by setting up your designated workspace. Choose a space in your home that is almost free of distractions and helps you focus. Try and assemble a comfortable table and chair with some natural or artificial lighting. Make sure you have all the tech gadgets you need like your laptop, chargers, calculator, secure internet connection, remote access to your company’s network, notepads, pens and other stationery. 

Getting dressed to start your work will also help you to mentally switch into work-mode and observe the difference in your normal ‘home lifestyle’ to a ‘working-at-home lifestyle’. 

3. Use technology

Whether it is to ask one of your colleagues for help or to show up for a meeting, efficiently using technology will be one your greatest abilities to hone during remote working. Fortunately, for many of us working remotely, we have access to our laptops, tablets and smartphones. We can use these devices to attend Video Conferences, Face-Time the managers and Instant Message our colleagues. Google Hangout and Zoom are some notable video chat tools to give a try. 

4. Suitable Rules and breaks 

Setting up a few rules for yourself at home will discipline and give structure to your home work life.  Be clear with yourself when you would want to start your working day at home and when it ends. Having a definite ending time will motivate you to finish your tasks and re-organise for the coming day. It also ensures that you give enough time to yourself as well by getting enough sleep, self-care and complete chores. 

Social media can be a huge distraction for many of us as it is designed to be able to browse easily with a click of a finger. Logging out of our social media account and removing them from your browser shortcuts is one of the most effective tips to keep you focused on your work. 

Sometimes you might feel guilty of taking breaks because of how easy it is to get distracted at home, but taking a clear timed break will help you relax, refocus your energy and give you insight towards your work from a new perspective! Using an automatic-time tracking app such as RescueTime, will ensure that you manage your priorities efficiently across the day. So don’t be guilty of taking breaks, just make sure you are checking off your boxes by the end of your work day. 

5. Communication

Over-communicate. Yes you’ve heard right. Remote working almost demands you to go the extra mile with communication. Making sure your communications with your colleagues and superiors are clear since remote communicating removes the visual and audio cues you would receive from  communicating with people face-to-face. Stay in touch with your workplace and don’t be afraid to reach out for help when you are unsure about something, like you would do at your office. 

Communicate your expectations and goal for the day with your colleagues and with anyone else in your home. This will help you form a clear image of how to tackle your tasks, help highlight problematic areas in your work and the tasks that require special attention.

6. Household chores

To be successful in your transition for work life at home you will need to find a balance with your work and normal household duties. When you are at the office you don’t have extra time to cook your meals for the day and being at home we often get tempted to spend extra time making a special breakfast or lunch for ourselves. In order to compensate for the time spent cooking at home that you wouldn’t have spent if you were in the office, prep your meals the night before. This will encourage you to not waste your break time cooking or doing other tasks and instead on eating and using your energy towards your work. 

Newton’s law of Inertia, in simple words state that if an object is in motion, it stays in motion. So don’t worry, about having too many household chores to tackle at home, because strangely enough the more busy you are the more work you actually accomplish. This goes as a rule of productivity, that if you are in a fast paced environment and have gathered your momentum, you have the right headspace to complete all of your chores and tasks at hand. You will also better your ability to effectively manage and prioritze your time.

A simple rule to keep in mind is to oscillate between one household chore at a time. Think about doing your laundry, and during the wash cycle you can get your work tasks done. Also if you have younger children to take care of, you can dedicate some of your break time towards their needs and when they are occupied you can get back to your work. 

7. Be positive 

You are not in this alone, millions of people around the world are trying their best to adapt to the lifestyle of remotely working at home. Set up a relaxing work environment, plan a schedule and maintain a routine that works for you. Reach out to your company when in doubt, they are  always ready to help you achieve your goals even during this unprecedented times.

To stand out from the crowd and get noticed, start working at your dream job today. Post your CV here at HR Available!