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Working remotely allows you to take more control over your working hours and manage your time better. Having the flexibility to work from anywhere is a huge advantage for remote workers and because you are working from home, you don’t need to spend time commuting back and forth to work. With so many advantages to remote working, it’s no wonder that more and more people are making the shift.
Being a remote worker also comes with its fair share of challenges. Working from home, you need to ensure that you remove distractions so that you can focus on the work at hand. Staying focused and keeping on track with your work can be difficult when you are working remotely. However, with the right setup and strategies, you can make remote working work for you.
Let’s take a look at some steps you can follow to help you make the transition to remote work as seamless as possible.
Invest The Right Tech
When you are working remotely, your computer is your office. Whether you are working from home, at a coworking space or in a local cafe, you need to ensure that you have the right tools to help you maximise your productivity. As well as investing in a high-performance laptop, you will also need to get yourself set up with the right business software to streamline your processes. From innovative timesheet software to project management platforms and cloud-based storage, there is a range of tools available to remote workers nowadays. Spend some time to research your options to find the best solutions to improve your workflow.
Focus On Communication
For anyone that is used to working in a traditional office space where you are surrounded by your colleagues, working remotely might take a little getting used to. Communicating with your team when they are sitting nearby in the office is easy. When your colleagues are all in different locations, you need to work a little harder to ensure communications don’t break down. Whether you use online chat services, Whatsapp, email, videoconferencing tools or any other means of communication, make sure that you have a system in place to communicate with your coworkers.
Create A Dedicated Workspace
If you have a family or roommates that you share your home with, there can be a lot of distractions. Working from the kitchen table might be ok for a few weeks but to ensure you are able to concentrate, you will need a dedicated space to work. Set up a desk and office chair in a spare room or in your bedroom and let your housemates or family know that you should not be disturbed. This will help you to focus on the job at hand instead of being distracted every ten minutes.
Create A Schedule
To organise your time efficiently and to ensure you get the most out of every day, you need to create a schedule. When you are making your schedule, be sure to find the right work-life balance. Remote workers often blur the lines between personal time and work time to their own detriment. Working remotely, your home becomes your office, and it can be difficult to separate the two. Setting a schedule will allow you to fit in time for exercise, spend time with your family and complete all of your work on time. Create a realistic schedule that you can stick to and start enjoying all that extra time that working remotely can earn you.
Conclusion
Making the switch to working remotely can be daunting at first. However, as with any change, you will get used to it and soon it will become the norm. Setting yourself up with a dedicated space, the right tools and a solid schedule will ensure that your transition to remote working is as straightforward as possible and that you maximise your time, both at and outside of work.
