How To Be Productive In a Remote Work Environment
A whopping 97% of Americans would like to work from home (at least for some time) according to Buffer’s State of Remote Work report.
Along with enjoying a good work-life balance and better workload management, being more productive in a remote work environment is also a major goal for these professionals.
Zapier states that 91% of employees say they are happy at work due to remote work and flexible working hours.
While remote work can be liberating, the flip side of the coin is that remote employees struggle with the very real challenge of being less productive in a remote work environment.
Is it possible to enjoy all the perks of remote and be supremely productive too?
Yes, it is.
I am listing 12 actionable tips to be more productive in a remote work environment that I personally practice and strongly recommend to professionals around me.
Are you ready to learn? Let’s get started.
12 Practical Tips to Be More Productive in a Remote Work Environment
If low productivity is your biggest demon while working from home, it's time to slay it.
Let’s break down all the best practices of how to be more productive in a remote work environment and enjoy what you do.
Here you go.
1. Start Your Morning with a Routine
One of the simplest techniques to be productive in a remote work environment is to set a daily routine for yourself. It may look something like this:
- Wake up early
- Exercise a bit
- Complete your morning activities in a quick time
- Get ready as if you were going to the office
Letting go of the sluggish attitude and feeling pumped up will send a positive message to your mind and help you stay productive in a remote work environment.
2. Use Technology for Your Benefit
Technology plays a major role in enhancing productivity in a remote as well as hybrid work environment.
It is very critical to choose the right tools that can help you to be more productive in a remote work environment without experiencing burnout.
A Company like Attrock uses tools such as Slack, Mesasix, Clockify, Saleshany, Hunter, Clearbit, Skrap, ChatGPT, Trello, and other tools to communicate and manage remote teams more effectively.
You should subscribe to the most effective tools to scale up your productivity. Ensure that the tools you choose simplify your workday and do not end up making it more cumbersome.
For instance, companies are leveraging good customer service management tools to provide better customer support and increase the productivity of customer support teams.
3. Set Daily and Weekly Goals
Goal setting is crucial for being productive in a remote work environment.
Look at the tasks at hand, prioritize them based on their deadline, and set daily and weekly goals.
It is always a good practice to create a ‘to-do’ list for the day or week and allot time for each task. This helps you divide your responsibilities into smaller and achievable segments that you can conquer more quickly.
Besides, as an entrepreneur or business owner, goal setting can help you optimize your budget based on your priorities, resulting in better business expense management.
4. Optimize Your Most Productive Hours
Are you a morning person or do you prefer to work later in the day? Every person has some hours of the day marked as his or her most productive hours.
Learn to make the best use of this time and get your most critical tasks done during these hours.
When you are charged up the most, your energy levels, innovative thinking, and problem-solving capacities are at a peak. By planning to do more challenging tasks during this period you can become more productive in a remote work environment.
The more mundane tasks, calls, and meetings can be scheduled during the remaining hours as they do not demand much of your energy.
5. Communicate Regularly with Your Team
Communication is the key to successful collaboration between remote working team members. There are multiple ways to connect with your peers like:
- Get on a quick call
- Schedule a video meeting
- Chat with your team
- Do FaceTime
Select the most effective and stress-free mode of communication to get in touch with your team to discuss projects, take updates, solve queries, or just feel connected.
Regular communication will help you to be productive in a remote work environment.
6. Adopt Good Time Management Techniques
According to Owl Labs’ State of Remote Work report, more than half of the remote workers end up working more hours than they would at an office. Time management is a real issue in remote work.
To become a successful social media manager, you need to use the right social media scheduling tools and schedule all social media postings for the right time and utilize the most productive time to manage your team.
Image via Owl Labs
One of the best ways to be productive in a remote work environment is to master time management. Popular techniques like the Pickle Jar method, Eat That Frog First, and the Pomodoro technique are very effective in time management.
Similarly, it helps to have scheduling tools in place to manage your time better between clients and customers. For instance, if you have a salon, you could choose to leverage appointment scheduling software to help you schedule customer appointments in advance.
Here are some tips for creating a fruitful work schedule.
- Apply the 20/80 method
- Practice time blocking and setting deadlines
- Use appropriate email creator to create effective email templates
- Automate mundane tasks as much as possible
- Use a time-tracking app to track timing.
- Focus more on productivity
- Use the right newsletter template to send a newsletter
7. Participate in Virtual Training Sessions
One of the major reasons for dipping productivity among remote workers is that they get bored of doing the same tasks. And that's where remote employee development programs have a role to play.
Most organizations invest in training sessions, webinars, conferences, and wellness sessions to boost their employees’ skills and improve performance management. After all, well-nurtured employees can contribute to positive brand building.
As a professional, you should be looking forward to such opportunities to sharpen your skills, learn something new, and stay motivated to be more productive in a remote work environment.
8. Take Timely Breaks
Too much work can have an adverse effect on your productivity and can easily lead to burnout. That's why taking timely and quality breaks is essential to stay positive and productive in a remote work environment.
Make it a habit to step away from your desk to relax your body and mind. Grab a glass of juice or a quick snack, step outside to walk in the garden, play a round of board games, or even take a quick nap.
Taking a short break 2-3 times between your work schedule can help you re-energize and be more productive in a remote work environment.
9. Choose a Dedicated Work Space
Creating a dedicated workspace can contribute positively and help you be productive in a remote work environment.
Even if you have a corner in your living room or bedroom as a workspace, try your best to create an office-like environment in that area.
Having the right furniture, equipment, lighting, etc. will get you in the right mindset and make you more productive in a remote work environment.
10. Minimize Distractions
Let’s face it, working from home has more distractions than in an office.
Everything from kids running around, dogs barking, and family members talking, to digital distractions like social media can affect your focus and productivity.
While some of these distractions are beyond your control, you can minimize what you can.
You can create an engaging schedule that keeps your kids occupied, use noise-cancellation headphones to reduce noise, and log out of social media to focus better and get more work done.
11. Look After Your Physical and Mental Health
Physical and mental well-being might take a back seat when you begin working from home.
You may easily slip into a more redundant lifestyle and get used to unhealthy eating habits, which may lead to health issues.
And when you add stress, depression, and loneliness to the mix, your mental and emotional health goes for a spin too.
To be more productive in a remote work environment, it is vital that you include yoga, meditation, exercise, sports, and a healthy diet in your daily routine.
Plan to go outdoors, socialize, and spend quality time with family to be fit and cheerful.
12. Communicate Clearly with Your Family
To work productively and to effectively balance home and work life, it is critical that you communicate your schedule and work pattern to your partner and children.
Explain to them what is expected of you as an employee and how certain lifestyle changes need to be made.
Clear communication will help you coordinate better, eliminate unnecessary stress, and manage responsibilities more efficiently.
Develop a Strategy to be More Productive in a Remote Work Environment
You can be very productive in a remote work environment if you learn to manage your time, prioritize tasks, and strike a balance between home and work life.
Make good use of remote work tools like Apploye to enhance your productivity. Check out the 100+ features this tool has to offer and work on building a strategy that’ll make you more productive in a remote work environment.
Author: Reena is the Director of Operations and Sales at Attrock, a result-driven digital marketing company.