Everybody needs to reset their work drive from time to time, including remote workers. So how do you do it? Here are some tips we have for restarting your remote work ethic if you’re starting to feel lazy or out of inspiration.
1. Evaluate what you love and don’t love about your job.
First things first, figure out what aspects of your job you enjoy and what aspects are slowing you down with their monotony or challenges. Once you’ve got that decided, consider rearranging your work day to benefit your likes and dislikes. For example, you might want to consider starting your work day with the most challenging aspects of your job, leaving your lower energy hours open for easy tasks and assignments.
2. Keep yourself active.
Physical activity can make a huge amount of difference in the way you feel during a remote work day. Unlike a regular office, where you’re getting up every twenty minutes for a meeting or to swing by a coworker’s desk, a remote job can often keep you sitting still in one place for much longer than you anticipate.
Set alarms for every half hour to remind yourself to get up and stretch, do a couple minutes of exercise, or take a stroll around the block. An active body will help create an active mind, and subsequently, you may find yourself more zoned in when you’re working.
3. Make sure you’re “unplugging” at the end of the work day.
Your workday shouldn’t be endless. This can be a difficult part of remote working for many people who struggle with “unplugging” from their jobs.
Set a time of day for when you’re calling it quits and stick to it. You shouldn’t be answering non-emergency emails, calls, or messages once you’re off the clock for the day. A proper “unplugging” will help you to recharge for your next day of work.
4. Switch up your workplace.
Sometimes a change of scenery can be quite helpful for resetting your remote work ethic. If your home office isn’t cutting it, then choosing a day or two of the week where you work from a local coffee shop might be a quick, easy, and cheap solution.
5. Pay attention to the fact that the more productive you are, the more freedom your employer will give you.
If there’s one major incentive that should reset your remote work ethic, it’s the benefits of being a productive worker. Along with impressing your boss and being given more responsibilities, a productive worker also earns his or her boss’s trust.
And what does that mean? Well, for a remote worker it means you’ll be handed a lot more freedom, likely with your time, your assignments, and your work process.
6. Consider looking for a new gig.
If all else fails, you may want to consider looking for a new job. You’re not going to love every aspect of every job, but you should enjoy a majority of what you do. Switching jobs doesn’t mean you have to switch fields. Instead, you may find that a change in position can be hugely helpful in resetting your remote work ethic.
Originally published on Remote.com