The activities and behaviors that you do routinely become unconscious habits that affect everything in your life. Sometimes you may intentionally incorporate an activity to enjoy a specific outcome, for example, going to the gym to develop muscle.
But other times, life forces you to do it. You may have acquired some unproductive habits when you embraced remote working overnight. However, it is time to replace it to restore your productivity.
1. No work schedule
Remote work offers some benefits, including freedom and flexibility. However, if you do not take the time to adapt to these realities by creating a plan, it can negatively affect your productivity. This is because it becomes difficult to separate work and personal time when you don’t have a set schedule, blurring the lines between them as a result.
So what can you do about it?
You can start by creating a work schedule from home. Knowing your own chronological pattern can put you on the right track, as it will enable you to create a plan that perfectly fits your body clock.
After that, you can take advantage of digital solutions like Google Calendar To plan each day in advance. Make it a habit to list the tasks you’d like to complete the next day before you go to bed.
2. Not prioritizing
After creating your remote work day schedule, you now have a mental picture of what you need to do. But we bet it’s not nearly as important or urgent, so doing it randomly might not be the most productive way.
Not prioritizing your work can be particularly harmful because it causes you to lose focus and spend too much time on unnecessary tasks. This increases the likelihood of switching between different tasks without finishing any of them, which ultimately reduces your productivity and leads to burnout.
To get around this, you should make it a habit to organize your daily tasks according to priority. You can use an app like priority matrix to facilitate this process.
This tool lets you rank your tasks into four levels — from most important and urgent to least. Working through your workday in this way enables you to complete your primary goals.
3. Too little or no exercise
Remote work increases the chances of falling into the trap of a sedentary lifestyle because you spend most of the day sitting in front of a computer screen. But staying physically passive for too long will not only deplete energy levels and lower productivity; It can also lead to many health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – to name a few.
To break this habit and improve your overall health and productivity, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. This could be anything from walking to going for a run.
Instead, there are some practical tools you can use to combat a sedentary lifestyle, including FitOn. This application contains countless exercises that you can do from your home without equipment. It also offers customized meal plans, guided meditation, and personal trainers.
4. Lack of communication
One of the big risks of working remotely is the lack of effective communication with colleagues. This can be attributed to many factors, such as working different hours, not being in the same place, or simply not having the right internal communication tools to make everyone work concurrently.
The result? Colleagues may feel unavailable, unresponsive, or uncommitted to the team — all of which lower productivity and lead to stress in the workplace.
You can use software solutions like slack For one-on-one conversations with colleagues or group discussions across departments. In addition, project management tools such as Trello They can help you assign tasks and set due dates.
5. Not dealing with distractions
It can be easy to get distracted when you’re working from home. There are many things that can take your attention away from your work, including your favorite TV shows, constantly checking your smartphone, and handling pets.
It’s important to find ways to reduce these distractions and stay focused on your work. One way to do this is to create a dedicated workspace to focus on your tasks without being bothered. Keep your workspace clutter-free and provide only the essentials.
Another way to stay focused is to schedule breaks during your work schedule. Once you reach the end of your allotted time, take a break and do something that has nothing to do with your work. You can use Pomodoro productivity apps like Pomatize To automate this process.
Last but not least, you will have to find a solution that will help you to stop checking your phone every minute. You can have a separate phone for work and keep your personal phone out of sight while you work. You can also disable notifications or download apps like Jungle To help you reduce distractions.
6. Lots of screen time
The inevitable consequence of working from home is spending more screen time. While you may not avoid this completely, you can take some steps to ensure you spend less time in front of a screen. That’s because constant screen use can exhaust screen time, exposing you to symptoms like headaches, eyestrain and blurred vision, which can make you less productive.
There are several ways to avoid exhausting screen time, including adjusting screen brightness, using a blue light filter, adjusting font size, and taking frequent breaks.
It’s time to build more productive remote work habits
Telecommuting means you don’t have anyone breathing down your neck anymore. As a result, you will need extra effort and discipline to get things done on time.
However, by applying the tips and taking advantage of the digital tools we mentioned above, you will gradually form more productive habits that will make it easier for you to have a successful remote work experience.
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