How to increase your Productivity when Working Remotely

Simple tips to stay focused

Are you working remotely?

Are you enjoying the freedom and flexibility it brings?

But you sometimes struggle staying focused?

Or do you get interrupted by others because people know that you are at home?

With just some easy tricks you learn to stay focused and increase your productivity tremendously.

DEFINE YOUR NON-WORKING TIMES

First of all, you need to set up a weekly calendar. In this calendar, you are going to note all the obligations you have throughout the week. These can be things like driving your kids to sports or a weekly lunch with your best friend. It does not matter what it is, mark it upfront, and mark this time as booked. This way you will have a much better overview of your week, which helps you to structure your working hours.

WORK WHEN YOU ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE

If your tasks allow, try to work when you are the most productive. For some people, this is in the morning, for some it is in the evening. Apparently, this cannot be realized for all businesses. Also, other factors, like your family, need to be taken into account.

But at least try to focus on some heavy tasks at the times you can focus the best. Probably, when you have some quiet times at home [e.g. when your kids are at school].

STOP CHECKING YOUR SOCIAL ACCOUNTS 50 TIMES A DAY

Obviously, this is a challenge for all of us who are using Social Media for business.

It is tempting to quickly check who your new follower is or who commented on your Facebook post. Especially when you are just starting your business, you are always afraid you might miss something important. Define times when to check the activities on your various accounts. Muting the alerts can also help staying focused.

CLOSE ALL PROGRAMS

If you need to write something, e.g. a post, report or something similar, it’s best to have a clean screen. Either close all other programs or use one of the many apps available that help you to focus on your writing. When other tabs, windows or programs are open, we tend to look at these as well. Your mind will hop to another window, and you think that you could just quickly finish this one off.

SET UP AN AGENDA OR TO-DO LIST

You should not start the day without a clear plan. You need to write an agenda for the day, or a to-do list, whatever you prefer. A to-do list has the advantage that recurring activities can easily be listed. Furthermore, some people, and I am one of them, feel more productive, when the list is getting shorter during the day. It gives a good feeling for the next day.

SET A TIMER

Once you have structured your day with the help of a calendar or to-do list, the best is to set a timer for your activities. If you plan to engage 20min on Facebook, then you need to stop after 20min. There are some excellent time tracking apps available. They analyze for you with which program you spend the most time each day. You will get a better overview in case you are wondering why the day has passed by and you have not finished your tasks.

SCHEDULE BREAKS

As if you would work in an office, add breaks to your daily schedule. At the office, you would take coffee breaks and a lunch break. So why don’t you do the same when you work remotely? I know, sometimes there is the feeling of guilt, that you cannot take a break now, particularly if you are self-employed. Or, even worse, when you take a break from work, you clean the house.

You will find yourself more focused after a break. Schedule it and take your 15 min, or even a full hour for an afternoon walk; whatever refreshes your mind.

CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WITHOUT DISTRACTION

Getting distracted is the aspects most remote workers struggle with. Either we interrupt ourselves [‘I just quickly put the laundry in the dryer’], or we get distracted by others. These can be family members, who just have a question, and it evolves into a 10min chat. Or you get a phone call from parents or good friends, because they know you are at home and just have a quick question. Or they even think you might enjoy a little break.

You need to create an environment where you do not get distracted. Tell your family that you are working and don’t feel guilty if you haven’t done the household — you are working!

Ask yourself the question: If I would go to an office, who would call me to have a chat and would I vacuum clean today after work?

CHECK EMAILS TWICE A DAY

Many people tend to read new incoming emails immediately. Try not to do this, as it distracts you from the task that you are currently working on. The better option is to close your email client and to check your emails twice a day. Usually, in the morning and the evening will do, depending on the timezones your clients/partners are in. Although I often hear: ‘But what if there is something important?’ or ‘What if there are too many in the evening?’, this trick allows you to focus on your other tasks during the day. It is not easy in the beginning, but once you find a routine, it will work out just fine.

GIVE YOURSELF A TREAT

Here is the most enjoyable part of it — getting rewarded for your work! Set yourself goals, such as focused Social Media engagement, and once you achieved it, treat yourself. As an example: for not looking left or right while engaging for your business, allow yourself 10 min to browse through funny animal pictures on Instagram.

OVER TO YOU

The above are tactics that help me to stay focused and to manage working myself through the daily to-do list.

How about you, what are your tricks?

With what do you struggle most?

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originally posted at: besocialnow.com/blog-social-now