5½ Tips for Maximizing Productivity

Easy & Stress-Free Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Day

The vast majority of companies have been working remotely since March, and many have come out with their own ‘tips and tricks’ for being productive while working from home. But not many faced a shake-up quite as dramatic as we did here at Ascent Cloud when we went through a merger right before shutdowns happened across the country.

Suddenly, we had a lot of adapting to do all at once. In light of this learning experience, we’re uniquely positioned to offer advice about common challenges faced by many organizations, particularly those related to the remote work that has become an everyday reality for millions of employees.

We interviewed our leadership team, and they had some valuable advice for keeping productivity high when you have to work remotely. Despite their varying positions and work styles, there were quite a few common themes among the interviewees. Whether you work in sales or marketing, manage a team, or are part of a team, you will find this list valuable and, best of all, immediately actionable.

1. Create a ‘new normal’ for yourself with a routine you can stick to

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘new normal’ too many times to count, but rather than allowing this ‘new normal’ to simply happen to you, take a proactive approach. Actively structure your own ‘new normal’ by implementing a routine that you follow daily, just like you did when you commuted to the office.

• Make a conscious effort to put a routine in place with a regular stop time. This is what really provides that mental buffer between work time and free time.
• For some, putting in the motions that you would if you were going into the office that day really helps to get in the right mindset.

The key is to establish a work-life balance, setting boundaries so that your approach to remote work is sustainable over time.

2. Prioritize your physical health and take frequent breaks for renewed energy

This was a tip shared by all the leaders we interviewed: pay attention to your physical health. With grocery/meal delivery and no commute, it’s easy to sit at your desk (or on the couch) all day without taking a break.

• Try grabbing your morning coffee and going for a walk before you start your day, or taking a short walk during your lunch break.
• Don’t work through your lunch breaks — your brain needs a break. You can use your smart home to help remind you to take breaks.

One technique to consider: Our Customer Success team uses the Pomodoro method, meaning they work really hard for 25–30 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. They do that 5 times then they take a longer break.

3. Fully utilize the value of the tools you already have

Increasing productivity doesn’t have to mean investing lots of money in new products. Instead, make sure that you and your team are using the tools you already have to their fullest potential. Adjust to remote work by rethinking the way you work with your tools, like some of our customers have.

Even our team is adjusting their use of our own product to be more productive while working from home — like to stay on top of time zones when needing to talk to customers in different areas at different times of the day (particularly those that are outside the US).

4. Use task management tools to stay organized and/or ‘schedule’ your task list

That said, there is one tool that you might want to invest in if you haven’t already. A task manager or project management tool keeps you on-task, especially if it integrates with Salesforce activity tracking.

• Project management tools help you stay on task and help manage your team’s projects or tasks. Check out the AppExchange for some options!
• Stay organized and on top of tasks with prioritized checklists. If the list gets daunting, start with the easy things.

Here’s a real-life example from one of our interviewees: “I end each day by reorganizing my to-do list for the next day to prioritize the tasks I need to complete that didn’t get done that day.”

5. Communicate, collaborate and ask for help

The best trick for being productive is to create a culture with good communication and collaboration. These tips won’t be effective if your team isn’t communicating openly and on the same page. Plus, your colleagues are a great source for productivity advice.

• If there’s something you and a team member need to discuss, put a quick 5–10 minutes on their calendar with a description of what you are going to talk about.
• Try peer-to-peer support. Encourage teams to do training sessions with each other where they can work on building new skills.

The best place for inspiration can be your own team members. Schedule a short team meeting each week where you can all share tips for staying motivated and productive.

(5½) Wifi is King

One last thing — improve your wifi! Nearly every person we spoke with gave some version of this piece of advice. If you’re in a situation with a spouse working from home, teenage kids going to school remotely, and have back-to-back Zoom meetings (like a few of us) you might need an upgrade.

How do you stay productive while working remotely?

Unsurprisingly, these are just a few of the many productivity tips that our leaders shared. We recommend testing some of them out yourself to see which ones you can adapt to fit your work life.

What’s most important is not to follow these to the letter, but to use them as a guide to help you discover what works for you.

Did we miss any crucial tips to increase productivity? Have your own favorite tool that you would recommend for being productive? Let us know on social!