Working remotely is a challenge for everyone.

A bit more than a year working from home gave me some experience that may help you with some tips and ideas on how to survive to work from home. I will talk about best practices, but what are the best practices? And if they are not the ones which work for you. The dreamed idea of work wearing pyjamas is not so amazing after the first week, second and so on. Therefore, this article will help you to develop new habits, to be more productive and find a way to enjoy more work remotely.

A place to work remotely

Let’s start with the basics, that is the place to work in your home. If you don’t have an office at home try to find a place where you can close the door. If you don’t have that, don’t panic, find a place where the number of distractions is lower than the rest of your house. I have to say that I worked for six months in the kitchen and wasn’t that bad except for the extra pounds in the first month. In the second month, all temptations were not visible anymore and it was solved.

Nevertheless, after trying all these options you are not comfortable at all, and you have a lot of distractions and interruptions. A good headset can be a solution, with noise-cancelling even better, because if you don’t like music at least you can avoid the distraction of television, children and other house sounds that can catch your attention.

 

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Prepare your body and mind to work

We are beings of habits, prepare to work as you used to do. Because you used to commute, dress-up and go out, go walk a few blocks and after go to your place in your house to work. It seems silly, but it works to help your body to understand that it is time to be awake. If you have a dog, walk him in the morning. Another strategy that can work for you is taking a shower and at least not wearing your pyjama shirt, a shirt, or any outfit that you would go to work with.

Now, that your body is awake and you already told your mind that it is time to work, let’s help your brain to be more focused on what you have to do. Sit down, analyze your workspace and try to make it as clean as possible as it would be in your office. After, organize and list your tasks by priority and length of time needed. We will talk better about this in another article, but if you don’t want to wait and wanna improve your skills now, take a look and SMART tasks, OKRs and other methodologies that can help you with that.

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The routine of work from home

The first hour of working remotely

The first hour is crucial, it is the time that your body and mind will understand that you are not playing a video game or enjoying social media procrastination. Pick tasks that are the most boring but important for you to accomplish, that you should not let for tomorrow and do it in the first hour.

Why should I start with the most boring one? Because after you do that your level of accomplishment will be higher, you will be ready to do something more interesting and relevant. After that, you will fill the ownership of your day. You already did the tough task of the day focused. What can be better than that?

Tip: Do not choose a very long task, one hour or one hour and a half work well, but your length can be different. More than that can break your animation. If you only have tasks with more time, break it in smaller pieces to do in the critical times where you can’t avoid it and help you to move on.

The flow of work from home

The flow of work can be the hardest part since we have an enormous number of distractions and interruptions at home. Also, our personal computers have numerous alternatives to procrastinate, from games to social media. But let’s talk about solutions to each type of problem that we have at home.

First, our own impulse to change the focus and get distracted with small things. If you have your list of tasks it is already a beginning, but you probably will need more than that so I would start with Pomodoro Technique or other similar methodologies that helps you and works for you. A simple timer in your cell-phone or apps like Forest, Focus To-Do, Pomodoro Timer will help you with that. 

Those timers are not helping you? Try to take notes about what is getting your attention, if possible turn off your internet for a while, including your cell phone internet. Another alternative on iOS systems is multiple desktops to eliminate other apps to be around and maximize your windows. On Microsoft Windows 10 it is a native feature too, click Win+Tab and it will show it for you.

Strict time for breaks and coffee can be relevant if one of your interruptions in the flow is getting a snack. What can be helpful is working with a snack on your table, consider something healthy that you like such as apricots, raisins or some nuts.

Second, the interruptions. If closing the door is not working or the place that you have to work has not this option. Creating signs to everyone around you during the times that you can’t be interrupted is a good practice. Say to everyone this rule and in the first days it will be hard, you will have to monitor them and yourself to guarantee the success of this practice.

How to do that?

You can use an object, light or clothes like a tie, hat or scarf that indicates clearly that is not the moment to be interrupted. Children will quickly understand it with a simple look of disapproval when they interrupt you after you establish the rule. In the beginning, you have to be very strict but do not have to be rude. After two or three days you will see the benefits in moments that you are even indicating it. 

Third, the flow is going well, but always around the same time, you get yourself distracted or tired. If you are able to choose your meeting schedule, it would be the perfect time to do your meetings. If you can’t, think about doing the most enjoyable task of your day close to this time or it can be your body telling you to do a break. Also, you can stop at this time, review your tasks and goals of the day, give some time to your mind or only read something relevant or take a coffee.

When we have too many rules to follow, sometimes it can be worse, so do not be attempted to add all these techniques at once. 

It is a discovery and experimentation process to find the best practices that work for you.

Finishing the remote workday

It is more a recommendation than an essential practice but thinking about it reviewing all your tasks and move the ones that you could not finish transferred to another day. List your tasks for the next working day. Finally, think about creating journaling your daily lessons learned, it is not a diary, but it is something that may help you to register your own outcomes of the day. This article can help you to see the relevance of writing a journal 28 ways of keeping a daily journal that could change your life.

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Social needs of work from home

After a few days working alone or after a week you can miss the social relations or you feel a strong desire to speak, especially if you live alone. A good idea could be going out for a coffee with someone, but in times of COVID-19, it is not possible. So, do it virtually. Call a friend and schedule a virtual drink. Yes, get that amazing wine that is stored, or prepare a perfect cappuccino for you, and get together online to enjoy a delightful moment with your mug or goblet talking, laughing and socializing.

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Success working remotely

Do not give up, you will find a way to enjoy this moment. This article is not a final answer to all your challenges of working from home. Now, you know some of my lessons learned after more than a year working from home. I hope that those tips help you, but let’s sum up before you go.

Ultimately, you’ve done the first step to improve your working habits from home reading these ideas and tips.

Feel free to share your comments and save the poster to help you work from home.