If you’ve recently taken the plunge into remote working, or if you’re a longtime remote worker that just needs a little help resetting in the new year, these seven tips that every remote worker wishes they knew when they started working remotely may just turn out to be infinitely helpful.
When you work remotely, you’re given a lot of freedom. Sometimes the struggle can be learning how to harness it.
1. Structure Is Helpful
First things first: just because you aren’t being forced into a structure doesn’t mean that you’ll thrive without structure. Of course, you don’t have to set your days up to reflect the usual nine-to-five with a thirty-minute lunch break at noon. Though, you should find a workday structure that is beneficial to your energy levels and stick with it. Without structure, you run the risk of working all the time or not working enough. Don’t let yourself get stuck in that kind of bind.
2. Create Physical Boundaries
Working from bed sounds like a great idea, right? Wrong. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, restricting your work to specific physical boundaries will do wonders for your work-life balance. The moment you start answering emails while watching TV on the couch is the moment you’ve got to pause and reevaluate your situation. Work is work, play is play — try not to blur the lines if you can help it.
3. Learn to Say “No”
With more freedom comes more responsibilities. When you work remotely, you may be asked to do more. That being said, learning to say “no” once you’re off the clock is an invaluable skill that will save you both time and respect. Setting firm boundaries with your employers and fellow employees is not something you should be afraid to do.
4. Group Your Meetings Together
It’s amazing how quickly a workday can come and go when you’re taking calls and joining video meetings every other hour. While a quick workday can be great, it can also be trouble if you’re not finding enough time to actually get your work done. One easy solution to the all-day distractions? Group your meetings together so that when you’re done talking, you can actually be working.
5. Get Dressed
We know, it’s tempting to work from home in your pajamas. But believe it or not, studies actually show that dressing to impress leads to better work results. That’s right, it may be worth it to take off the sweats and put on the button-up.
6. Schedule in Work Breaks
With no office distractions to offer breaks, you should feel guilt-free in scheduling some of your own. It’s important to give your eyes a break from the screen (because most remote workers are working on computers) and let your body get out of a sitting (or standing) position from time to time.
7. Go Outside
Piggybacking on the previous tip, make sure some of your work breaks include going outside. Whether it’s getting a coffee or taking a walk around the block, spending some time outside the confines of your home is vital for a remote worker who is feeling cooped up and isolated.
Have any tips to share? We’d love to hear them. Tweet us!
Originally written by Chelsey Grasso on Remote.com