According to the Economist report, remote working negatively affects productivity. For example, a survey of 10,000 plus remote employees of an Asian technology company reveals that 65% of employees say that remote work has decreased their productivity.
To improve productivity, many remote workers upgrade their working tools, including laptops, webcam, microphone, etc., and even arranged an outdoor WiFi extender for working comfortably in the garden. However, there are still other measures to opt.
If you are a remote worker, you must consider few simple tips to maximize your productivity. To get further details, keep reading!
Tips to Maximize Productivity of Remote Workers
Although remote working offers greater autonomy and a flexible schedule, distraction and less supervision decrease the productivity of those who are not careful. Moreover, setting alone all day can negatively affect your mental and physical health.
However, you can consider the following simple tips and tricks to keep on your track and stay healthy during remote work.
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- Optimize Your Workspace
A separate workspace is a prerequisite of remote working. To enhance your productivity, you need to optimize it. If possible, make sure the workspace is near a window. Sunlight can improve productivity and also boost your mood.
Maintain a tidy and clutter-free workspace. Jennie Dede, Adecco’s VP of Recruiting, points out that your work environment affects your performance. You have the motivation to work when everything is placed accurately.
Once your room is clutter-free, add air-filtering plants or a medium-sized whiteboard on the wall to make it even more functional.
- Stick to Your Set Schedule
Having a well-organized routine can help you be more productive. It also makes it much easy to split your work and leisure time. While creating your timetable, consider the types of work you are doing and the locations of your clients or coworkers.
If you work for a company in your time zone, schedule your day to coincide with their business hours. If you operate as a freelancer for clients in different time zones and nations, you may need to schedule a small break throughout the day rather than continuously working for 8-hour.
- Determine Your Peak Productivity Hours
Make a note of your peak productive hours during the day and organize your schedule around that. Freedom is one of the main advantage of remote work. Even if you have to be online at particular times, you still have some control over your day and may schedule chores and breaks when they are most convenient for you.
Some people prefer to get right to work in the mornings, while others take a few hours to get ready. According to a study from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, the time of day affects cognitive tasks. They discovered that the best time to work was in the early afternoon, about 1:30 p.m. However, this isn’t true for everyone.
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- Take Backup Regularly
If you work online, make regular backups of your files and save them to the cloud whenever possible. Then, weekly, test all of your equipment and learn how to perform basic repairs and troubleshooting. That way, if you face any basic issue, you can fix it yourself without wasting any time.
If your budget permits, you should have backup equipment and services, such as an additional laptop or internet connections, both wireless and fixed and Storage in the cloud. It will help you to avoid the headache of data loss. Also, check out essential software systems for remote worker.
- Avoid Multitasking
To increasing productivity, you can consider stopping Multitasking. It is one of those time-saving behaviours that busy people have developed through time by completing multiple things or switching between projects.
Unfortunately, Multitasking wastes more time than it saves. Research has found that Multitasking has a variety of harmful effects on the human mind. A recent report by Cleveland Clinic finds that “Multitasking is impossible for almost everyone, in almost all situations. We usually complete individual tasks successfully and quickly rather than more tasks at once.”
If you have a habit of Multitasking, you can try the following tips to get rid of this habit:
- Don’t look at your phone in the morning
- Make a list of your daily priorities
- Consider minimizing outside distractions
- Never hesitate to say No
- Set a time to check email, text messages and social media
- Stay stick to unitasking during your peak time
- Identify your multitasking habits. It will help you to avoid
- Consider apps like SelfControl to block distractions
- Take Breaks
As a remote worker, it’s too easy to be distracted, so you avoid taking breaks completely. Allowing yourself to relax for five minutes should not be hampered by the guilt of working in the same building where you sleep.
Instead of just accessing YouTube and viewing some comfort videos, take advantage of your breaks to walk away from your workstation. Take a step outside to get some fresh air, or spend time with others who may be in the house.
- Interact with others
While working from home, you’ll probably miss the informal social connections with colleagues. You can’t have the short conversation and other activities. Definitely, it’s boring.
So, to avoid boredom and loneliness, communicate with your colleagues on a regular basis. Contact them via video chat, apps like Slack, Skype and Zoom or any other means you use to interact.
Keep in mind that you’re working from your home, not from the moon. It is acceptable to interact with other individuals during the day, even if they are not your coworkers. When you spend the most of your time working alone, it’s a good idea to see another face during the day.
The Final Thought
The above discussion helps you make this year more productive with healthy habits and simple tips and and strategies. These will not only improve your productivity but also help you to stay healthy. However, to become more productive, you must be willing to change how you think about task completion.