‘tips n tricks’ – to bring in greater focus and productivity.

You looked at the pros, you looked at the cons — and you made your decision to work remote (or maybe your organization made the decision). Either way, it’s time to look ahead and prepare for success. Let’s start with how you can bring focus and productivity into remote work.

Remember, every challenge is a disguised opportunity. So, let us look at tips and tricks to help you outperform with higher productivity in your remote work.

first things first — schedule for success.

If working from home, draw up a clear schedule — for yourself and your family. Draw up a firm timetable to accommodate the needs for your work schedule, for your breaks, for parenting, for home needs, etc. If you will be working at a co-working space for certain hours, choose the time period that accommodates your work and home needs. Stick firmly to this schedule. Flexibility for remote work does not mean procrastinating or working at will. Make the best use of it to bring the right balance of meeting both work and personal deadlines.

leveraging digital support structures to the hilt.

Are you a early morning, mid-morning, afternoon or late evening person? Crack your circadian rhythm code to tackle the most demanding tasks in the time you work best. This will not only enable you to deliver amazing outcomes, but also prevent burnout and keep your mental energy high and shining.

make your workspace work for you.

The image of working from the couch or bed may be very tempting — but that may not be your productivity’s best friend. Try and set up an official workspace. You may not have the luxury of space at home to have a separate work room, but it is still possible to carve out a makeshift official space. Stock the space with the all that you need for work (laptop, notebook, pens, headphones, printer, etc.) – so that you are not distracted and do not waste time to repeatedly move to retrieve things you need.

a people-driven work culture.

Here is a fact. You can only work for so long at a stretch. To be truly productive, take regular breaks for your mind and body to recharge. Work it in your schedule, and at regular intervals, take a few minutes to stand, stretch, have water (to prevent dehydration) or coffee/tea.

Sometimes, take longer breaks to interact with colleagues and family, have lunch or take a short walk. Taking your mind off work for a brief bits can boost your happiness and productivity.

get rid of digital distractions.

The temptation to check social media while working at home can be high. That is a risky rabbit hole to get into, as it can rob you of hours of productive work. The best way is to totally eliminate digital distractions while at work. Disable alerts, notifications and remove bookmarks of social platforms, and log out of your social media accounts. Get back to them after you have logged out of work.

Even with your work emails, unless you have to monitor them 24/ 7 as part of your job, have designated times to check them. A constantly ‘on-view’ inbox does not do good for your productivity.

efficient and proactive task tracking.

This habit keeps you totally accountable through your work day. When the day is done, make a task list for the next day – marking out what is priority for what you need to do, and what you need to get done from others. Factor in all calls and meetings too. This saves you precious time when you start work to keep you productive. Remote work is different and something you have yet to get used to. But you can find the right model to suit your style and create the right environment to keep your productivity flying high.