Have you been having trouble managing your time and getting your work done with a telecommute? Check out this article for tips to jump start your routine.
What’s nicer than having the opportunity to work from home full-time? Most people think this lifestyle is the key to more family time, but for many telecommuters, it’s the exact opposite.
If you’re not careful, you could end up working more than you would at a 9 to 5. Telecommute work doesn’t mean less work, which means you need great time management skills.
Working from a home office shouldn’t be a burden, it should provide freedom.
So we’re going to give you some advice to ensure your remote experience is delightful and productive.
Let’s get started!
1. Keep a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Well, of course, a healthy work-life balance is important – after all, it’s one of the reasons you decided to telecommute! However, it’s easy for your home life and work life to become intertwined to the point where the two are fused together.
It’s not always easy setting aside time specifically for work when you have children or other household matters to tend to throughout the day.
Once you start telecommuting, it’s very easy to break away from your home office to eat, watch TV, socialize, and surf the net.
Try to come up with a set time for your work schedule. Or you can be flexible and work in time blocks. For instance, two hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon, and two hours in the evening.
There are also services you can use to set up a virtual office to make it easier to “go to work.”
You can click for more about that here.
2. Get Up and Get Dressed
Yeah, this one doesn’t sound like a good tip because it takes away one of the perks of being a remote worker. The concept of a remote worker typing away on a computer in their PJs is the poster child of telecommuting.
The problem is that when you’re lounging around in your pajamas, it can be hard to tap into your worker mindset. In order to boost productivity, it’s good to get dressed for work.
Now, you don’t have to wear anything stuffy like a suit and tie. But you should at least get out of the clothes you slept in.
3. Create a Designated Work Area
If you’re seeing the trend here, you’ll see that it’s important to separate work life from home life. Another way of doing this besides getting dressed and setting up work times is to have a work area specifically for your business.
This can be a desk in your bedroom or the dining room table. The key is having a place where you can perform your work, preferably in an ergonomic way. You don’t want to sit slouching on your bed or couch, especially if you’re telecommuting full-time.
It’s important for your office to be comfortable. Invest in a quality ergonomic chair and desk setup. Your screen should be at eye level so your neck doesn’t swoon forward. Sitting wrong will cause neck and back pain in the long run.
Your remote office is an investment worth making because it’ll help increase your productivity and income. Then there’s the tax benefit – you can deduct the depreciation from your work equipment and your workspace on your tax return.
4. Scheduling Non-Work Appointments Around Work Hours
If you’re committed to working Mon-Fri between 10 am and 4 pm, then make sure you’re not scheduling non-work appointments at these times. You want to minimize disruptions as much as possible during your workweek.
However, if you have a remote job that’s flexible, then you can work around non-work appointments you can’t schedule on your days/times off. Just make up the day you lost on the weekend or late night/early morning.
5. Be Very Flexible
Now, it’s good to be flexible, but not to the point where you’re over-bending and breaking your business. Working from home isn’t easy when you have a family and other obligations at the house.
Unexpected things can happen while you’re working that you’ll have to tend to right away. However, don’t let this slow down productivity. You’ll have to learn how to adjust your schedule on the whim to accommodate the inevitable events that occur in your life.
In order to make life better, it’s best to get your family on board. Make sure they’re flexible as well. They need to understand that your work time means you’re off limits and unimportant matters will have to wait until afterward.
It’s sometimes difficult to pretend you’re not there when you’re in the midst of your family, which is why you need a designated work area (preferably one with a door).
6. Connect with Your Co-Workers
Working remote jobs can get pretty lonely. This is why you should connect with your co-workers any way you can. Some organizations have social network groups and platforms workers can use to stay connected.
This can help ensure projects remain productive and everyone is on the same page throughout the project.
And in some companies, there are gatherings you can attend to hang out with your fellow employees. Others have weekly or bi-weekly meetings where you get together and work at a local coffee shop.
If you’re a people person, then this may be important to keep you productive as a telecommute worker.
7. Use Productivity Apps to Eliminate Distractions While You Telecommute
One of the top reasons remote workers lack productivity is because they’re constantly distracted by their gadgets. Smartphones and even your computer can become a nuisance to your work.
These apps are designed to turn off notifications and even block apps or sites during specific times of the day. You can use these to stay focused on your work rather than checking your email, social media accounts, or messengers.
There are other apps that also help with logging how many hours you work so you can see if you’re being productive or lollygagging.
Learn More Productivity Tips
If you’re serious about running a telecommute business, then you need to do whatever you can to make your home a productive workspace.
Hopefully, these tips will help you do just that. You can also find a variety of other advice about money, business, education, and health at Is it Vivid.
Stop by our site today to see how you can get the personal and business lifestyle you wish to achieve!