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Working remotely can be great, but it can also come with its own unique set of challenges. When working remotely, it can be tough to know whether you’re actually being productive, or whether you’re just busying yourself with tasks that aren’t all that important. It’s all too easy to procrastinate on what truly matters and instead focus on secondary tasks, all the while convincing yourself that you’re getting things done.
Motivation and self management skills don’t come naturally to everybody. This is why you need to be honest with yourself, and start taking the steps to improve if you need a little help getting things done. Below, we have 11 productivity hacks that every remote worker needs. Take a look and your working day might just change for the better.
1. Work Somewhere You Won’t Be Disturbed
Remote workers need to be able to work somewhere they are not going to be disturbed. It’s going to be difficult to get things done if you’re being spoken to every few minutes by a bored child or a partner that needs help finding something. Having your own room for doing work is a good idea, as well as setting guidelines with friends and family for the working day so you can get stuff done. They need to understand that you still have to work, even if you are at home.
Things can still disturb you once you have set guidelines with your loved ones. You might suddenly get distracted by realizing you don’t have a safe internet connection. For peace of mind, get a VPN – this is important if you use a public internet connection occasionally and want to protect yourself. It’s also easy to be disturbed by phone notifications and emails, so stay away from these things for a good few hours in the morning.
2. Put On Over The Ear Headphones
Over the ear headphones are pretty much the next best thing if you don’t have separate room to work in, or if your house is particularly noisy, or you’re working in a public space. You can listen to classical music, music from films, or anything that makes you feel more productive. Music without words is usually best.
3. Fuel Your Body With Things that Enhance Productivity
How you fuel your body can make a big difference to the amount you get done on any given day. Make sure you’re staying hydrated by drinking 2 litres of water every day, and get as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as you can. Micronutrients and vitamins are important if you want to perform at your best.
4. Write An Effective To Do List
To do lists can be an effective way to stay focused on what’s truly important, but only if you write them properly. You should only include things that are essential for that day. Write them out in order of importance, and attempt to do the hardest first. The rest of the day will seem easy in comparison. Anything you get done outside of these things is a bonus. You can end up feeling demotivated if you put too much on your daily list, so bear this in mind.
5. Invest In Gadgets And Apps That Can Help You To Stay Productive
There are many gadgets and apps out there that can help you to stay productive. Timeular is a great choice if you struggle with time management and want to take control of your time once and for all. Do your research and find gadgets and apps that could help you to stay focused on the task at hand.
6. Set Intentions For The Day
Setting intentions for the day should be done first thing in the morning. What will you get done? How will you feel? Doing this before you even get out of bed can be very powerful. Pair it with a few minutes of visualizing having completed everything and you’ll be even more likely to succeed!
7. Start The Day With An Awesome Morning Routine
Starting the day with an awesome morning routine can get you pumped up for the day ahead. It can be anything you like, as long as you enjoy it! For example, read a book, go for a quick run, write in a diary – do anything that makes you feel good.
If you snooze your alarm, get up last minute, and have to rush to leave the house, this theme usually carries on throughout the day.
8. Make Your Bed In The Morning
A very simple task, but it can help you to feel accomplished early on in the day. Make your bed and you’ll feel like you’ve got something done as soon as you get out of bed. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to start work, pick a couple of things that will give you a sense of achievement with the same ‘small win’ theory. Just don’t use them as an excuse to procrastinate!
9. Change The Scenery
If you’re working remotely, this usually means you can change the scenery. Whenever you start to feel sluggish or like you want to procrastinate, change that scenery. Go to a co working space, a library, a coffee shop, or even just another room in your home.
10. Get Active
Another great tip for feeling sluggish. Get active! Many people say that doing this in the morning before they even start the day helps them to have a more productive day. However, if first thing exercise isn’t for you, you can use it to split up your working day. Even just 15 minutes of exercise can get your blood pumping, brain working more effectively, and mood elevated!
11. Know When You Are Most Energetic
People are energetic at different times of day. Being self aware and knowing when your energy peaks and troughs can help you to schedule your higher/lower energy tasks more effectively. If you’re a true night owl and you know you’ll get more done at this time, then don’t be afraid to schedule your day appropriately.
