More and more people are working remotely, and it would seem to be the perfect job – you can plan your own duties and perform them in the strangest poses on your couch. However, staying motivated in such a work mode is very difficult. What to do to work effectively?
Preferably the day before, or at the latest in the morning of a given day, set your priorities and make a list of tasks, starting with the most important ones. Don’t be tempted to do smaller, not too demanding tasks just to tick something off.
Plan your work time carefully and don’t allow yourself too many concessions. How many times have you thought “I’ll start as soon as I’ve had my coffee or breakfast” or “I’ll play for a while and then get to work”? You know very well that this usually eats up more time than you thought, making it very easy to waste half a day
Therefore, if your job is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., stick to those hours, working as efficiently as possible during that time. If you prefer shorter task segments, divide your work into, say, a few morning hours and the rest in the afternoon
It’s also a good idea to include breaks in your work time to help you work more efficiently. Breaks can be too long and should take you away from your responsibilities, such as a quick walk with the dog, making coffee or tea. Also, don’t do “household chores” during your breaks. This is supposed to be a real rest.
The version of staying in your pajamas while you work is a tempting prospect, but it’s not the best for our efficiency. You don’t have to iron your shirt or put on a suit right away. But make sure you get up, take a shower, change your clothes, tie your hair or even do some light make-up. That way, you won’t be caught off guard by any meetings with your webcam on!
Very often, a private phone gets in the way of remote work. Notifications from Facebook or Instagram always come to the forefront by some miracle, and the fear of missing anything overcomes us. We glance only briefly, barely glance and we spend long hours on social media. The result? Work goes undone and motivation is lost.
A private phone is just one possible distraction. Often, an inbox with emails on or tabs running in your browser are also distracting. If possible, block sites that distract you or, for example, log out of your private email inbox
When you go to work, you prepare for it. The same must be true for remote work – prepare for it properly. Arrange the place where you work so that nothing distracts you. A couch or bed seems like the perfect place to work, but it doesn’t help you perform your duties effectively
In your work area, i.e. on your desk or on a table, prepare the necessary tools for your work such as:
Move everything else out of sight. It’s better that way, trust me
When working remotely, it’s very common to get distracted by household chores. When there is no motivation to work and you can’t focus on it, many people look for another activity (like a student who – before getting down to studying – has to vacuum the whole desert). Thus, we take up laundry, ironing or mopping floors. Housemates will probably be grateful to us, but the boss not so much
One of the biggest problems with maintaining motivation in remote work is to be understood by household members. Very often it is difficult to accept the home as a place to do paid work and not just rest and relax. This requires setting rules and ironclad consistency, but it’s not impossible
There are situations that really cannot wait and require our urgent intervention. However, leave all the others aside, you will embrace them after work
